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Respawn Magazine is dedicated to celebrating the games, consoles, communities, and stories that shaped generations of players. We publish thoughtful, engaging content about retro gaming—from the Atari era through the sixth-generation console wars and beyond.

We're always looking for talented writers, historians, collectors, developers, and passionate gamers who have something interesting to say.

If you love classic games and can tell a great story, we'd love to hear from you.

What We Publish

We are primarily interested in original, well-researched feature content, including:

Features & Retrospectives

  • Deep dives into classic games

  • Retrospectives on gaming franchises

  • Historical pieces about developers, publishers, and gaming trends

  • Behind-the-scenes stories from the retro gaming industry

Hardware & Collecting

  • Console histories

  • Collecting guides

  • Restoration projects

  • Modding and preservation stories

  • Retro hardware reviews

Community & Culture

  • The impact of classic games on gaming culture

  • Fan communities and preservation efforts

  • Convention reports

  • Interviews with collectors, developers, and enthusiasts

Opinion & Analysis

  • Thoughtful commentary on retro gaming topics

  • Industry analysis from a historical perspective

  • Personal essays that connect gaming to broader cultural themes

What We're Looking For

Successful pitches typically:

  • Focus on retro gaming, gaming history, or preservation. For Respawn Magazine, retro gaming generally includes games, hardware, and gaming culture from the Atari era through the sixth console generation - Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Xbox - though we occasionally explore later eras when they have historical or preservation significance.

  • Offer a unique angle or perspective

  • Demonstrate solid research and reporting

  • Go beyond nostalgia and provide meaningful insight

  • Tell a compelling story

We love articles that answer questions such as:

  • Why did a particular game succeed or fail?

  • How did a console or developer influence the industry?

  • What can modern gaming learn from the past?

  • What forgotten story deserves to be remembered?

What We're Not Looking For

Please do not pitch:

  • AI-generated articles (Contributors may use AI tools for research organization, outlining, transcription, or editing assistance, but submitted articles must be written by the contributor and not generated by AI.)

  • News releases copied from press materials

  • Generic "Top 10" lists without original insight

  • Previously published content

  • Promotional content disguised as editorial

  • Topics unrelated to gaming or gaming culture

Article Length

As a general guideline:

  • Short articles: 800–1,200 words

  • Standard features: 1,500–2,500 words

  • Long-form features: 3,000+ words

These are guidelines rather than strict requirements. We care more about telling the story well than hitting an exact word count.

Exceptional ideas may fall outside these ranges.

Editorial Process

Accepted submissions may be edited for clarity, style, accuracy, grammar, formatting, SEO, and consistency with Respawn Magazine's editorial standards.

Significant editorial changes will be discussed with the author before publication whenever possible.

Respawn Magazine’s Statement on AI Use

At Respawn Magazine, we believe that great gaming journalism should be created by passionate human writers.

We may use artificial intelligence tools to assist with research organization, brainstorming, transcription, editing suggestions, headline generation, search engine optimization, and other administrative tasks. However, all published articles, reviews, features, interviews, and opinion pieces are written, reviewed, fact-checked, and approved by human editors.

We do not publish AI-generated articles as editorial content. Any factual claims published by Respawn Magazine are verified through human research and editorial review.

Our goal is to use AI as a tool that supports our writers—not as a replacement for them. Editorial responsibility for everything published on our website remains with our human contributors and editors. Transparency, accuracy, and authenticity will always come first.

Contributor Compensation

Respawn Magazine is currently an independent startup publication and, at this time, we are unable to offer payment for contributed articles. Please consider this before submitting a pitch.

Many of our contributors write for the opportunity to share their expertise, build their portfolio, promote their projects, and connect with the retro gaming community.

Contributors will receive:

  • A byline and author bio

  • Links to their website, social media profiles, or projects

  • Exposure to our growing readership

  • The opportunity to become part of the Respawn Magazine contributor community

As Respawn Magazine grows, we hope to introduce paid contributor opportunities in the future.

Rights & Republishing

Contributors retain ownership of their work.

By publishing with Respawn Magazine, contributors grant Respawn Magazine the non-exclusive right to publish and archive the article on our website and associated platforms.

Contributors may republish their work elsewhere after publication, provided they acknowledge that it first appeared in Respawn Magazine and include a link back to the original article.

We ask that accepted articles not be published elsewhere before their publication in Respawn Magazine.

How to Pitch Us

Send your pitch to mike@respawnmag.com with:

  • A brief summary of your article idea

  • Why it would interest Respawn readers

  • Relevant writing samples or links to previous work

  • A short bio

Please make sure to start your email subject line with “Article pitch”, followed by the proposed title or topic of your article.

Please do not send completed articles unless we've specifically requested them.

Simultaneous Pitches

Respawn Magazine does accept simultaneous pitches. If you are pitching an article to other publications, please let us know in your pitch.

We also ask that you notify us immediately if a pitch is accepted elsewhere.

Response Time

We aim to respond to pitches within two weeks. While we do our best to respond to every pitch, we may not be able to provide detailed feedback on all submissions.

Contributor Guidelines

By submitting a pitch or article for publication, you confirm that:

  • Your work is original.

  • Your work was written by you, not by an artificial intelligence program. (You may use AI tools for research, organization, outlining, transcription, or editing assistance, but submitted articles must be written by the contributor and not by an AI.)

  • You have the right to submit the material.

  • Any factual claims can be supported through reliable sources.

  • Any interviews or quotations have been obtained with permission where required.

If your article includes original photographs, screenshots, or other media, please indicate that in your pitch. Contributors must have the right to use any images they submit.

Additional editorial guidelines will be provided upon acceptance.

Tell Us a Great Story

Retro gaming is about more than old hardware and nostalgia. It's about the people, ideas, innovations, and communities that continue to keep gaming history alive.

If you've got a story worth telling, we want to hear it.