Matt Leone
@mattleone.bsky.social
I write stories about the games industry. Formerly at 1UP and Polygon. Now working on @designroom.site.
Reposted by Matt Leone
Hi, we're a new video game oral history site. Some highlights so far:
Mirror's Edge: bit.ly/mirrorsedgeoralhistory
Sayonara Wild Hearts: bit.ly/sayonarawildhearts
Shadow of the Colossus: bit.ly/shadowotcolossus
Sound Fantasy: bit.ly/49xPfha
Rez Infinite: bit.ly/4pKj0BB
Find us at designroom.site.
Mirror's Edge: bit.ly/mirrorsedgeoralhistory
Sayonara Wild Hearts: bit.ly/sayonarawildhearts
Shadow of the Colossus: bit.ly/shadowotcolossus
Sound Fantasy: bit.ly/49xPfha
Rez Infinite: bit.ly/4pKj0BB
Find us at designroom.site.
January 14, 2026 at 9:43 PM
Hi, we're a new video game oral history site. Some highlights so far:
Mirror's Edge: bit.ly/mirrorsedgeoralhistory
Sayonara Wild Hearts: bit.ly/sayonarawildhearts
Shadow of the Colossus: bit.ly/shadowotcolossus
Sound Fantasy: bit.ly/49xPfha
Rez Infinite: bit.ly/4pKj0BB
Find us at designroom.site.
Mirror's Edge: bit.ly/mirrorsedgeoralhistory
Sayonara Wild Hearts: bit.ly/sayonarawildhearts
Shadow of the Colossus: bit.ly/shadowotcolossus
Sound Fantasy: bit.ly/49xPfha
Rez Infinite: bit.ly/4pKj0BB
Find us at designroom.site.
Reposted by Matt Leone
guess what... i made a website www.mothership.blog
Mothership
Video game coverage for her, them, and yes, him, too.
www.mothership.blog
January 26, 2026 at 2:02 PM
guess what... i made a website www.mothership.blog
Reposted by Matt Leone
Our next big project is live! @lewisgordon.bsky.social spent the past few months tracking down nine people who worked on DICE's innovative 2008 parkour runner.
Mirror's Edge: An oral history
17 years on from its release, DICE's first-person parkour thriller is a cult classic. We spoke to nine people who worked on it about how the revelatory game came to be.
www.designroom.site
January 13, 2026 at 4:58 PM
Our next big project is live! @lewisgordon.bsky.social spent the past few months tracking down nine people who worked on DICE's innovative 2008 parkour runner.
Reposted by Matt Leone
"Directing The Beatles: Rock Band is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life."
"That looks stupid." How Harmonix made The Beatles: Rock Band
A new book excerpt reveals how Harmonix, MTV Games, and Electronic Arts teamed up with The Beatles for a rare video game collaboration.
www.designroom.site
January 15, 2026 at 6:24 PM
"Directing The Beatles: Rock Band is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life."
Reposted by Matt Leone
the dream team rides again - excited to have an excerpt from my book on @mattleone.bsky.social's wonderful new site, @designroom.bsky.social. Loved writing this chapter on The Beatles, and especially learning more about the GOAT Yoko Ono.
"Directing The Beatles: Rock Band is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life."
"That looks stupid." How Harmonix made The Beatles: Rock Band
A new book excerpt reveals how Harmonix, MTV Games, and Electronic Arts teamed up with The Beatles for a rare video game collaboration.
www.designroom.site
January 15, 2026 at 7:18 PM
the dream team rides again - excited to have an excerpt from my book on @mattleone.bsky.social's wonderful new site, @designroom.bsky.social. Loved writing this chapter on The Beatles, and especially learning more about the GOAT Yoko Ono.
Reposted by Matt Leone
People tell me I don’t push the paid-subscriber exclusive stuff enough, so here’s some of that. It’s good!
What could have been: We talk to members of the original Mirror's Edge team about the sequel they wanted to make.
The lost Mirror's Edge sequel
Former DICE team members talk about their plans for a Mirror's Edge sequel following the game's release in 2008 -- and why those plans didn't pan out.
www.designroom.site
January 14, 2026 at 6:34 PM
People tell me I don’t push the paid-subscriber exclusive stuff enough, so here’s some of that. It’s good!
Reposted by Matt Leone
Everybody should be reading @designroom.bsky.social Excellent oral history of Mirror’s Edge just posted
January 14, 2026 at 3:20 PM
Everybody should be reading @designroom.bsky.social Excellent oral history of Mirror’s Edge just posted
People tell me I don’t push the paid-subscriber exclusive stuff enough, so here’s some of that. It’s good!
What could have been: We talk to members of the original Mirror's Edge team about the sequel they wanted to make.
