Image: Nick Thorpe
It is with a heavy heart that we report that Retro Gamer’s Features Editor, Nick Thorpe, has passed away at the age of 38.
The news was broken by the magazine’s long-running editor, Darran Jones, on social media.
Jones’ post has multiple replies paying tribute to Thorpe, whose talent, knowledge and dedication went a long way to making the magazine, which celebrated its 20th birthday last year, so popular and respected.
This is absolutely heartbreaking news.
Nick Thorpe
@hkt3030.neocities.org
our incredible features editor, sadly passed away yesterday. He was an incredible asset to the magazine and a compassionate and fantastic friend. My thoughts go out to his friends and family.
I just can’t believe he’s gone
— RetrogamerDaz (@retrogamerdaz.bsky.social) 2025-12-02T18:22:59.745Z
Alongside the veteran Jones, Thorpe was one of the primary writers for the publication, with the rest of its content comprising freelance submissions. 2023 marked Thrope’s 10th year working on the magazine.
Speaking as someone who has been a massive fan of Retro Gamer since the first issue, I cannot speak more highly of Thorpe’s work, enthusiasm for retro games and approachable, friendly nature.
The world of video games journalism is undeniably poorer for his passing, and the thoughts of everyone at Time Extension – and Hookshot Media – go out to Thorpe’s family and friends.
Damien has been writing professionally about tech and video games since 2007 and oversees all of Hookshot Media’s sites from an editorial perspective. He’s also the editor of Time Extension, the network’s newest site, which – paradoxically – is all about gaming’s past glories.