Hayes Madsen is the Video Game Trends Writer for Inverse’s gaming section where he covers the most buzzworthy events and controversies in the industry — along with some of the most compelling community stories.
Hayes has more than 10 years of experience in journalism with a special focus on entertainment and the video game industry.
"Life is Strange in Japan": Square Enix devs explain their lifelike new game
How Shijima evolved.
The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story is 2022's most surprising game
Inverse Score: 8/10
22 years later, this cult classic RPG still holds up
Square’s overlooked classic.
New PS Plus games list exposes a major flaw in Sony's Game Pass rival
A glaring hole in the library.
Everything you need to know about the MultiVersus alpha and beta
Universes collide.
10 years ago, Rockstar released its greatest cult classic ever
A long legacy.
Everything we know about the crab souls-like Another Crab’s Treasure
The most important game about a hermit crab.
Jedi: Fallen Order leak exposes the worst thing about Star Wars
A distressing trend.
Game devs aren't getting proper credit for their work — here's how to fix it
“Special Thanks” is sometimes an empty gesture.
Mass Effect 4 leak hints at the shocking return of a major character
The return of a hero?
Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising is a captivating prequel with too much busywork
Inverse Score: 7/10
13 years later, the most cerebral time-travel game ever made still holds up
A deadly mind game.
Square Enix Embracer deal explained: Who gets what?
Square Enix’s new deal with Embracer Group is shaking up its properties, so here’s where the biggest Western IPs are going.
3 essential questions about the Activision New York lawsuit, answered
“Egregious breaches of fiduciary duty” sure sounds pretty bad.
Where are all the Star Wars horror games?
Unexplored space.
Everything we know about Warcraft Arclight Rumble
Strategy on the go.
17 years later, the most underrated Star Wars game deserves a sequel
It’s all in the squad.
Three reasons why the Square Enix deal is actually a good thing
Every cloud has a silver lining.
Japanese game studios are paying their employees more for a surprising reason
Shifting in the right direction.
Balan Wonderworld director reveals the wild story behind 2021's biggest flop
A project that just went wrong.