Riley MacLeod
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rcmacleod.bsky.social
Riley MacLeod
@rcmacleod.bsky.social
7.3K followers 690 following 4.6K posts
Co-founder of Aftermath, a worker-owned site about video games, the internet, and everything that comes after. riley [at] aftermath [dot] site. Previously: Kotaku, Washington Post. Trans; he/him
https://aftermath.site/
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rcmacleod.bsky.social
Kate's Joint in Alphabet City where we would go after *everything* and I'd get the un-turkey club and the peanut soup
evgrieve.com/2012/04/mars...

(also Foodswings, RIP, but that was, like, a special treat cuz it was hard to get to Williamsburg back then lol)
clairewillett.bsky.social Claire Willett @clairewillett.bsky.social · 8h
Sunday night timeline cleanse

please tell me about your favorite lost restaurant (closed for at least 5 years, like I really want you to go back into the vault), why you loved it and what you ate there
January 19, 2026 at 3:43 AM
Reposted by Riley MacLeod
mediagazer.com
CBS News says it will air the 60 Minutes CECOT segment tonight, after it was pulled by Bari Weiss in December (Ted Johnson/Deadline)

Main Link | Mediagazer Permalink
January 18, 2026 at 11:35 PM
rcmacleod.bsky.social
I've decided to try to understand rugby and I think I get the basic rules but I cannot tell if this is a serious phrase
The score from a rugby match between Wales and New Zealand, with a penalty for "taking out the man"
January 18, 2026 at 9:51 PM
rcmacleod.bsky.social
I'm trying my second-ever knitting project, a scarf, and I am simply going to be knitting this scarf for the rest of my life
January 18, 2026 at 3:58 AM
rcmacleod.bsky.social
The extent to which you can torment Andrew about the readability of your logo is boundless, get in on this
elmore.zone Andrew Elmore, for Hire! 💽 @elmore.zone · 1d
My services are available and affordable, folks.

elmore.design
uk-resistant.bsky.social Jamie D @uk-resistant.bsky.social · 1d
I keep seeing cool indie games with completely unreadable logos
January 17, 2026 at 8:15 PM
Reposted by Riley MacLeod
lukeplunkett.com
Would love to speak to any regular international GDC attendees who are skipping this year's show (or were going to attend and have now cancelled) due to the current political climate. DMs here or luke@aftermath.site, thank you!
January 17, 2026 at 12:43 AM
Reposted by Riley MacLeod
washingtonpost.com
Breaking news: The Justice Department has issued subpoenas for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey as part of an investigation alleging that they are impeding federal law enforcement officers’ abilities to do their jobs in the state.
Justice Dept. launches criminal investigation of Minnesota governor
The Justice Department has issued subpoenas for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey as part of an investigation into impeding law enforcement.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 16, 2026 at 11:14 PM
Reposted by Riley MacLeod
stephentotilo.bsky.social
NEW: Public records I obtained from Washington state offer an alternate look at the mass layoffs in the games industry

With each letter sent by Microsoft, Sony, WB, Amazon to notify the state of a mass cut was a long list of roles eliminated.