The lost Mirror's Edge sequel
Former DICE team members talk about their plans for a Mirror's Edge sequel following the game's release in 2008 -- and why those plans didn't pan out.
www.designroom.site
January 14, 2026 at 6:34 PM
People tell me I don’t push the paid-subscriber exclusive stuff enough, so here’s some of that. It’s good!
Reposted by Matt Leone
Reporting and writing this story consumed me at the tail end of 2025. I'll post my favourite details tomorrow but, for now, enjoy!!
Thanks to @mattleone.bsky.social for having me, all the interview subjects for talking to me, and @kim-hu.com for the incredible accompanying illustration.
Thanks to @mattleone.bsky.social for having me, all the interview subjects for talking to me, and @kim-hu.com for the incredible accompanying illustration.
Our next big project is live! @lewisgordon.bsky.social spent the past few months tracking down nine people who worked on DICE's innovative 2008 parkour runner.
Mirror's Edge: An oral history
17 years on from its release, DICE's first-person parkour thriller is a cult classic. We spoke to nine people who worked on it about how the revelatory game came to be.
www.designroom.site
January 13, 2026 at 5:18 PM
Reporting and writing this story consumed me at the tail end of 2025. I'll post my favourite details tomorrow but, for now, enjoy!!
Thanks to @mattleone.bsky.social for having me, all the interview subjects for talking to me, and @kim-hu.com for the incredible accompanying illustration.
Thanks to @mattleone.bsky.social for having me, all the interview subjects for talking to me, and @kim-hu.com for the incredible accompanying illustration.
Reposted by Matt Leone
I drew this, go read it!
Our next big project is live! @lewisgordon.bsky.social spent the past few months tracking down nine people who worked on DICE's innovative 2008 parkour runner.
Mirror's Edge: An oral history
17 years on from its release, DICE's first-person parkour thriller is a cult classic. We spoke to nine people who worked on it about how the revelatory game came to be.
www.designroom.site
January 13, 2026 at 5:06 PM
I drew this, go read it!
Reposted by Matt Leone
Big new story coming next week! You'd already know what it is if you subscribed to our newsletter, though... www.designroom.site#/portal/signup
January 8, 2026 at 12:25 AM
Big new story coming next week! You'd already know what it is if you subscribed to our newsletter, though... www.designroom.site#/portal/signup
Reposted by Matt Leone
hi! i'm co-founding a new gaming website with my former polygon colleague @zoehhannah.com. it's called mothership.blog. i made it for someone like me... the kind of website i always wished we had in our space. watch the video to learn more :D
It's time to board the Mothership.
www.youtube.com/shorts/iEw90...
www.youtube.com/shorts/iEw90...
Board the Mothership.
YouTube video by Mothership Media LLC
www.youtube.com
January 9, 2026 at 5:04 PM
hi! i'm co-founding a new gaming website with my former polygon colleague @zoehhannah.com. it's called mothership.blog. i made it for someone like me... the kind of website i always wished we had in our space. watch the video to learn more :D
Reposted by Matt Leone
Read (and hear!) how “Begin Again” from Sayonara Wild Hearts came to be. www.designroom.site/how-simogo-b...
By @designroom.bsky.social
By @designroom.bsky.social
How Simogo built Sayonara Wild Hearts' best stage
We talk with four members of the team about how "Begin Again" came about, why it took them a year to finish it, and the challenges of building something new.
www.designroom.site
January 6, 2026 at 8:03 PM
Read (and hear!) how “Begin Again” from Sayonara Wild Hearts came to be. www.designroom.site/how-simogo-b...
By @designroom.bsky.social
By @designroom.bsky.social
Reposted by Matt Leone
Happy new year! We've got big plans for 2026, but this seems like as good a time as any to poll the room: What games do you want to see oral histories on in 2026?
January 2, 2026 at 6:13 PM
Happy new year! We've got big plans for 2026, but this seems like as good a time as any to poll the room: What games do you want to see oral histories on in 2026?
Reposted by Matt Leone
another year, another 20+ translated Japanese game developer interviews published by @shmuplations.bsky.social at shmuplations.com —the final updates for the year just went up, so allow me to run down what's been translated over the course of 2025, from most to least recent: (thread)
shmuplations.com
shmuplations.com is a repository of Japanese game developer translations, covering primarily older arcade and console games from the 80s, 90s, and beyond.
shmuplations.com
December 30, 2025 at 5:04 AM
another year, another 20+ translated Japanese game developer interviews published by @shmuplations.bsky.social at shmuplations.com —the final updates for the year just went up, so allow me to run down what's been translated over the course of 2025, from most to least recent: (thread)
Reposted by Matt Leone
Our music game series is now done, so let's recap it with original art by @wendyleftmealone.bsky.social.
