Keith Stuart

Keith Stuart

@keefstuart.bsky.social

Novelist. Video game correspondent for The Guardian. He/him 💖

7.6K followers748 following835 posts

Keith Stuart reposted

Catherynne M. Valente
@catvalente.bsky.social

I now have permission to share something I hoped would be revealed with much more fanfare I spent more than 3 years as one of the writers of #MassEffect4 It was one of the greatest privileges & GLORIOUS challenges of my life So when I say I am devastated by the end of #MassEffect I REALLY mean it

Keith Stuart
@keefstuart.bsky.social

Shouldn’t Storm Austen be posting handwritten calling cards politely requesting permission to blow our fences down and perchance, if it is convenient, discombobulate our roof tiles?

Keith Stuart
@keefstuart.bsky.social

I wrote about the slow but steady return of real video game arcades and asked my friend @spadgy.bsky.social to weigh in with his unparalleled knowledge. www.theguardian.com/games/2026/o...

theguardian.comReady player one? Why the games arcade is having a rebirthAfter years of sprawling, never-ending games, players are rediscovering the pleasures of shorter, more focused experiences. Could a new wave of independent arcades bring back the social side of gaming...
Keith Stuart
@keefstuart.bsky.social

I have an odd question - do senior schools have more than one physics teacher? I’m asking because the proof editor on my novel seems to think they don’t, but I’m sure they do?! It’s a minor plot thing but, you know, details are important 😅

Keith Stuart
@keefstuart.bsky.social

As a Man City supporter since 1981, this is the most Man City thing that’s ever happened. It is the ultimate expression of Man City-ness. We were never really here www.theguardian.com/football/202...

theguardian.comManchester City verdict: what happens next, will club appeal and could they be relegated?We analyse what City must do to appeal, why even that might not be the end of the legal wrangling, and the penalties that could await if the verdict is upheld
Keith Stuart
@keefstuart.bsky.social

I saw Resident Evil! (Maybe spoilers coming but I don’t think so?) What I enjoyed most about it was that although there were no explicit references to the games (apart from a few Easter eggs) it completely nails their structure, dialogue tropes and visual language. Also Zach Cherry is in it!

Keith Stuart
@keefstuart.bsky.social

Keza + Nintendo = 🪎

Keza MacDonald@mackeza.bsky.social

For its 25th anniversary, I wrote about the GameCube - an underappreciated console that prompted unprecedented change within Nintendo. It was mocked at the time but it's remembered fondly now, an uncomplicated box of fun that appeared right when games were entering their 'performatively adult' stage

theguardian.comSmall but mighty! Remembering the GameCube, Nintendo’s purple box of delightsThe first console I ever bought, it was hyped as a threat to the PlayStation, then mocked as a flop. But now, as it marks its 25th anniversary, it’s looked back on with misty-eyed reverence
Keith Stuart
@keefstuart.bsky.social

I reviewed Wolverine - it was… ok. It reminded me of that Philip Larkin line, "A sense of falling, like an arrow-shower, Sent out of sight, somewhere becoming rain." But I didn’t put that in the review because I didn’t want to end up in Pseud’s Corner again www.theguardian.com/games/2026/s...?

theguardian.comMarvel’s Wolverine review – a gloriously conflicted lead is let down by crude, boring battlingLogan is well realised by Liam McIntyre and some exquisite character art, but there are lapses in narrative and emotional arcs and some of the combat feels like a chore
Keith Stuart
@keefstuart.bsky.social

If you enjoyed the brilliant folk horror game The Excavation of Hob's Barrow, I’m *begging* you to watch Penda’s Fen, a fascinating and disorientating TV play from the 70s - and this is the perfect way to discover it!

Ian Greaves@greavesian.bsky.social

Join me for a skeetalong-a- #PendasFen this Wednesday night when BBC4 reruns it from 10.15pm. Behind the scenes stories, pics and things to spot. If you've seen the play before, then follow live. If it's new to you, give it proper attention and then join the # on catch up. Link in bio to the book.

Keith Stuart reposted

emilio g
@emiliog.bsky.social

thanks to Keith and The Guardian for sharing the tangible impact these decisions have had. and, woah, i took that photo! does that make me a... published photographer?! (these were provided by CWA and used with permission.)

Keith Stuart@keefstuart.bsky.social

Hi I spoke to staff affected by the recent Xbox lay-offs about their shock, confusion and fears for themselves, their colleagues and the industry www.theguardian.com/games/2026/s...

theguardian.com‘I feel like I’m grieving’: staff on the devastating fallout of widespread layoffs at XboxLast month, Microsoft’s gaming division told its workforce it was cutting 3,200 jobs, which some say will have big ramifications for game development – as well as taking a huge personal toll
Keith Stuart
@keefstuart.bsky.social

Hi I spoke to staff affected by the recent Xbox lay-offs about their shock, confusion and fears for themselves, their colleagues and the industry www.theguardian.com/games/2026/s...

theguardian.com‘I feel like I’m grieving’: staff on the devastating fallout of widespread layoffs at XboxLast month, Microsoft’s gaming division told its workforce it was cutting 3,200 jobs, which some say will have big ramifications for game development – as well as taking a huge personal toll
Keith Stuart
@keefstuart.bsky.social

This is something I have come up against sooooo many times in my career - TV and radio programme producers saying “sorry but we covered games last month”. Can you imagine them saying that about films, books or music? And it’s STILL happening

Joel Morris@gralefrit.bsky.social

I pitched a show two years ago about this to Radio 4, to tie in with the release. They said they had already made a programme about computers fairly recently.

