Matthew Purslow

Matthew Purslow is a long-form games journalist and editor who leads feature coverage at IGN as Executive Editor of Features. He specialises in detailed stories that examine how video games are designed, how they play, and the people and studios behind them, while also stepping into platform analysis and screen entertainment when it intersects with game culture. His work is grounded in more than a decade in games media, with earlier bylines across PC-focused outlets before joining IGN in 2019.

Feature-led game coverage and editorial leadership

Purslow’s core remit at IGN is feature-led coverage of video games, including written pieces and video formats. He oversees and contributes to deep-dive features that go beyond review scores to unpack mechanics, level design, and narrative structures, reflecting his focus on how games actually work. His author bio notes that he works on detailed features that “dive deep” into games and their design, and that he regularly appears in series such as Art of the Level and Inside Stories, which extend that approach into video documentary. He is also a recurring voice on the IGN UK Podcast, where he discusses current releases and ongoing trends, and occasionally contributes TV or film reviews that sit alongside his games work. Before his current role, he built broad experience across news, SEO-focused writing, and team management, giving him a wide view of specialist entertainment media operations.

Single Player column and focus on landmark games

The Single Player column is a clear showcase of Purslow’s interests and approach to game criticism. Across its issues he revisits landmark single-player titles and major new releases, treating each as a case study in design, storytelling, and player experience.

He has dedicated columns to games such as God of War: Ragnarok, Dead Space, Dragon’s Dogma 2, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Half-Life, Dishonored, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, BioShock Infinite, The Last of Us Part 1, and the original Call of Duty 4. These pieces typically frame a game’s campaign or core loop, then examine what makes it distinctive, whether that is emergent monster battles, the structure of a horror campaign, or the evolution of a studio’s storytelling over time.

The column format lets him combine critical analysis with a measured, reflective tone that sits between traditional reviews and full retrospectives, which distinguishes his work from straightforward news coverage on the same titles.

Platform, industry, and trend commentary

Purslow also writes opinion-led features that look at the state of major platforms and the business decisions shaping their futures. In his piece “PlayStation’s Future Has Never Looked Bleaker,” he argues that the current strategy around hardware, first-party releases, and live-service ambitions has created a more uncertain outlook than previous generations, drawing on his experience of following PlayStation from the PS2 era onward.

That article blends historical context, recent corporate moves, and player sentiment, positioning him as a writer who can connect long-term brand trajectories with present-day news rather than simply reporting announcements. His broader professional profile notes that he specialises in feature-style and interview-led work but has extensive experience in breaking news and SEO writing, which underpins this kind of platform analysis with an understanding of how the industry’s day-to-day cycle operates.

Screen entertainment and cross-media stories

Although games are his primary beat, Purslow regularly covers film and comic-book adaptations that are central to the same audience. He has written extensively about Deadpool & Wolverine, including a feature based on seeing 35 minutes of footage that argues the film is poised to reignite the Marvel Cinematic Universe and act as a turning point for comic-book movie culture.

In a related piece he examines whether director Shawn Levy can “save” the MCU, suggesting the film is on track to be the best Marvel release in half a decade and using that premise to discuss the franchise’s broader creative challenges. His archive also includes an interview-led feature with The King’s Man director about the film’s unexpectedly serious tone, a story that investigates how franchise expectations shape creative decisions and marketing.

These entertainment pieces mirror his games features in structure, using access and close viewing to explain why a project matters in the context of a long-running series rather than treating it as an isolated release.

Reviews, previews, and visual coverage

Alongside his flagship features and columns, Purslow continues to work across core formats such as reviews, hands-on previews, and visual galleries. He provided the main review of Deathloop for IGN and discussed his conclusions on a dedicated episode of the PlayStation-focused Podcast Beyond, talking through its gameplay, world design, and unusual multiplayer invasion mechanics. In preview coverage he has gone hands-on with titles like The Blood of Dawnwalker, exploring its open world, vampiric systems, and character relationships, which shows his interest in how ambitious RPGs handle player choice and progression. His portfolio also includes gallery-style pieces such as a slideshow of Gundam: Rogue Orbit screenshots, where the emphasis is on presenting visual detail from an upcoming title rather than narrative commentary. Taken together, this mix of formats underlines that even when he is working in shorter or more promotional shapes, his coverage sits within a larger, feature-driven understanding of games and their surrounding media.

Before joining IGN, Purslow spent years in games media with bylines at outlets such as PC Gamer, GameSpot, and PCGamesN, eventually moving into editorial and video leadership roles before stepping into his current feature-focused position. That background in PC and core gaming spaces informs his tastes and the kinds of titles he chooses for deep coverage, particularly story-driven and systems-rich games that reward close analysis.

At IGN he now occupies a senior seat that combines writing, editing, and commissioning, making him a key figure for long-form games reporting that connects the medium’s history, present releases, and the broader entertainment ecosystem.