thisweekinvideogames com
Finally, a gaming site that doesn’t waste your time.
ThisWeekInVideoGames.com just launched, and it’s Skill Up’s answer to bloated, ad-infested game coverage. No SEO tricks, no AI fluff, no autoplay nonsense. Just clean, smart writing for people who actually care about games.
Skill Up’s Big Swing
ThisWeekInVideoGames (TWIV) is Skill Up’s new editorial platform, and it’s not messing around. It’s ad-free by design—no banners, no sponsored content, no sugarcoated PR writeups pretending to be reviews. The idea is simple: talk about games like they actually matter, and treat readers like they’re not idiots.
Skill Up’s known for sharp, thoughtful YouTube reviews that cut through hype. That same tone carries over here, just in written form. It's like the site version of a friend who actually plays through games before forming an opinion—and doesn’t yell at you about it with thumbnails and reaction faces.
No Ads, No AI, No Junk
TWIV makes a big deal about what it isn’t. You won’t find listicles padded with ten useless paragraphs or articles written by generative AI trying to fake a human voice. There’s no clickbait. No pop-up videos screaming at you to pre-order something. It’s built for people who want real game journalism without being treated like ad bait.
And it’s fast. Load up an article and it’s just the words, a few well-placed screenshots, and the content you came for. Like how websites used to feel before everything got monetized to death.
It’s Free—Until You Want More
You can read most of the site for free. News, reviews, previews, even some interviews—no paywall in sight. But if you want extra perks, there’s a paid tier.
Subscribers get a second newsletter each week, ad-free versions of their podcast and video show, access to Q&A sessions, and more site tools. It’s closer to a membership model than a subscription. Basically, pay if you want to support the site and get bonus content—but you’re not locked out of the essentials if you don’t.
It’s like Patreon but baked into the site itself. The goal’s pretty clear: enough readers kicking in a few bucks keeps the whole thing running without selling out to ad networks.
The Writing Has Teeth
One of the first pieces out the gate was about Virtuos laying off nearly 300 people, including devs who worked on the Oblivion remaster. No sugarcoating, no corporate doublespeak—just the facts, broken down in a way that makes the industry move actually mean something.
Another post covered Bungie catching heat for using indie artist Fern Hook’s artwork without permission. TWIV didn’t bury that in soft PR language. They explained what happened, why it matters, and how Bungie tried to recover from it. It’s not aggressive reporting, but it’s not afraid to call out lazy or shady moves either.
They also covered Nexus Mods changing ownership, which sounds niche unless you’ve ever used a mod loader. Turns out, the founder stepped down due to burnout after running the platform for 24 years. That’s the kind of story you won’t find on mainstream gaming sites anymore because it doesn’t sell ad impressions—but it’s exactly the kind of thing that matters to people who’ve been in the space for a while.
Not Just AAA Noise
TWIV isn’t just chasing big-name titles. There’s a section dedicated to “Promising Indies,” and it’s not fluff. They’re looking at smaller studios and weird, interesting projects that won’t hit your YouTube homepage unless an algorithm gets lucky. Think Ghost of Yōtei, a Japanese-inspired stealth-action game that’s still under the radar. TWIV talked to the devs about how they’re structuring the narrative to stay grounded, not just throwing around “open world” like a magic spell.
Still, they’re not ignoring blockbusters. They had early coverage of Donkey Kong Bananza and the fact it’s being built by the Mario Odyssey team. That kind of detail tells you immediately what kind of energy the game’s probably going for.
Readers Are Into It—Mostly
People online are into the idea. Reddit threads are full of folks saying it feels like a throwback to when gaming sites were actually useful. No one’s nostalgic for GameSpy layouts, but people do miss honest, compact writing that gets to the point. A lot of readers said it’s refreshing to read news without dodging five pop-ups and a cookie warning.
That said, some are skeptical about whether it can survive. Ad-free media is great until the bills show up. The site doesn’t look cheap, and hiring real writers costs money. So the question is: can Skill Up turn enough fans into paying members to keep this thing alive?
A few users also pointed out that Skill Up’s audience is mostly YouTube-based—and not everyone who watches videos wants to read articles or pay for them. It’s a different habit. You can be a huge fan of the content and still never click “subscribe.”
Not a One-Man Show
Skill Up’s face is on it, but he’s not running this solo. The writing is coming from a small, curated team with actual experience. They’re not just hiring freelancers to crank out launch reviews. You can tell by the tone—there’s a voice, not just “objectivity.” If you’ve ever rolled your eyes at a 10/10 review that dodges criticism, this feels like the antidote.
What Makes It Work
Two things stand out:
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It respects your time. Most reviews and news stories are under five minutes to read. No bloated intros. No dragging out conclusions to fill a word count. If something’s worth saying, it gets said. If it’s not, it’s gone.
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It’s clean. The site design feels handcrafted for readers. No auto-playing videos. No “related content” spam at the bottom. Just headlines, text, and comments (eventually). It’s fast on mobile, too—feels like it was built to be read, not gamed by SEO bots.
It’s a Bet—But a Smart One
Skill Up’s not pretending this is easy. Running a media site with no ads in 2025 is a huge risk. But the pitch makes sense: make something genuinely good, get people to trust you, and let the work speak for itself. If even a small fraction of his YouTube base signs up, that’s probably enough to keep the lights on.
The bigger question is scale. Can this stay sharp and relevant with a small team? Will they break stories, or just comment on what’s already out there? It’s too early to know—but the launch content suggests they’re aiming higher than just recapping press releases.
Worth Keeping an Eye On
ThisWeekInVideoGames isn’t trying to replace IGN or GameSpot. It’s trying to be the place people go when they’re sick of those sites. For now, it’s doing a damn good job of that.
If it holds together—and keeps writing for players instead of advertisers—it might just change what people expect from gaming media again. And honestly? It’s about time.
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