About Us — Iron Joystick

The Iron Joystick team reviewing games in their Sydney office

Our Story

Iron Joystick was founded in 2018 by a group of Sydney-based gamers who were frustrated with the lack of quality, locally-focused gaming coverage in Australia. We believed Australian gamers deserved reviews that considered local server performance, Australian release schedules, and the unique gaming culture of the region.

What started as a small blog has grown into one of Australia's most trusted gaming media outlets, with a team of dedicated journalists, reviewers, and esports analysts covering everything from indie gems to AAA blockbusters.

We are proudly independent — our reviews are never influenced by publishers or advertisers. Every score we give is earned through hours of genuine gameplay and critical analysis.

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Editorial Independence

We accept no payment for positive reviews. Our scores reflect our honest opinions, always.

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Australian Perspective

We test games on Australian servers, consider local pricing context, and cover the ANZ esports scene.

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Esports Expertise

Our esports team has covered over 120 tournaments, from grassroots events to international championships.

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Our Values

The principles that guide everything we do at Iron Joystick.

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Honesty First

We call games as we see them. If a highly anticipated title disappoints, we say so. Our readers trust us because we never compromise our integrity for relationships with publishers.

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Depth Over Speed

We take the time to properly experience games before reviewing them. Our minimum playtime for a review is 20 hours for shorter games and 40+ hours for open-world titles.

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Community Driven

Our readers are our community. We actively incorporate reader feedback, host community polls for Game of the Year, and feature community-written content on our platform.

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Always Improving

We continuously refine our review methodology, update older reviews when games receive significant patches, and invest in our team's expertise across all gaming genres.

Meet the Team

The passionate individuals behind Iron Joystick's coverage.

James Mitchell

Editor-in-Chief

10+ years in gaming journalism. Former Kotaku AU contributor. Specialises in RPGs and narrative-driven games.

Sarah Chen

Lead Reviewer

FPS and competitive gaming specialist. Former professional Valorant player. Covers ANZ esports tournaments.

Ryan Patel

Esports Editor

Esports analyst and tournament commentator. Has covered IEM Sydney, Melbourne Esports Open, and PAX Australia.

Emma Walsh

Strategy & Indie

Strategy game enthusiast and indie game advocate. Passionate about surfacing hidden gems in the Australian market.

Tom Nguyen

Tech & Hardware

PC hardware expert and performance analyst. Benchmarks every game on a range of hardware configurations.

Lara Brooks

Community Manager

Manages our reader community, social channels, and coordinates the annual Iron Joystick Game of the Year awards.

Our Journey

From a small Sydney blog to Australia's trusted gaming destination.

2018

Iron Joystick Founded

Launched as a small gaming blog from a Sydney apartment, publishing our first three reviews in the same week.

2019

First Tournament Coverage

Covered our first live esports event — the ESL Challenger Melbourne — and established our tournament reporting team.

2020

100th Review Published

Reached our 100th game review milestone and launched our newsletter, which quickly grew to 10,000 subscribers.

2022

IEM Sydney Media Partnership

Became an official media partner for IEM Sydney, providing live coverage and exclusive backstage access.

2024

50,000 Monthly Readers

Surpassed 50,000 monthly unique readers and expanded our team to cover more genres and platforms.

2026

85,000+ Monthly Readers

Today we serve over 85,000 monthly readers and have reviewed more than 500 games across all platforms.

About Iron Joystick