Francisco Dominguez
@dominguezf.bsky.social
Writes about games sometimes. Bylines: New York Times, IGN, Epic Games, PC Gamer, Polygon, Slate, Nintendo Life.
Fjdwrites(at)gmail.com
https://muckrack.com/francisco-dominguez-3
Fjdwrites(at)gmail.com
https://muckrack.com/francisco-dominguez-3
Pinned
Once upon a time, whenever Kirby came to the West he was kinda furious about it.
For Polygon, I spoke to Nintendo’s former Localization Director Leslie Swan, former PR Manager Krysta Yang @kitandkrysta.bsky.social and 8-4's John Ricciardi @johntv.bsky.social to find out why.
For Polygon, I spoke to Nintendo’s former Localization Director Leslie Swan, former PR Manager Krysta Yang @kitandkrysta.bsky.social and 8-4's John Ricciardi @johntv.bsky.social to find out why.
Reposted by Francisco Dominguez
I played the new Dragon Quest 7 remake in the same way I played my first DQ game on the ZSNES emulator: With the battles on fast forward and cheat codes to give me more XP so I could skip the grind.
With Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined, Square Enix turns up the dial on "quality of life" features that let you dictate just how quickly you can blitz through its traditional RPG trappings. [Preview + Interview]
thisweekinvideogames.com/feature/drag...
thisweekinvideogames.com/feature/drag...
Speedrunning Nostalgia in Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined
The remake of yet another RPG once out of reach for several regions unintentionally brings back a retro experience of a very specific kind.
thisweekinvideogames.com
November 21, 2025 at 12:14 AM
I played the new Dragon Quest 7 remake in the same way I played my first DQ game on the ZSNES emulator: With the battles on fast forward and cheat codes to give me more XP so I could skip the grind.
Reposted by Francisco Dominguez
Persistence paid off for schoolboy game dev @rockandrollmachine.bsky.social when he landed a publishing deal for his first game, Total Wormage (aka Worms), at a trade show.
Listen to the untold story of how Andy designed a game at school that became a global sensation.
Out now: apple.co/47PAhUk
Listen to the untold story of how Andy designed a game at school that became a global sensation.
Out now: apple.co/47PAhUk
November 18, 2025 at 9:08 AM
Persistence paid off for schoolboy game dev @rockandrollmachine.bsky.social when he landed a publishing deal for his first game, Total Wormage (aka Worms), at a trade show.
Listen to the untold story of how Andy designed a game at school that became a global sensation.
Out now: apple.co/47PAhUk
Listen to the untold story of how Andy designed a game at school that became a global sensation.
Out now: apple.co/47PAhUk
Civ 7 and Football Manager 26 left basic UX functionality far too late, a self-inflicted lethal blow to first impressions.
A UX expert reveals how poor planning, understaffed teams and internal compromises too often make launch UX "a real hot mess".
thisweekinvideogames.com/feature/when...
A UX expert reveals how poor planning, understaffed teams and internal compromises too often make launch UX "a real hot mess".
thisweekinvideogames.com/feature/when...
Football Manager 26 and When User Experience Goes Wrong
At launch, Football Manager 26 players discovered the UX was only just warming up. We asked an expert: why do devs leave UX until extra time?
thisweekinvideogames.com
November 17, 2025 at 12:52 PM
Civ 7 and Football Manager 26 left basic UX functionality far too late, a self-inflicted lethal blow to first impressions.
A UX expert reveals how poor planning, understaffed teams and internal compromises too often make launch UX "a real hot mess".
thisweekinvideogames.com/feature/when...
A UX expert reveals how poor planning, understaffed teams and internal compromises too often make launch UX "a real hot mess".
thisweekinvideogames.com/feature/when...
