You're just in time.
A couple weeks from now, on January 26, 2026, we'll be launching the full version of our new gaming website, Mothership, which aims to analyze games specifically through the lens of gender and identity. Stepping into the shoes of another person or thing, inhabiting a body other than your own, is an inextricable part of the experience of playing a game. We here at Mothership — a queer and women-owned independent video game publication co-founded by Polygon veterans Maddy Myers and Zoë Hannah — have always understood that this is what games are about.
You’ll read writing from a diverse roster of contributors at Mothership. You’ll find reviews, criticism, and opinion stories, as well as articles about how games are made and marketed. You’ll get investigative reporting on the people who make games in an era when “DEI” is on the wane. You’ll read historical deep dives on the games and creators that paved the way, especially those that didn’t get due credit way back then.
When Mothership launches, we'll feature writing by other former Polygon writers like Nicole Carpenter, Nicole Clark, and Susana Polo, as well as writers you may know from their bylines elsewhere, like Grant Stoner and Nico Deyo. We'll be commissioning stories from any writer who hopes to cover games through our editorial lens. That's why we're asking for your help to support these writers and the future work they'll do here at Mothership.
Not ready to commit to a subscription? Drop us a tip of any amount. Every dollar helps!
We believe this type of writing is not only necessary but all too rare. We know that games journalists and critics who've covered the intersection between gaming and gender, bodies, and identity have faced serious backlash in the past, and the contributors here at Mothership have faced it ourselves, too. With your help, we'll build a sustainable business that can afford rigorous editing processes, sensitivity readers, and legal counsel when necessary for high-risk investigations of high-profile games studios and figures. That last category is the work that's priciest and yet — we think you'll agree — the most important possible work to fund in this space.
For those willing to jump on board and sign up now, we'll give you a special discount you can use forever. For everyone else, stay tuned. We think we'll win you over when you see us lift off.
Until then...!
Learn more about Mothership and the history of women in games media on the most recent episode of Post Games, linked below.
FAQs
When will the website launch?
Mothership will launch in full on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. On this date, subscribers will be able to access all the benefits included in their subscription tier including the community Discord channel and the weekly newsletter.
Why subscribe early?
Much like a preorder for a book or album, subscribing to Mothership ahead of our launch allows us to better anticipate the scope and needs of our readership, as well as our finances for our first year in business. It also allows us to focus on making the website as great as possible for our readers, including commissioning more awesome stories from freelancers you know and love.
As thanks for your vote of confidence, we're offering early subscribers 15% off all monthly and annual subscription tiers forever. We really appreciate your support and we can't wait for you to read Mothership!
How much does it cost to subscribe?
As a special pre-launch promotion, we're offering a lifetime discount of 15% off to anyone who buys a subscription before our full launch on January 26, 2026.
You can subscribe at 3 different levels, each with their own set of rewards, and if you pay annually, you’ll get an additional 17% discount:
Mother's Little Helper: $7 $5.95/month, or $70 $59.95/year
Mommie's Dearest: $12 $10.20/month, or $120 $102/year
Fairy Godmothership: $35 $29.75/month, or $350 $297.50/year
You can find more information on the subscriber rewards and sign up now here. Keep in mind that signing up at any point, including during our pre-launch promotion, will bill you right away.
Is anything free to read?
There will always be some amount of free content to read on Mothership. That said, we require your email address in order to read most of what we publish, and you’ll have to pay for a subscription if you want to have access to all of the articles on the site, or to comment on them.
Are there ads on Mothership?
If you pay for a subscription to Mothership, you will never see programmatic ads on the site. We may accept brand sponsorship for special events and theme weeks, in which case readers may see ads.
Where else can I find Mothership online?
What if I have more questions about membership?
Shoot us an email via team(at)mothership(dot)blog, or DM us on one of our social accounts (Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok). If we haven't already answered your question on the site, we'll get back to you with an answer as soon as we can.
Not ready to commit to a subscription? Drop us a tip of any amount. Every dollar helps!