Keith Stuart
@keefstuart.bsky.social

Hi I spoke to Sega’s Takashi Iizuka and Ivo Gerscovich about Sonic the Hedgehog at 35. *stands with arms folded, tapping foot, waiting for you to follow the link* www.theguardian.com/games/2026/a...

theguardian.com‘The ultimate gamers’ mascot’: Sonic the Hedgehog at 35 – from 2D to 3D to a billion-dollar film franchiseSonic’s creators explain how the speedy scamp has kept on running through generations as an enduring avatar of ‘attitude in the face of adversity’

Keith Stuart reposted

George E. Osborn
@georgeosborn.bsky.social

I joined @theguardian.com's Today in Focus podcast to talk about the Public Investment Fund's acquisition of EA and wider efforts by states to manipulate games for political ends. Listen below, with added @keefstuart.bsky.social. www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2...

theguardian.comWhy did Saudi Arabia just spend billions on a video games company? – podcastLast week Saudi Arabia’s wealth fund and a group of investors spent $55 billion on Electronic Arts, the video games company behind the Sims, Madden NFL and Battlefield. Keith Stuart and George Osborn ...
Keith Stuart
@keefstuart.bsky.social

Today I also wrote a preview of Clean Start, a cosy home-sorting puzzler that also looks into immigration and domestic service www.theguardian.com/games/2026/j...

theguardian.com‘A universal human story’: Clean Start’s thought-provoking tidying sim tells immigrant’s talePlaying as recent arrival Lena, your challenges include learning a new language and uncovering family secrets – its developer hopes it will spread ‘a little more compassion’
Keith Stuart
@keefstuart.bsky.social

I am disappointed that no Pushing Buttons readers have noticed that the image I used for this week’s reader question - “is there an accepted canon of the best games ever” - featured only Sega Saturn titles. I put a lot of effort into my Sega propaganda ffs www.theguardian.com/games/2026/j...

theguardian.comAfter 40 years, Aliens is still shaping the way video games are madeJames Cameron’s high-octane film sequel is a blueprint for modern action space slashers

Keith Stuart reposted

Lost In Cult
@lostincult.co.uk

We got a mention in @keefstuart.bsky.social's newsletter for @theguardian.com (which is a VERY worthwhile sign up)🎮 Physical editions are vital for a healthy games ecosystem and it's an honour to be thought of when it comes to preserving their culture! www.theguardian.com/games/2026/j...

theguardian.comPlayStation says it will stop making physical games – and that should worry us allSony’s announcement spells the end of a whole ecosystem built by superfan collectors – and signals a troubling shift in the industry

Keith Stuart reposted

Alex Donaldson
@apzonerunner.com

Launching a new website about video games today. Meet @respec.net. A sibling to @rpgsite.net, a spiritual successor to VG247, & a brother from another mother to other 100% independent UK media brands like @videogameschronicle.com and @trueachievements.com. www.respec.net/feature/87-w...

respec.netWelcome to Respec: A word from the Editors | RespecWelcome to our new little corner of the internet. Why a new video game website, and why now? Allow us to explain...
Keith Stuart
@keefstuart.bsky.social

This week’s pushing buttons newsletter is the only analysis of the games console RAM crisis you’ll read that starts with a Pride and Prejudice misquote. Thanks to @andyrobinson.bsky.social @dringo.bsky.social and @piershr.bsky.social for their expertise www.theguardian.com/games/2026/j...

theguardian.comNo console-flation: how the thirst for AI chips is sending games console prices soaringAI data centres, memory scarcity and factory capacity are costing consumers –and console makers
Keith Stuart
@keefstuart.bsky.social

There’s less than a week left on this and they’re just short of the brilliant third stretch goal which is an unmissable treat for fans of From Software and Edge Magazine

ON games journal@ongamesjournal.bsky.social

It's the last week of ON3 on Kickstarter - the campaign ends midnight on Wednesday July 1st. ON3 is available on Kickstarter at a 20% discount, and there’s loads of Kickstarter exclusive products and upgrades. Get your copy now: on.games/on3 #ON3mag #GamesMagazine #ProjectWeLove @kickstarter.com

Keith Stuart
@keefstuart.bsky.social

Hello, do I know any big fans of Sega’s ‘real life career’ games from the late 90s? Crazy Taxi, 18 Wheeler, Brave Fire Fighters?? I would love to speak to you for an article!