Reposted by Francisco Dominguez
You're only ever fighting an attention span war if you accept up-front the premise that you are fighting an attention span war, and if you accept that, you WILL lose, because you are incapable of being interesting. It's a loadbearing (and disrespectful) misunderstanding of your fellow humans
November 14, 2025 at 9:31 PM
You're only ever fighting an attention span war if you accept up-front the premise that you are fighting an attention span war, and if you accept that, you WILL lose, because you are incapable of being interesting. It's a loadbearing (and disrespectful) misunderstanding of your fellow humans
Reposted by Francisco Dominguez
this is so cart-before-horse to me. i don't accept that people's attention spans are shorter in a way that has to matter. the problem is that we keep thinking that and "complying in advance" with the imagined boogieman of "people not paying attention nowadays". nothing done in that direction helps
You wanna know why we're having nag line discourse in 2025? Because developers know we're fighting an attention economy war we'll lose no matter what. Players don't read, have TikTok open next to them, god forbid we are scared you miss something and then blame us for not giving you all the info.
November 14, 2025 at 9:10 PM
this is so cart-before-horse to me. i don't accept that people's attention spans are shorter in a way that has to matter. the problem is that we keep thinking that and "complying in advance" with the imagined boogieman of "people not paying attention nowadays". nothing done in that direction helps
Reposted by Francisco Dominguez
Really chuffed to have @dominguezf.bsky.social back on TWIV with another killer long read.
He speaks to UX expert @celiahodent.com for some fantastic context behind how and why some games feel so awful to navigate at launch (which feels like it’s happening way more than it should lately).
He speaks to UX expert @celiahodent.com for some fantastic context behind how and why some games feel so awful to navigate at launch (which feels like it’s happening way more than it should lately).
When Football Manager 26 launched after a year-long delay, players immediately noticed its unpolished frontend UI and confusing design.
Now, it sits alongside Civilization 7 as another catastrophic example of user experience (UX) gone wrong in 2025.
So, we asked an expert: How could this happen?
Now, it sits alongside Civilization 7 as another catastrophic example of user experience (UX) gone wrong in 2025.
So, we asked an expert: How could this happen?
Football Manager 26 and When User Experience Goes Wrong
At launch, Football Manager 26 players discovered the UX was only just warming up. We asked an expert: why do devs leave UX until extra time?
thisweekinvideogames.com
November 14, 2025 at 10:11 PM
Really chuffed to have @dominguezf.bsky.social back on TWIV with another killer long read.
He speaks to UX expert @celiahodent.com for some fantastic context behind how and why some games feel so awful to navigate at launch (which feels like it’s happening way more than it should lately).
He speaks to UX expert @celiahodent.com for some fantastic context behind how and why some games feel so awful to navigate at launch (which feels like it’s happening way more than it should lately).
When UX is done right, you hardly notice. But players sure noticed Football Manager 26 and Civ VII's many issues at launch.
UX expert @celiahodent.com explained why, despite the clear harm to first impressions, game UX is too often left to post-launch fixes.
UX expert @celiahodent.com explained why, despite the clear harm to first impressions, game UX is too often left to post-launch fixes.
When Football Manager 26 launched after a year-long delay, players immediately noticed its unpolished frontend UI and confusing design.
Now, it sits alongside Civilization 7 as another catastrophic example of user experience (UX) gone wrong in 2025.
So, we asked an expert: How could this happen?
Now, it sits alongside Civilization 7 as another catastrophic example of user experience (UX) gone wrong in 2025.
So, we asked an expert: How could this happen?
Football Manager 26 and When User Experience Goes Wrong
At launch, Football Manager 26 players discovered the UX was only just warming up. We asked an expert: why do devs leave UX until extra time?
thisweekinvideogames.com
November 14, 2025 at 8:55 PM
When UX is done right, you hardly notice. But players sure noticed Football Manager 26 and Civ VII's many issues at launch.
UX expert @celiahodent.com explained why, despite the clear harm to first impressions, game UX is too often left to post-launch fixes.
UX expert @celiahodent.com explained why, despite the clear harm to first impressions, game UX is too often left to post-launch fixes.
