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Nicole Carpenter

Nicole Carpenter

Senior Reporter

Nicole Carpenter is a senior reporter at Polygon, specializing in investigative, long-form features about labor issues in the games industry, as well as the business and culture of games. She also writes news, criticism, and reviews. Nicole received the New York Videogame Critics Circle’s Knickerbocker Award for Best Games Journalism in 2023, and has appeared on NPR’s All Things Considered, Marketplace, and Morning Edition to talk about her work.

Before joining Polygon in 2019, Nicole contributed to The Washington Post, The Verge, Time, IGN, Vice, and more. She lives in New England with her basset hound mix, black cat, partner, and horde of Pokémon Squishmallows.

Latest articles by Nicole Carpenter

Shiny Pokémon, ranked matches coming to Pokémon TCG Pocket next weekShiny Pokémon, ranked matches coming to Pokémon TCG Pocket next week
The best indie games of 2025 so farThe best indie games of 2025 so far
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is 5. So, uh… when’s the next?Animal Crossing: New Horizons is 5. So, uh… when’s the next?
Assassin’s Creed Shadows day-one patch seemingly addresses Japanese government concern over destructible shrinesAssassin’s Creed Shadows day-one patch seemingly addresses Japanese government concern over destructible shrines
Looking for a Sims killer? It’s not InZoi
Impressions
By Nicole Carpenter
Try birdwatching in Red Dead Redemption 2Try birdwatching in Red Dead Redemption 2
Square Enix suing to stop this ‘Front Mission-style’ mecha game from being released in the USSquare Enix suing to stop this ‘Front Mission-style’ mecha game from being released in the US
College football players will be paid more to appear in College Football 26College football players will be paid more to appear in College Football 26
Game publisher blames NetEase leaks for implosion in $900M lawsuitGame publisher blames NetEase leaks for implosion in $900M lawsuit
Zenless Zone Zero voice actors replaced as union negotiation remains ‘far apart’ on AI protectionsZenless Zone Zero voice actors replaced as union negotiation remains ‘far apart’ on AI protections

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