Liam Ryder
Liam Ryder focuses on how platform decisions, live events and service changes across console and PC gaming affect everyday players and the wider games business. He works as a senior journalist and digital production editor across the Express and sister titles, combining newsdesk discipline with specialist gaming knowledge built over more than a decade in journalism. His current output sits at the intersection of consumer advice, live coverage and industry news, with particular attention to the practical implications for players, retailers and gaming communities.
Platform policies and subscription services
Ryder devotes a significant share of his work to tracking how platform policies and subscription libraries change over time, and what that means for players’ wallets and backlogs. His coverage of PlayStation policy shifts examines decisions such as plans to stop producing physical game discs, reporting fan anger and High Street concern as retailers react to the prospect of a disc-less future.
In his reporting on PlayStation Plus catalogue changes, including pieces on multiple games leaving the service in a single month, he treats catalogue management as both a business story and a consumer issue, making clear which titles are affected and when access ends. On PC, he highlights lesser‑known platform features such as Steam’s trading ecosystem, showing how selling in‑game items at current market value can fund new purchases and stretching budgets for players who treat their library as an asset.
Across these pieces he writes in plain, direct terms about timings, affected titles and financial impact, giving readers enough detail to make decisions rather than simply note that a change is coming.
Nintendo Directs, Switch releases and event coverage
Ryder is a regular presence on major Nintendo beats, handling both live coverage and follow‑up reporting when new announcements land. He has fronted live blogs for Nintendo Direct presentations, including a September showcase that trailed around 45 minutes of upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 titles, providing running updates and summarising each reveal as it drops.
His Zelda Nintendo Direct coverage drills into specific news such as fresh information about an Ocarina of Time remake, translating trailer details and official announcements into clear takeaways for franchise fans. Beyond events, his reporting on “cosy” games coming to Switch and Xbox highlights discovery and accessibility, flagging titles that players describe as “addictive” and noting platform release windows so readers can plan purchases or downloads. That focus on Switch and Nintendo‑adjacent stories extends to hands‑on coverage; at the Mirror he has written an early preview of Modern Warfare 4 running on Nintendo’s next‑generation hardware, using first‑hand play sessions to assess performance and fit for the platform.
The result is a consistent strand of work that situates Nintendo’s ecosystem within the broader console landscape, with attention to both headline remakes and smaller, comfort‑genre releases.
Online sports titles and live service games
Ryder’s sports and live‑service sensibility shows most clearly in his work on football games and competitive online titles. He has covered EA FC server outages and maintenance windows in detail, spelling out which modes go offline, how long matchmaking will be blocked and what that means for Ultimate Team, Clubs and companion app users on a given day. His reporting on EA FC player rating database releases follows the live rollout minute by minute, explaining how to access full stats, skill moves and attributes as soon as they become available.
On the fighting‑game side he has tracked development updates for Riot Games’ 2XKO, including the announcement of a final patch and the decision to keep servers running without further content updates beyond a set date, framing these changes as a shift in long‑term support for the title. Together with work under the Epic Games banner, where Fortnite and Rocket League provide recurring context for platform giveaways and promotions, these pieces show a clear interest in the rhythms of live‑service play: when servers are up, how economies are managed and how long‑term players are treated.
Retail stories and gaming communities
Alongside platform news, Ryder consistently brings the retail and community side of gaming into his coverage.
His story on a Pokémon‑focused games shop closing after years of queues out the door treats the closure as both a business decision and the end of a local hub, quoting statements that thank customers and acknowledge the communities built around the store. In his reporting on Sony’s disc policy, he explicitly connects corporate strategy to High Street realities, reflecting concerns from bricks‑and‑mortar retailers who see physical games as core stock.
His piece on Steam’s overlooked marketplace tools similarly frames digital trading as a community and economic activity, noting how players actively price and sell items to finance new titles. This strand of work shows that he treats gaming not only as software and hardware but as a network of shops, online markets and fan groups whose fortunes rise and fall with platform decisions.
Cross‑beat experience and editorial role
Ryder’s gaming output is informed by broader experience across sport, entertainment, money and lifestyle desks within his group. He has held senior production roles that involve shaping coverage across multiple national titles, giving him an editorial perspective on how gaming stories sit alongside football, health, money and travel content for general audiences. His stated interests include the Premier League and NFL, and he has contributed to a dedicated gaming newsletter, which helps explain the strong representation of football video games and console stories within his work.
Earlier roles in regional news and sports reporting underpin a style that favours clear, reportorial detail over commentary, whether he is describing a shop closure, a new Nintendo Direct lineup or the precise mechanics of a Steam feature.
4 more gaming journalists.
Aaron Astle
Aaron Astle covers the business of mobile games through data, company strategy and cross-platform trends. He is Features and Data Editor at PocketGamer.biz and has written more than 2,000 articles for the publication. His beat includes game performance, revenue, player numbers, market share, monetisation, longevity and location-based games. He covers leadership changes, studio restructures, trade bodies, publishing decisions, investment and platform relations. He also reports on mobile, console and PC compatibility, live operations, regional marketing, hardware and app store rules. His work includes interviews with publishers such as King, Scopely, Cygames, Sybo and Rovio, plus year-in-review features for 2024 and 2025. He combines news, interviews, performance data and product timelines in clear analysis. He also contributes to the Week in Mobile Games podcast and event coverage.
Aaron Down
Aaron Down stands out for practical, systems-aware coverage that helps players navigate complex PC games and the platforms around them. He is a guides writer at PCGamesN and a staff writer at The Loadout. His work covers strategy games, live-service updates, codes, online worlds, simulation and management games, and classic titles being remade. He writes about League of Legends and Teamfight Tactics from long experience with both, with a focus on depth, meta shifts, and long-term mastery. His PCGamesN work includes strategy round-ups, Guild Wars 3 news, and reviews such as Two Point Museum. His writing has also appeared in The Digital Fix, Medium, Newsbreak, Flipboard, and other gaming platforms. He reports in clear, direct language, focusing on verified information, game systems, player access, and how platforms such as Steam shape discovery.
Aaron Potter
Aaron Potter is a franchise-focused games journalist who judges big-budget console and PC releases as parts of longer stories. At the Mirror’s gaming vertical, he writes reviews, release-time explainers, deal guides and commentary across PlayStation, Xbox, PC and Nintendo. His beat includes narrative-driven action games, horror, superhero epics, fantasy RPGs, co-op shooters and major series such as Marvel’s Spider-Man, Star Wars Jedi, Resident Evil, Dragon’s Dogma and God of War. He also covers launch times, platforms, Game Pass, crossplay, pre-orders, discounts and AAA ports, helping players decide what to play and how to buy it. With more than eight years in games journalism, prior freelance work and a book on indie games, he compares new releases with their predecessors, weighing storytelling, polish, innovation and value.
Adam Starkey
Adam Starkey stands out for writing about how games feel to play day to day. At Metro, he covers console and PC games, with a focus on Nintendo, fighting games and competitive titles, and he mixes reviews, news and commentary on major releases and hardware. He writes clear, player-focused criticism on mechanics, monetisation, accessibility and local multiplayer appeal. He also reports on live service systems, trailers, reveals, studio statements and consumer issues such as PS5 Pro scalpers. Beyond Metro, he works as a freelance entertainment journalist across games, TV, film, music and esports, with work published in NME, Rolling Stone UK, Radio Times, Edge, Nintendo Life and VG247.