Me anytime I'm grating ginger down to the stub: where did my fingertips go?
(Still worth it!)
(Still worth it!)
Me starting to grate something: Haha fuck yeah!! Yes!!
Me getting near the end of whatever I am grating: oh fuck oh fuck I am going to die, this is going to murder me
Me getting near the end of whatever I am grating: oh fuck oh fuck I am going to die, this is going to murder me
November 14, 2025 at 5:23 AM
Me anytime I'm grating ginger down to the stub: where did my fingertips go?
(Still worth it!)
(Still worth it!)
Reposted by Francisco Dominguez
Some folks absolutely think this way, BUT I’ll also say a good PR person advocates for the value small sites, small creators, and freelancers bring to the table.
Do my clients want IGN? Of course. But do I impress upon them to remember the little guys? Yep.
An army of small voices adds up!
Do my clients want IGN? Of course. But do I impress upon them to remember the little guys? Yep.
An army of small voices adds up!
I've had this chat with PR people and they know that supporting smaller sites and freelancers makes sense and would help build a healthier games media.
The problem is game publishers pretty much exclusively want GI cover stories or an IGN First and anything smaller isn't worth it.
The problem is game publishers pretty much exclusively want GI cover stories or an IGN First and anything smaller isn't worth it.
I don't understand this mentality as long as the person/website has reputable people. How does it hurt you to provide a code? With how hard it is to get publicity for games of all sizes even "small" coverage seems like it would only help?
November 14, 2025 at 1:19 AM
Some folks absolutely think this way, BUT I’ll also say a good PR person advocates for the value small sites, small creators, and freelancers bring to the table.
Do my clients want IGN? Of course. But do I impress upon them to remember the little guys? Yep.
An army of small voices adds up!
Do my clients want IGN? Of course. But do I impress upon them to remember the little guys? Yep.
An army of small voices adds up!
Reposted by Francisco Dominguez
Talking to people way smarter than me about the things I enjoy is, no bullshit, the best part of my job. So thanks to the folks who talked to me about why Magic’s starting to look like a Fortnite lobby and what this means for the long term health of the game
Magic: The Gathering’s future looks like Fortnite, and fans are split
Magic: The Gathering’s future looks like Fortnite, and fans are split
Does everything have to be Universes Beyond?
buff.ly
November 13, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Talking to people way smarter than me about the things I enjoy is, no bullshit, the best part of my job. So thanks to the folks who talked to me about why Magic’s starting to look like a Fortnite lobby and what this means for the long term health of the game
Reposted by Francisco Dominguez
If anyone feels like supporting an independent Australian videogame website with award-winning work that strictly has no advertising, no sponsored content, no corporate ownership, does not let publishers pay for travel, and discloses every code we get and image we use:
thisweekinvideogames.com
thisweekinvideogames.com
This Week in Videogames - TWIV
Covering the important things happening in the world of videogames. News, reviews, and insights without ads or filler content.
thisweekinvideogames.com
November 10, 2025 at 11:37 PM
If anyone feels like supporting an independent Australian videogame website with award-winning work that strictly has no advertising, no sponsored content, no corporate ownership, does not let publishers pay for travel, and discloses every code we get and image we use:
thisweekinvideogames.com
thisweekinvideogames.com
Reposted by Francisco Dominguez
Hey all you gamers claiming to "want shorter games made by fewer people who are paid more to work less" here's your chance to put your $15 where your mouth is: a spooky & elegiac exploration game made by ex-Bethesda & Ubi devs. It's excellent. Buy it & prove there's a market for games like this!
There'll be a new pinned post this week, but for now: Ambrosia Sky: Act One is *out* now!
Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/3580160/...
EGS: store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/ambr...
Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/3580160/...
EGS: store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/ambr...
