Mike has spent more than a decade in the video game industry as a critic and journalist. In 2013, he joined Game Informer as news editor, covering business and legal stories. After leaving in 2016, he teamed up with Bithell Games to author The GameDev Business Handbook and The GameDev Budgeting Handbook, designed to help demystify foundational business concepts for those starting their own studios.
He has since been freelancing for Polygon, Variety, GameDaily, and GamesBeat on timely business topics while also leveraging his experience to help independent developers with business strategy and pitching. Mike has also worked with AAA developers and publishers on pre-announcement strategy, messaging, and trade show presentation preparation. He has also completed a number of mock previews and reviews.
Monster Hunter is a series about persevering against formidable odds. The core game loop is straightforward: go out into the world, hunt your target, bring back materials, craft new arms and armor, and do it…
Thunder Road: Vendetta Publisher: Restoration Games It is rare that I (Mike) play a tabletop game, decide not to purchase it, and have it haunt my thoughts for an entire year. At PAX Unplugged 2023,…
It’s been more than a decade since Mike started writing these annual trend roundups while he was news editor at Game Informer. Since then, we’ve seen huge, unprecedented growth in the video game industry, new…
The furor over the reports that Microsoft is considering bringing some of its library multiplatform is largely missing the target. Console warriors are wading back into the trenches to talk about the future of their pointless battle over plastic boxes. But this situation has the potential to offer both positives and negatives.
We think it’s safe to say that no one anticipated just how miserable 2023 would be for the amazing people creating the games we love. And while this year did bring us a deluge of delight in terms of the games, the play experiences were overshadowed by the trauma and despair of the more than 10,000 people who found themselves out of work… some just a few days before Christmas.
With 2022 behind us, it’s time for our annual look back and look ahead at the biggest trends shaping the video game industry. While we might have new jobs, Virtual Economy and our trends analysis aren’t going anywhere. So sit back, grab a cup of your favorite holiday beverage, and join us for our annual review!
Last year was one of transformation for the game industry and its workers. We’re looking back at 2021 and ahead to 2022 in our annual trends round-up.
Mike Futter shares his favorite games of 2021.
Content creators on Twitch are speaking out and taking action against the Amazon-owned livestreaming service for its failures in protecting users on its platform.
Raw Fury has announced that it has agreed to a majority acquisition by Altor, a Swedish investment group. This marks Altor’s first investment in the video game industry, and a major turning point for Raw…