A stark accounting
www.gamefile.news/p/video-game...
Video game layoffs also look like this
Via public records requests, some long lists of gaming jobs cut by Microsoft, Sony, Warner Bros. and Amazon in the state of Washington.
www.gamefile.news
January 16, 2026 at 10:58 PM
rcmacleod.bsky.social
"Beyond this, the company announced that it will no longer have a centralized Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI+) team, redistributing that work across the People team and leadership, and keeping Employee Resource Groups as simply Slack spaces without formal lead roles or any standalone budgets"
voxmediaunion.bsky.social Vox Media Union @voxmediaunion.bsky.social · 2d
Another year, another round of layoffs at Vox Media. In solidarity with our laid-off colleagues, here is our full statement:
Today, Friday, January 16, 2026, the Vox Media Union received news from management about more layoffs at the company: three in-unit workers from PopSugar, two from The Verge, and three from Eater — not including a number of out-of-unit employees — some of whom were on parental and other types of company-approved leave. Beyond this, the company announced that it will no longer have a centralized Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI+) team, redistributing that work across the People team and leadership, and keeping Employee Resource Groups as simply Slack spaces without formal lead roles or any standalone budgets. There is almost no further room to be shocked at these developments, as the company has laid off workers at an average of once per quarter in the last year, but we continue to be disgusted by the fact that leadership seems to have developed no real learning or commitment to workforce sustainability and retention. Those at the top remain safe in their positions while mercilessly cutting off those who work day in and day out (and then some) to make sure that essential, business-critical work is done. Our indispensable colleagues are now in extra vulnerable positions, having to navigate workplace bureaucracy alongside a volatile job market and relentless threats to the integrity of journalism as a whole. This union is proud to have rallied in multiple rounds of contract bargaining to ensure more equitable worker rights and protections in the face of management incompetence. As always, we, along with our Guild reps, will continue to demand that members are treated fairly in the aftermath of layoffs. Details on how you can support laid-off workers at Vox Media will be forthcoming. Please follow the Vox Media Union on Instagram (@voxmediaunion) and Bluesky (@voxunion.bsky.social). Solidarity forever. The Vox Media Union Committees Writers Guild of America East, AFL-CIO
January 16, 2026 at 9:29 PM
Reposted by Riley MacLeod
kerrblimey.bsky.social
Reminder that video game journalism cannot exist without functioning newsrooms that have the capacity to mentor and train new talent and the bandwidth to pursue long-form investigative pieces and break news—all while paying writers a living wage.
January 16, 2026 at 7:11 PM
rcmacleod.bsky.social
This week's @aftermath.site newsletter features a writeup of a Steam demo I played, Tomb of the Bloodletter, which is sort of like Cryptmaster but with a lot more focus on spelling and the keyboard. It's really neat!
Last night I played the Steam demo of Tomb of the Bloodletter, a game where you navigate a dungeon while fighting enemies with words. There's some Cryptmaster vibes there for sure, but Bloodletter does really creative things with its core mechanic, and it can be surprisingly punishing for a game that looks so cute. At the start of a fight, letters on your on-screen keyboard are randomly populated with different abilities. Some deal damage; others boost the damage your attacks do under certain conditions; and others minimize the enemy's damage or even damage you, for the purpose of filling a meter that boosts your attacks across the board. Because all of this is tied to letters instead of a whole word, there's a ton of freedom here, but also challenge. What word can I spell that makes sure a damage-dealing letter comes after the letter that boosts my next attack? In addition to damaging you, enemy attacks can also affect your letters. One enemy I faced unleashed tar that made my letters unusable, but that quickly revealed itself to be the most harmless of the bunch. Another spread fire that would damage me if I used a burning letter, but that damage increased each turn that I didn't use that letter, causing a real sense of panic. Another made a growing number of my letters radioactive; if I used three of them in a word, I'd get hurt. At first this was easy to avoid by just not using too many radioactive letters, but as it spread despite my best efforts, I wound up killing myself when I simply couldn't form a word without using too many damaging letters. Even navigating the dungeon involves letters. You spell a word to create the map, trying to take advantage of rooms that have healing or give you new abilities. The whole thing is really clever, and the hand-drawn, internet-animation aesthetic kept things from feeling too grim when I was locked in a battle with a one-hit-point monster who could shield itself from all the damage I could do, with me uselessly trying to think of a word with an "X" and a "Y" and a bunch of "E"s in it so I could do enough damage to finish it off. Tomb of the Bloodletter is due out in early February, and I'm looking forward to playing more of it. Tomb of the Bloodletter
January 16, 2026 at 7:11 PM
rcmacleod.bsky.social
Bad day, bad news
aftermath.site Aftermath @aftermath.site · 2d
Games journalism layoffs hit Inverse, The Verge
aftermath.site/layoff-verge-i...
Inverse
January 16, 2026 at 6:25 PM
rcmacleod.bsky.social
I am no business genius, but if I employed Ash, I would thank my lucky stars and keep doing that, instead of this
adashtra.bsky.social Ash Parrish @adashtra.bsky.social · 2d
Breaks my heart to share this, but today is my last day at The Verge and I am looking for work! I'd really like to stay in video games, preferably in some kind of journalistic capacity but I can do PR/Marketing and maybe even a lil Narrative Design. Please get in touch!
www.ashparrish.com
Ash Parrish
www.ashparrish.com
January 16, 2026 at 5:05 PM
Reposted by Riley MacLeod
solfleet.bsky.social
Inverse's Gaming section is being shut down as the company "divests" from gaming content. I'm out of a job along with my wonderful co-writers. I've put my heart and soul into this job for four years. Gonna need to take time to process, but I'm now completely open for work - and boy do I need it.
January 16, 2026 at 4:03 PM
Reposted by Riley MacLeod
stephentotilo.bsky.social
In the latest Game File, I rounded up some recent GameStop headlines www.gamefile.news/p/spry-foxs-...
🎮 GameStop is closing hundreds of stores in the U.S., resulting in recent headlines such as these from the past week or so: GameStop reportedly closing 16 Georgia locations (Atlanta News First) 19 GameStop locations closing in Chicago, suburbs as retailer reduces footprint (NBC 5 Chicago) GameStop closes 5 St. Louis-area stores as part of nationwide wave of closures (KSDK) GameStop’s downsizing hits Flagstaff as Woodlands Village location closes its doors (Arizona Daily Sun) National retail chain closes 400-plus stores, including some in Alabama (Advance Local Alabama) GameStop closing stores in MD. See list of stores closing (The Daily Times) GameStop closing hundreds of stores across US, Oklahoma in January 2026. See list. (The Oklahoman) GameStop quietly closing stores including some in Pa. (Penn Live) At least 8 Mississippi GameStop stores to close. See the list here (Clarion Ledger) GameStop Closes South Jackson Store (Talk West Tennessee) GameStop unveils $35 billion pay plan for CEO Cohen tied to lofty targets (Reuters)
January 16, 2026 at 1:40 PM
Reposted by Riley MacLeod
joshuajfriedman.com
😑
Yes, it's true, and I'm sorry, but there will be a Part 10.
January 16, 2026 at 2:46 AM
rcmacleod.bsky.social
OK Irish come on now
diail2, a1. Devilish; terrible, remarkable, wonderful.
January 16, 2026 at 3:06 AM
Reposted by Riley MacLeod
dylanroth.bsky.social
Our devotion to brands and franchises — rather than to the artists who create the stories we love — has turned fandom into a seemingly inexhaustible resource to be consumed forever by a class of corporate Doomsday Machines.