Save 15% on Ambrosia Sky on Steam
You left. Now they’re dead. Ambrosia Sky: Act One is an immersive sim about exploring an asteroid colony devastated by a mysterious contamination. Survive and harvest strains of aggressive alien fungi...
store.steampowered.com
November 10, 2025 at 7:19 PM
Hey all you gamers claiming to "want shorter games made by fewer people who are paid more to work less" here's your chance to put your $15 where your mouth is: a spooky & elegiac exploration game made by ex-Bethesda & Ubi devs. It's excellent. Buy it & prove there's a market for games like this!
Reposted by Francisco Dominguez
As you may have seen, we've launched a brand new website today! And while we're excited about some of the big stuff involved--like a sale and new payment methods--here are some other neat features we hope readers and newcomers will appreciate.
aftermath.site/aftermath-rela...
aftermath.site/aftermath-rela...
November 10, 2025 at 9:40 PM
As you may have seen, we've launched a brand new website today! And while we're excited about some of the big stuff involved--like a sale and new payment methods--here are some other neat features we hope readers and newcomers will appreciate.
aftermath.site/aftermath-rela...
aftermath.site/aftermath-rela...
Forgot FEAR came out at the exact stage of PC gaming where fiddling with the settings could produce its own 90s demake.
I had to set the graphics of FEAR Extraction Point to the absolute minimum to bypass a loading bug and it's honestly a vibe
November 10, 2025 at 4:40 AM
Forgot FEAR came out at the exact stage of PC gaming where fiddling with the settings could produce its own 90s demake.
Reposted by Francisco Dominguez
I’m bad at self promoting but if you’re reading this, it’s the last chance you have to support our 3-month-old, non-corporate, reader-funded videogame website as a “Founder” and lock in the baseline subscription price indefinitely.
If you’ve been on the fence and have the means, it’s a good time! 🙏🏽
If you’ve been on the fence and have the means, it’s a good time! 🙏🏽
Hello. About a year and a half ago, some guy called Ralph asked me if I wanted to make a new videogame website.
We're launching it today. Maybe you can even visit it if people stop hammering the server for a second.
We're launching it today. Maybe you can even visit it if people stop hammering the server for a second.
This Week in Videogames - TWIV
Covering the important things happening in the world of videogames. News, reviews, and insights without ads or filler content.
thisweekinvideogames.com
November 5, 2025 at 12:47 PM
I’m bad at self promoting but if you’re reading this, it’s the last chance you have to support our 3-month-old, non-corporate, reader-funded videogame website as a “Founder” and lock in the baseline subscription price indefinitely.
If you’ve been on the fence and have the means, it’s a good time! 🙏🏽
If you’ve been on the fence and have the means, it’s a good time! 🙏🏽
Reposted by Francisco Dominguez
🤖🌟 Issue 6 of APWOT is live on Kickstarter! 🌟🤖
Featuring a beautiful lenticular cover of Astro Bot marking both our feature interview with the game’s director, Nicolas Doucet, and the 30th anniversary of PlayStation.
Get in there!
💫 kck.st/4i1GAHT 💫
Featuring a beautiful lenticular cover of Astro Bot marking both our feature interview with the game’s director, Nicolas Doucet, and the 30th anniversary of PlayStation.
Get in there!
💫 kck.st/4i1GAHT 💫
November 4, 2025 at 6:21 PM
🤖🌟 Issue 6 of APWOT is live on Kickstarter! 🌟🤖
Featuring a beautiful lenticular cover of Astro Bot marking both our feature interview with the game’s director, Nicolas Doucet, and the 30th anniversary of PlayStation.
Get in there!
💫 kck.st/4i1GAHT 💫
Featuring a beautiful lenticular cover of Astro Bot marking both our feature interview with the game’s director, Nicolas Doucet, and the 30th anniversary of PlayStation.
Get in there!
💫 kck.st/4i1GAHT 💫
I got to talk to Miles Jacobson about Football Manager 26's new match engine, adding women's football to the game, and the lamentable decline of my fave football position in life and FM: the trequartista.
store.epicgames.com/en-US/news/f...
store.epicgames.com/en-US/news/f...
