Dear Writers,
Here are some recent calls for pitches on topics related to video gaming. I’ve also included a few extra listings of publishers who work with freelance writers on these topics, to flesh out the list.
Please carefully study each publication before sending a pitch.
If you’re new to pitching, here are a few resources to help you get started:
- How to Write a Pitch that Gets You Paid (Based on Real-World Examples)
- How to Pitch a Listicle About Pop Culture
- Case Study: How I Broke into the Smart Mouth Newsletter and Earned $1 per Word
- Everything You Need to Get Your Articles Published in 2022
— Jacob Jans
Thanks to Fatima Saif for research on this list.
Opportunity to Write about Metroid II Return of Samus: “For my upcoming #GAMEBOY #GAMEBOOK I’m looking for someone to write a retrospective on #Metroid II Return of Samus. Around 800-1,000 words. Interested? Did you love it?” Rate is £100. Send your pitches to pmurphy1978@outlook.com. To learn more, read this Twitter thread.
Deadline: January 18th, 2023
VG247 is a website featuring news, reviews, guides, and opinions on video games. They’re seeking features freelancers for 2023. If you have “something insightful, interesting, or funny to say about an upcoming triple-A game – or title that’ll hit either PS Plus or Game Pass soon,” then get in touch with their features editor at dom.peppiatt@vg247.com. Rates begin at £120. Their features editor has tweeted, “Also, if you’re a big service game player (Destiny, Apex, FF14, Sea of Thieves, GTAO, et al) let’s talk about what we can do in 2023.” To read their features editor’s Twitter thread, click here. To learn more about VG247, click here.
Opportunity to Write about Games: “Looking for a writer who can put together a few listicles detailing the best add-ons for various MMOs. Specifically looking to start with WoW, FFXIV, EVE, GW2, LotRO.” Rates begin at around $65 but are negotiable. To learn more, refer to this tweet.
Mashable is a media and entertainment company that is passionate about entertainment, culture, and technology. Their shopping team is seeking freelance writers who have experience of writing product roundups. They “mainly cover consumer tech, but there’s also room for assignments in gaming, home, online services and apps, and more.” For updates, the rates begin at $150. For new content, the rates go up to $400. If interested, email jae.thomas@mashable.com. To learn more, refer to their deputy shopping editor’s Twitter thread. To contact them, refer to this page.
Dread Central is a website that covers horror movies, games, comics, novels, toys, and more. As part of their Black History Month programming, they are specifically looking for pitches from Black genre fans. They are particularly seeking Black writers to share their views on the genre. They will pay $100 per accepted article. To read their tweet, click here. To submit your pitch, click here.
Deadline: January 31st, 2023
Here are more publications that pay freelance writers for gaming articles:
Kotaku is a gaming news and tips website by G/O Media. They publish articles on a wide variety of video games, and regularly pay $300 per article. To learn more, read their about us here.
No Escape Magazine is about “digital culture and its discontents.” They are accepting pitches: “Do you like to write about video games? Do you spend your free time thinking about all the messy ways in which digital culture and the real world collide with each other? Are you unafraid of getting too political? Then send your ideas in for the next issue of No Escape Magazine!” For reviews and opinion pieces of 1,250 words or less, they pay $50. For features and larger op-eds of over 1,250 words, they pay $100. To learn more, refer to this page.
The Outerhaven is a source for gaming and geek culture news, reviews, guides, interviews, podcasts, and more. They cover the following via freelancers: video games; TV and film; entertainment; toys, figures/figurines/models; interviews; guides; and previews. They pay $0.04 cents/word up to 600 words, $0.05 cents/word from 600 to 800 words, and $0.06 cents/word from 800 words and above. For more information, read their pitch guidelines.
Wargamer is a website that publishes news, guides, and reviews of tabletop games and digital wargames. They are always looking for stories, op-eds, guides, and features about tabletop games and wargames. They are especially interested in hearing from underrepresented voices. For features, they pay £75 for 600 words, £150 for 1,000 words, and £200 for 2,000 words. For guides, they pay £75 for 600 words, £150 for 1,000 words, and £175 for 1,500 words. For reviews, they pay £100 for 700 words and £200 for 1,500 words. For more details, read their pitch guidelines.
lock-on is a gaming journal by Lost in Cult (an indie publisher and design studio). They focus on long-form explorations of a range of industry topics, essays that delve into personal experiences in relation to gaming, and discussions on games, narrative themes, hardware, etc. Their rates start at around £100. To submit your pitches, refer to this page.
Launcher is a section in The Washington Post that covers video games and esports. They are seeking “original reporting — features, profiles, reported analysis and more.” They “want reported stories that reveal some kind of tension.” Target length: 1,000-1,200 words. Pay: $450. To learn how to pitch stories to them, visit this page.