December 22, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Our music game series is now done, so let's recap it with original art by @wendyleftmealone.bsky.social.
Reposted by Matt Leone
Merry Christmas! If you'd like to spend 45 minutes celebrating video game history with me, we're about to debut The Untold Story of the Nintendo Entertainment System. I worked on his ALL YEAR, and I genuinely think it will reshape how we all think about the system. www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJvp...
The Untold Story of the Nintendo Entertainment System
YouTube video by The Video Game History Foundation
www.youtube.com
December 25, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Merry Christmas! If you'd like to spend 45 minutes celebrating video game history with me, we're about to debut The Untold Story of the Nintendo Entertainment System. I worked on his ALL YEAR, and I genuinely think it will reshape how we all think about the system. www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJvp...
Reposted by Matt Leone
Holiday gift idea! Get someone a one-year Design Room subscription. Just go here, tip $70, and put their name, email, and the date you want it to start in the notes. www.designroom.site#/portal/supp...
December 4, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Holiday gift idea! Get someone a one-year Design Room subscription. Just go here, tip $70, and put their name, email, and the date you want it to start in the notes. www.designroom.site#/portal/supp...
Reposted by Matt Leone
Buried in this article are FIVE DIFFERENT WIP versions of Begin Again. Unbelievably cool.
December 20, 2025 at 12:41 AM
Buried in this article are FIVE DIFFERENT WIP versions of Begin Again. Unbelievably cool.
Reposted by Matt Leone
4,000 words on the stage I haven't been able to stop playing for the last six years. Early dev screenshots, talk of tech challenges, five demo tracks embedded so you can hear the song's evolution. All the good stuff.
December 19, 2025 at 6:17 PM
4,000 words on the stage I haven't been able to stop playing for the last six years. Early dev screenshots, talk of tech challenges, five demo tracks embedded so you can hear the song's evolution. All the good stuff.
4,000 words on the stage I haven't been able to stop playing for the last six years. Early dev screenshots, talk of tech challenges, five demo tracks embedded so you can hear the song's evolution. All the good stuff.
December 19, 2025 at 6:17 PM
4,000 words on the stage I haven't been able to stop playing for the last six years. Early dev screenshots, talk of tech challenges, five demo tracks embedded so you can hear the song's evolution. All the good stuff.
Reposted by Matt Leone
The final story in our music series is live!
How Simogo built Sayonara Wild Hearts' best stage
We talk with four members of the team about how "Begin Again" came about, why it took them a year to finish it, and the challenges of building something new.
www.designroom.site
December 19, 2025 at 6:09 PM
The final story in our music series is live!
Reposted by Matt Leone
Introducing our 15th Anniversary Art Book:
'Print Screen. Celebrating 15 Years of Video Game Art'
• A beautiful coffee table book featuring more than 150 iconic video game artworks, with essays and interviews from industry luminaries and artists!
'Print Screen. Celebrating 15 Years of Video Game Art'
• A beautiful coffee table book featuring more than 150 iconic video game artworks, with essays and interviews from industry luminaries and artists!
December 4, 2025 at 7:39 PM
Introducing our 15th Anniversary Art Book:
'Print Screen. Celebrating 15 Years of Video Game Art'
• A beautiful coffee table book featuring more than 150 iconic video game artworks, with essays and interviews from industry luminaries and artists!
'Print Screen. Celebrating 15 Years of Video Game Art'
• A beautiful coffee table book featuring more than 150 iconic video game artworks, with essays and interviews from industry luminaries and artists!
Reposted by Matt Leone
And yes, that's an illustration from @wendyleftmealone.bsky.social that we haven't run on the site yet, showing the last story in our music series (coming soon!).
December 4, 2025 at 7:06 PM
And yes, that's an illustration from @wendyleftmealone.bsky.social that we haven't run on the site yet, showing the last story in our music series (coming soon!).
Reposted by Matt Leone
Become the Black Bird in this dark-fantasy shooting game with an operatic twist!
Discover the tale of a young girl who dies a pitiful death and is reborn as the calamitous Black Bird — now 50% OFF for your PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5!
store.playstation.com/en-us/concep...
Discover the tale of a young girl who dies a pitiful death and is reborn as the calamitous Black Bird — now 50% OFF for your PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5!
store.playstation.com/en-us/concep...
December 3, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Become the Black Bird in this dark-fantasy shooting game with an operatic twist!
Discover the tale of a young girl who dies a pitiful death and is reborn as the calamitous Black Bird — now 50% OFF for your PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5!
store.playstation.com/en-us/concep...
Discover the tale of a young girl who dies a pitiful death and is reborn as the calamitous Black Bird — now 50% OFF for your PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5!
store.playstation.com/en-us/concep...