As the winter season blankets the landscape in snow and festive lights brighten the short days, Rock Paper Shotgun (RPS), a familiar and beloved gaming news outlet, has announced that their team is taking a well-deserved break for the holidays. The staff have cordially requested their readers to refrain from sending emails until they return in the new year, ensuring everyone knows that the treehouse office is closed until it's time to ring in 2024.
That being said, the RPS team is not leaving their audience in the cold. Faithful readers are to be treated with a bevy of content scheduled for release during the holiday season. This gesture continues the RPS tradition of maintaining a steady flow of engaging articles and features even when the staff is recharging their creative batteries.
The anticipation has been rising among the RPS community as the final door on their Advent Calendar is set to open. This event reveals their Game of the Year for 2023, a choice that seems to be the worst-kept secret in their Discord chats. Regardless, the charm of tradition beckons, and readers are invited back to experience the 'reveal' at 1 pm GMT with a sense of ceremony that the festive season demands.
For those who felt the Advent Calendar this year lacked certain titles, RPS has also prepared their ‘Selection Boxes’ – personal picks from the RPS staff that encompass games deserving of recognition that might have missed the spotlight. These alternative recommendations offer readers a wider array of gaming experiences to consider and will be available daily from December 26th.
Amid reflections and nostalgia, RPS plans to provide several 'Year In Review' roundups to help readers navigate the bustling gaming landscape of the past year. From highlighting the 'Bestest Best' reviews to a curated list of compelling features and a guide-focused look at 2023's trends, these roundups aim to encapsulate a year's worth of gaming evolution and milestones, offering a concise and insightful retrospect.
In a generous holiday spirit, RPS will also unlock a selection of previously Supporter-funded posts for all their readers, available directly through the Latest feed or the 'From The Archive' tag. This gesture not only spreads cheer among the readership but also showcases the value RPS places on its community-oriented Supporter model.
Continuing a lighter tradition, the RPS staff have prepared their annual 'Christmas Crackers’ – a series of jokes that, according to their own admission, reach new heights (or perhaps depths) of festive pun-fulness. Available daily throughout the break, these snippets of humor are designed to keep spirits high and perhaps offer a unique, if quirky, perspective on the holiday season.
The announcement comes wrapped in warmth and gratitude, reflecting the camaraderie that RPS has fostered within its community. Even as the staff looks forward to a break filled with chocolate indulgence and contemplative planning for the coming year, they invite readers to share their own gaming-related resolutions in the comments section.
One such resolution from the RPS team is a pledge to 'play more weird stuff,' echoing a sentiment likely shared by many in their audience yearning to explore the vast and often uncharted territory of gaming's more unconventional offerings. As the RPS team signs off for the year, they leave their readers with hearty thanks and a jovial nudge to return after the holidays when emails and gaming discussions will resume. Until then, readers can enjoy the scheduled content and look forward to reuniting with the RPS team come January 2nd, hopefully not too encumbered by the remnants of festive celebrations.