I’ve decided to re-examine my attachments.
I Can Say Goodbye To Star Trek Because Star Trek Raised Me
Star Trek instilled in me many of the same values that are taught in houses of worship across the world, but in my faith, there is no God to judge or punish me—I learned how to rely on my own moral co...
aftermath.site
January 15, 2026 at 10:16 PM
rcmacleod.bsky.social
If you know more about this, let us know! I continue to have so many questions!
rcmacleod.bsky.social Riley MacLeod @rcmacleod.bsky.social · 3d
This story was the first thing I thought about when I opened my eyes this morning, an odd little mystery that got so weird so quickly and feels like just one more example of how tough things are for journalism these days
nicolecarpenter.bsky.social Nicole Carpenter @nicolecarpenter.bsky.social · 3d
Last week, I got a corrections request for a story I didn't write, on a publication I don't write for. It sent me down a very strange rabbit hole involving a mysterious content publisher. There's a lot I don't understand, but here's what I know:

aftermath.site/nicole-carpe...
January 15, 2026 at 10:55 PM
rcmacleod.bsky.social
This story was the first thing I thought about when I opened my eyes this morning, an odd little mystery that got so weird so quickly and feels like just one more example of how tough things are for journalism these days
nicolecarpenter.bsky.social Nicole Carpenter @nicolecarpenter.bsky.social · 3d
Last week, I got a corrections request for a story I didn't write, on a publication I don't write for. It sent me down a very strange rabbit hole involving a mysterious content publisher. There's a lot I don't understand, but here's what I know:

aftermath.site/nicole-carpe...
I'm Not That Nicole Carpenter
I got a corrections request for a story I didn't write, and it pulled me down a journalism rabbit hole.
aftermath.site
January 15, 2026 at 10:45 PM
Reposted by Riley MacLeod
apnews.com
BREAKING: An appeals court has struck down the decision that freed pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil from immigration detention.
Appeals court reverses decision that freed pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil
A federal appeals panel has reversed a lower court decision that released former Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil from an immigration jail, bringing the government one step closer to detaining and ultimately deporting the Palestinian activist.
bit.ly
January 15, 2026 at 3:01 PM
rcmacleod.bsky.social
I think I regret listening to this press conference
January 15, 2026 at 4:40 AM
Reposted by Riley MacLeod
bubbaprog.xyz
i don't want to hear another word from walz or frey until they order their respective police forces to round up all federal agents and escort them to the border, period.
January 15, 2026 at 4:34 AM
Reposted by Riley MacLeod
nathangrayson.bsky.social
former meta employees tell me that a fourth studio, camouflaj, was also hit hard by recent layoffs. unlike the other three, it remains open, but in-development game projects have been canceled, and studio heads have been let go. ex-employees characterized it as being "effectively" shut down
esterday, news broke that as part of layoffs affecting around 10,000 people at Meta, the company had closed three VR studios: Sanzaru, Armature, and Twisted Pixel. Now former Meta employees tell Aftermath that Batman: Arkham Shadow developer Camouflaj has suffered heavy layoffs as well, and that in-development game projects have been canceled. Speaking under the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, former Meta employees said that Camouflaj is now made up of “just a handful of employees” who are working on "the new user experience for upcoming hardware." Studio heads, they told Aftermath, have been let go, and active game projects under development have been shut down. Additionally, they say, a sequel to Batman: Arkham Shadow was in development at Sanzaru – rather than Camouflaj – but as of yesterday, Sanzaru no longer exists. Aftermath reached out to Meta for additional details, but did not receive a response as of this publishing. A Meta spokesperson told Kotaku that Camouflaj was affected by layoffs but is not shutting down.
January 15, 2026 at 12:43 AM
Reposted by Riley MacLeod
therafischwartz.bsky.social
Tried to describe what life here is like these days, and why, despite it all, I'm optimistic and so, so proud of this community.
In Minnesota, Everywhere Is a Front Line
What a federal invasion looks like from the inside.
www.discourseblog.com
January 14, 2026 at 7:41 PM