Behind Football Manager 26’s delayed release
“It’s about bloody time” — Sports Interactive’s Miles Jacobson on skipping a year, women’s football, and the authenticity and tactical breakthroughs that make FM26 worth the wait
store.epicgames.com
November 3, 2025 at 2:13 PM
I got to talk to Miles Jacobson about Football Manager 26's new match engine, adding women's football to the game, and the lamentable decline of my fave football position in life and FM: the trequartista.
store.epicgames.com/en-US/news/f...
store.epicgames.com/en-US/news/f...
Reposted by Francisco Dominguez
Making my @rollingstone.com debut writing about Monolith's incredible F.E.A.R. and how the story's meaning has kind of gotten lost over the years.
Alma isn't F.E.A.R.'s villain. Armacham and the people that made her are. She's as much a victim as anyone else, a spirit of vengeance made, not born.
Alma isn't F.E.A.R.'s villain. Armacham and the people that made her are. She's as much a victim as anyone else, a spirit of vengeance made, not born.
A @rollingstone.com Halloween special: writer @edgarallanbro.bsky.social looks back at #FEAR, the 2005 horror game whose famous monster has been totally misunderstood for 20 years. It's a great read.
www.rollingstone.com/culture/rs-g...
www.rollingstone.com/culture/rs-g...
'F.E.A.R.' at 20: Is the Game's Villain the Ghost -- Or the System That Killed Her?
Monolith's 2005 horror FPS shares a tragic monster story with films like 'The Ring' and 'The Grudge'
www.rollingstone.com
October 31, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Making my @rollingstone.com debut writing about Monolith's incredible F.E.A.R. and how the story's meaning has kind of gotten lost over the years.
Alma isn't F.E.A.R.'s villain. Armacham and the people that made her are. She's as much a victim as anyone else, a spirit of vengeance made, not born.
Alma isn't F.E.A.R.'s villain. Armacham and the people that made her are. She's as much a victim as anyone else, a spirit of vengeance made, not born.
Reposted by Francisco Dominguez
ART BY FUCKING W H O?
GEX Trilogy Standard Edition Event Exclusive (Switch, PS5, Xbox) up at LRG buff.ly/cwtOi8S #ad
art by Amano
art by Amano
October 31, 2025 at 4:04 PM
ART BY FUCKING W H O?
Reposted by Francisco Dominguez
So, today I'm announcing a new book project... and doing a call for papers: crpgbook.wordpress.com/2025/10/31/t...
It's an anthology of video game history outside the usual US perspective - an accessible & exciting panorama of different realities - and I'll pay 300 USD per article.
Please share :)
It's an anthology of video game history outside the usual US perspective - an accessible & exciting panorama of different realities - and I'll pay 300 USD per article.
Please share :)
The Video Game History Expansion Pack – Pitch your story
Today I’m putting my money where my mouth is and launching a new project — a book focused on game history outside of the usual North American perspectives.
crpgbook.wordpress.com
October 30, 2025 at 11:11 PM
So, today I'm announcing a new book project... and doing a call for papers: crpgbook.wordpress.com/2025/10/31/t...
It's an anthology of video game history outside the usual US perspective - an accessible & exciting panorama of different realities - and I'll pay 300 USD per article.
Please share :)
It's an anthology of video game history outside the usual US perspective - an accessible & exciting panorama of different realities - and I'll pay 300 USD per article.
Please share :)
Reposted by Francisco Dominguez
very excited to share this story about an emerging video game genre: games that live on bottom of your desktop screen. my first story in the NYT, featuring @mistermorrisgames.bsky.social, @toadzillart.itch.io, and more!
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/27/a...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/27/a...
These Video Games Want Only Some of Your Attention
www.nytimes.com
October 27, 2025 at 2:04 PM
very excited to share this story about an emerging video game genre: games that live on bottom of your desktop screen. my first story in the NYT, featuring @mistermorrisgames.bsky.social, @toadzillart.itch.io, and more!
