Once a relative haven for adult games, itch.io begins removing explicit titles
Dozens of games deleted with no advance notice, thousands more hidden by "deindexing."
Kyle Orland
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Kyle Orland
Senior Gaming Editor
kyle.orland@arstechnica.com
Kyle Orland has been the Senior Gaming Editor at Ars Technica since 2012, covering topics ranging from retro games to new gaming hardware, business and legal developments in the industry, fan communities, gaming mods and hacks, virtual reality, and much more. More recently, he has also been helping to cover the rise of generative AI and other artificial intelligence topics for Ars.
Based in the Washington DC area, Kyle got his start writing about games back in 1997 when he set up fan site Super Mario Bros. HQ on his parents’ America Online subscription. Since then, Kyle has gone on to obtain journalism and computer science degrees from the University of Maryland and write for dozens of outlets ranging from NPR and MSNBC to Electronic Gaming Monthly and Paste Magazine.
Kyle is the author of Minesweeper from Boss Fight Books as well as two collections of contemporary journalism—The Game Beat and Save Point. You can find his irregular musings on BlueSky: @kyleor.land.
Recent stories by
Kyle Orland
Samsung’s Odyssey 3D monitor delivers great visuals, limited game support
$2,000 display is hard to recommend when its best feature works with only 14 titles.
Kyle Orland
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Steam cracks down on some sex games to appease payment processors
New rule against "certain kinds" of adult content accompanies removal of "incest" games.
Kyle Orland
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Donkey Kong Bananza is a worthy successor to Super Mario Odyssey’s legacy
Cathartic, punch-fueled land destruction is a great showcase for Switch 2 hardware.
Kyle Orland
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Study finds AI tools made open source software developers 19 percent slower
Coders spent more time prompting and reviewing AI generations than they saved on coding.
Kyle Orland
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Meta’s “AI superintelligence” effort sounds just like its failed “metaverse”
Zuckerberg and company talked up another supposed tech revolution four short years ago.
Kyle Orland
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Games run faster on SteamOS than Windows 11, Ars testing finds
Lenovo Legion Go S gets better frame rates running Valve's free operating system.
Kyle Orland
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YouTube is hiding an excellent, official high-speed Pac-Man mod in plain sight
Pac-Man Superfast turns the arcade classic into a high-octane reflex test.
Kyle Orland
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Most Read
Why Microsoft’s next Xbox should just run Windows already
The AMD-powered "next generation Xbox console" should take a tip from the ROG Xbox Ally.
Kyle Orland
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Switch 2 users report online console bans after running personal game “backups”
Nintendo seems able to detect use of Mig Flash carts, which can also help enable piracy.
Kyle Orland
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Nintendo Switch 2: The Ars Technica review
Nintendo's overdue upgrade is a strong contender, even amid competition from handheld PCs.
Kyle Orland
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Mario Kart World review: Getting there is half the game
Free Roam mode shines, but long, chaotic straightaways get a bit grating.
Kyle Orland
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Apple consolidates iOS gaming features in new Games app
New Challenges feature allows for high score competitions with friends.
Kyle Orland
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Microsoft dives into the handheld gaming PC wars with the Asus ROG Xbox Ally
Bespoke handheld interface hides the desktop while offering access to "all Windows games."
Kyle Orland
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Our first impressions after 48 hours with the Switch 2
Some review-in-progress thoughts on GameChat, mouse mode, Welcome Tour, and more.
Kyle Orland
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Nintendo warns Switch 2 GameChat users: “Your chat is recorded”
Temporary local copies can be shared with Nintendo through manual user reporting.
Kyle Orland
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It’s here: Unboxing and setting up our Switch 2 review unit
Our Switch got here 14 hours early—here's what early adopters will see.
Kyle Orland
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11 things you probably didn’t know the Switch 2 can do
Our first quick dive into the system-level settings and the new GameChat multiplayer.
Kyle Orland
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“Free Roam” mode is Mario Kart World’s killer app
Equal parts Forza Horizon, Diddy Kong Racing, and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater.
Kyle Orland
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Real TikTokers are pretending to be Veo 3 AI creations for fun, attention
From music videos to "Are you a prompt?" stunts, "real" videos are presenting as AI.
Kyle Orland
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Elden Ring: Nightreign is an epic RPG squeezed into delicious bite-size capsules
Fast-paced multiplayer action fits surprisingly well with the old Elden Ring formula.
Kyle Orland
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Desktop Survivors 98 is more than just a retro Windows nostalgia trip
Tight mouse controls and inventive weapons build on a loving old-school computing homage.
Kyle Orland
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Why console makers can legally brick your game console
"If the ability [to brick a console] is there, someone will want to 'see how it goes.'"
Kyle Orland
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New portal calls out AI content with Google’s watermark
But AI-generated content made without the SynthID toolkit remains difficult to detect.
Kyle Orland
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Epic goes to court to force Fortnite back on US iOS
Game has been pulled offline in Europe amid legal tussling.
Kyle Orland
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HBO’s The Last of Us S2E6 recap: Look who’s back!
Some of the most impactful scenes from the game get the HBO treatment.
Kyle Orland
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xAI says an “unauthorized” prompt change caused Grok to focus on “white genocide”
Meanwhile, Grok's authorized prompt asks it to "provide truthful and based insights."
Kyle Orland
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xAI’s Grok suddenly can’t stop bringing up “white genocide” in South Africa
The topic has long been a hobbyhorse of X owner Elon Musk.
Kyle Orland
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New Switch 2 specs show large performance dip in undocked mode
Digital Foundry also says Game Chat "has a significant impact on system resources."
Kyle Orland
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Doom: The Dark Ages is surprisingly playable on the Steam Deck
"Low" graphics settings and 800p resolution hit 30 to 40 fps on Valve's hardy handheld.
Kyle Orland
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Nintendo warns that it can brick Switch consoles if it detects hacking, piracy
Updated EULA language includes new threat to "render the... device permanently unusable."
Kyle Orland
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Don’t look now, but a confirmed gamer is leading the Catholic Church
Prevost played Wordle and Words with Friends before leaving for the conclave.
Kyle Orland
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Doom: The Dark Ages review: Shields up!
Prepare to add a more defensive stance to the usual dodge-and-shoot gameplay loop.
Kyle Orland
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How long will Switch 2’s Game Key Cards keep working?
Nintendo's history suggests we can look forward to decades of support.
Kyle Orland
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Why Google Gemini’s Pokémon success isn’t all it’s cracked up to be
Assistance from an external "agent harness" was key to the model's success.
Kyle Orland
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The Last of Us packs new characters and new revelations into its latest episode
Plus: Kyle and Andrew discuss '80s pop covers and free jazz. No, seriously...
Kyle Orland
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