Nicole Carpenter

Nicole Carpenter is a reporter who's been covering the video game industry and its culture for more than 10 years. She lives in New England with a horde of Pokémon Squishmallows.

Unbeatable Is Messy, But Somehow Still Hits

Unfortunately, it takes the whole dang game to get there

By Nicole Carpenter

/ 23 Dec 2025

A woman with pink hair hits a baseball with a microphone stand. The scene is washed out in pink, with the words BAM on screen.

Tiny Bookshop Briefly Removed From Nintendo Switch Store In Ratings Debacle Over The Word 'Arsehole'

'Getting back into bestsellers after a blackout is either very hard or impossible'

By Nicole Carpenter

/ 15 Dec 2025

A tiny mobile bookstore on a gloomy waterfront

Horror Game Horses Removed From Epic Games Store, Too

Santa Ragione said Horses is now banned from both Steam and Epic Games Store, but available on GOG.

By Nicole Carpenter

/ 2 Dec 2025

A clothed man riding on the shoulders of a naked man wearing a horse mask. His butt is blurred by pixelization in the black-and-white image.

No Thoughts, Just Fish

Tiny Aquarium is a little respite from my chaotic desktop

By Nicole Carpenter

/ 28 Nov 2025

A pixelized aquarium with fish, turtles, and lots of fun decorations

Sonic The Hedgehog Makes His NHL Debut—On Columbus Blue Jackets Goalie's Hockey Mask

Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins debuted a Sonic the Hedgehog goalie mask.

By Nicole Carpenter

/ 25 Nov 2025

Two side by side photos of a Sonic the Hedgehog mask

A Hockey Team Recreated The Evangelion Intro For A Stadium Full Of Fans

Here's how an American Hockey League team embraced anime—then went viral.

By Nicole Carpenter

/ 21 Nov 2025

A goalie standing in front of a video of himself raising his head up, overlaid by a hockey rink schemati

These Developers Are Bringing Canceled Game Concord Back To Life

How a group of hobbyist reverse engineers brought the troubled game back to life.

By Nicole Carpenter

/ 14 Nov 2025

These Developers Are Bringing Canceled Game Concord Back To Life

Raccoin Is A Coin Pusher Where It's OK To Shake The Machine

From Balatro publisher Playstack, Raccoin: Coin Pusher Roguelike is a constant dopamine release shaped like the nostalgic coin pusher arcade games

By Nicole Carpenter

/ 12 Nov 2025

Lots of coins piled into the in-game coin pusher in Raccoin

Solve These Strange Jigsaws

From puzzle maker FLEB, Strange Jigsaws is one of my favorite games this year.

By Nicole Carpenter

/ 7 Nov 2025

Pokémon Battle Patent Reexamination A 'Disruption Of The Normal Status Quo,' Says IP Law Expert

Nintendo's patents continue to be scrutinized—now by a government body

By Nicole Carpenter

/ 6 Nov 2025

A Pokemon training running alongside a Quaxwell, which is a bird with a bouffant

Days After Hyping Games Business To Investors, Netflix Closes Squid Game: Unleashed Studio

Netflix has closed Squid Game: Unleashed developer Boss Fight Entertainment, according to former staff. News spread about the closure on Thursday, just days after Netflix's third quarter financial

By Nicole Carpenter

/ 24 Oct 2025

Squid Game participants and guards standing in a row in Squid Game: Unleashed

Brainrot Goes To Court [Correction]

The maker of one of Roblox's top games is taking brainrot to court. Developer Spyder Games filed a complaint in a California court on Thursday, which has been

By Nicole Carpenter

/ 24 Oct 2025

Steal A Roblox, with a man side by side with brainrot