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/27/a...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/27/a...
Reposted by Francisco Dominguez
The devs behind Ninja Gaiden 4, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, AC: Shadows and a few ninjutsu practitioners told me how history, acrobatics and ingenuity made one of history's most elusive figures become a gaming icon.
thisweekinvideogames.com/feature/year...
thisweekinvideogames.com/feature/year...
Why Japan’s Most Secretive Warriors Are Everywhere You Look in 2025
Ninjutsu practitioners and the developers of Ninja Gaiden 4, Ragebound, and AC: Shadows explain the fascination, fantasy, and reality of ninjas.
thisweekinvideogames.com
October 27, 2025 at 2:54 AM
The devs behind Ninja Gaiden 4, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, AC: Shadows and a few ninjutsu practitioners told me how history, acrobatics and ingenuity made one of history's most elusive figures become a gaming icon.
thisweekinvideogames.com/feature/year...
thisweekinvideogames.com/feature/year...
The devs behind Ninja Gaiden 4, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, AC: Shadows and a few ninjutsu practitioners told me how history, acrobatics and ingenuity made one of history's most elusive figures become a gaming icon.
thisweekinvideogames.com/feature/year...
thisweekinvideogames.com/feature/year...
Why Japan’s Most Secretive Warriors Are Everywhere You Look in 2025
Ninjutsu practitioners and the developers of Ninja Gaiden 4, Ragebound, and AC: Shadows explain the fascination, fantasy, and reality of ninjas.
thisweekinvideogames.com
October 27, 2025 at 2:54 AM
The devs behind Ninja Gaiden 4, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, AC: Shadows and a few ninjutsu practitioners told me how history, acrobatics and ingenuity made one of history's most elusive figures become a gaming icon.
thisweekinvideogames.com/feature/year...
thisweekinvideogames.com/feature/year...
Reposted by Francisco Dominguez
Absolute whopper of a long-form feature from cool word guy @dominguezf.bsky.social, who simply wanted to talk to anyone and everyone about ninjas
GET IN
GET IN
With several new games starring Japan's secret warriors, 2025 has become 'Year of the Ninja.' But what continues to make them so fascinating?
We talk to ninjutsu practitioners, the devs of Ninja Gaiden 4, Ragebound, and AC: Shadows, and even the International Ninja Research Centre to find out.
We talk to ninjutsu practitioners, the devs of Ninja Gaiden 4, Ragebound, and AC: Shadows, and even the International Ninja Research Centre to find out.
Year of the Ninja: Why Japan’s Most Secretive Warriors Are Everywhere You Look in 2025
Ninjutsu practitioners and the developers of Ninja Gaiden 4, Ragebound, and AC: Shadows explain the fascination, fantasy, and reality of ninjas.
thisweekinvideogames.com
October 27, 2025 at 2:09 AM
Absolute whopper of a long-form feature from cool word guy @dominguezf.bsky.social, who simply wanted to talk to anyone and everyone about ninjas
GET IN
GET IN
Reposted by Francisco Dominguez
I reviewed Bounty Star for @ign.com. It is the most personal review I've written in a long time (maybe ever) and I'm very proud of it. It would mean a lot to me if you read it.
Full disclosure: I talk about being suicidal for two years in the opening because I had to. This one hit me pretty hard.
Full disclosure: I talk about being suicidal for two years in the opening because I had to. This one hit me pretty hard.
Bounty Star Review - IGN
This combination of mech combat and farming is equal parts compelling and tranquil.
www.ign.com
October 23, 2025 at 8:36 PM
I reviewed Bounty Star for @ign.com. It is the most personal review I've written in a long time (maybe ever) and I'm very proud of it. It would mean a lot to me if you read it.
Full disclosure: I talk about being suicidal for two years in the opening because I had to. This one hit me pretty hard.
Full disclosure: I talk about being suicidal for two years in the opening because I had to. This one hit me pretty hard.