Kate Sánchez
Kate Sánchez links video games, screen media, and animation in criticism that keeps genre storytelling and underrepresented perspectives at the center of the coverage. As co-founder and editor-in-chief of But Why Tho?, she works across reviews, news, and interviews for video games, film, TV, and anime while maintaining a clear emphasis on international media and animation. Her work is defined less by a single platform or franchise than by a consistent focus on how mechanics, narrative, and representation come together in the games and shows she covers.
Video Game Reviews from ‘Dune: Awakening’ to Metroidvanias
Sánchez covers video games as a critic who writes full reviews of major releases and smaller genre titles. At But Why Tho? she reviews console experiences such as “Dune: Awakening,” framing the game as a reminder of the strengths it has built up over time, which signals an interest in long-term play and franchise evolution. Her gaming beat includes detailed coverage of sports-adjacent titles, as in her news and impressions on “CFB 27” and the EA Sports Network, where she focuses on what dynasty players gain from new systems and updates.
Beyond these headline examples, her catalog at the masthead shows a steady stream of game reviews and updates, including the Metroidvania “End of Abyss,” indicating sustained attention to mechanics-heavy, genre-focused titles rather than casual or lifestyle gaming.
Interviews on EXODUS, Warlock, and K-Games Leadership
Sánchez’s reporting extends into interviews that foreground creators and the intent behind their work, especially in games and tabletop properties. Her conversation with Archetype Entertainment’s studio head about EXODUS focuses on the game’s commitment to hope as a core theme, showing that she uses interviews to connect design choices with narrative tone and player experience. In another interview, she speaks with Maggie Robertson about Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons and the importance of complex women characters, underlining her interest in character construction and representation within genre storytelling. Outside of these pieces, she has conducted interviews with senior leadership in the Korean games space, including a former Pearl Abyss chief executive who now leads NCSoft America, framed around the significance of K-games, MMO design, and breaking stereotypes about the medium. Taken together, these interviews mark her out as someone who treats access to studios and executives as an opportunity to explore thematic depth and industry direction rather than simply amplifying marketing beats.
Anime and Manga Criticism from ‘K-On!’ to ‘The World After The Fall’
Alongside gaming, Sánchez has an active strand of coverage dedicated to anime and manga, with author archives that include series such as “K-On!” and the WEBTOON adaptation “The World After The Fall.” Her writing on manga engages with physical releases and English translations, tracing how web-originated stories travel into print and across markets, which aligns with her broader emphasis on international media and animation. The author bio at But Why Tho? highlights that she champions animation and stories from underrepresented perspectives, and the mix of titles in her manga and anime work supports that focus through both mainstream and niche properties.
This combination of gaming and anime criticism positions her to cover cross-media franchises and adaptations, where understanding both the source material and its interactive extensions is essential.
Editorial Leadership and Freelance Games Writing
Sánchez co-founded But Why Tho? and serves as its editor-in-chief, shaping the outlet’s editorial voice while continuing to publish her own criticism and interviews. Her author bio notes that she is known for championing international media, animation, and stories centered on underrepresented perspectives, which informs both the commissioning and the writing she contributes herself.
Beyond the masthead, she holds membership in the Austin Film Critics Association and the Hollywood Creative Alliance, reflecting a recognized role in wider film and entertainment criticism communities. As a freelance writer, she has bylines at gaming and entertainment outlets including MMORPG.com, IGN, Game Informer, Paste, and MtGSalvation, extending her coverage of games and genre media beyond her home outlet while keeping a consistent focus on criticism and industry-facing analysis. Across these roles, Sánchez operates as a critic, interviewer, and editorial lead whose work is rooted in genre media but distinguished by an insistence on context, representation, and the global dimensions of contemporary games and animation.
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Adam Bankhurst
Adam Bankhurst covers the busiest crossroads of gaming and entertainment for IGN, with a focus on breaking news, live event roundups, and franchise guides. He reports on releases, updates, hardware, films, anime, and major fan universes including Disney, Star Wars, Marvel, Lord of the Rings, Nintendo, Final Fantasy, and Mass Effect. He has covered events such as E3 and PAX, and has written The Game Awards 2020: All the Winners and X-Men Movies in Order: The Full Timeline. His work turns announcements, shows, and timelines into clear, digestible stories. He leads with dates, decisions, platforms, prices, and viewing or playing order. He also helps manage IGN’s homepage and contributes news, reviews, previews, features, commerce, and wiki content.
Alejandro Josan
Alejandro Josan specialises in turning complex, high‑information subjects into concise, usable narratives with facts first and minimal opinion. He writes guides, lists, and features for GameTyrant, focusing on step‑by‑step instructions, completion times, and whether in‑game systems are worth a player’s time. His work on titles like Rhapsody in Scarlet, Harvest Moon: Echoes of Teradea, and High on Life 2 explains progression, mechanics, systems, and different completion paths with clear numeric framing. He also breaks down layered systems in games such as Palworld and Infinite Craft into short, direct explanations. Outside GameTyrant, he has an extended track record on live‑service games, especially Destiny 2, covering tier lists, seasonal content, weapon “god rolls,” patch changes, and build optimisation. At Suggest, he is a resident crime expert reporting on breaking crime news and rare medical cases with clear timelines and careful use of official information.
Alex Van Aken
Alex Van Aken is a multimedia video game journalist who specializes in long-form documentaries, developer profiles, and weekly conversation-driven coverage of major releases and industry trends. He is senior video editor at Game Informer, where he leads the video team, travels for cover stories and studio visits, and hosts The Game Informer Show podcast. His reporting centers on cover story features and developer-focused coverage that highlight how games are designed and produced, often anchored to tentpole titles like Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Halo: Campaign Evolved, and World of Warcraft. Van Aken also writes previews, impressions, and reviews across action-adventure franchises, live-service expansions, and racing games. He builds independent game documentaries, appears on major industry platforms, and cites consulting experience on notable series, grounding his work in visual and audio storytelling and direct access to creators.
Alexander Lee
Alexander Lee covers how games, platforms and creators intersect with business. He leads news coverage at GamesBeat across gaming, entertainment, technology, the creator economy and the future of media. His core beat is platform strategy, live services and new game models, with close attention to Roblox, creator tools, monetization, communication features, safety and emerging technology. He also covers esports, content creators, regulation, accessibility and how design choices affect players and developers. Before GamesBeat, he covered gaming, esports and creators through advertising and marketing. His reporting connects product changes and policy decisions to their effects on companies, creators and audiences. He reports from industry events, uses participant voices to show business impact and analyzes longer-term strategy. He also hosts and joins podcast conversations with industry leaders.