Rock Paper Shotgun has unveiled its full slate of Supporter rewards for September 2026, delivering another month of exclusive content written by the site’s staff and reserved for paying members. The new offerings arrive alongside fresh reflections on the publication’s relationship with its community, following a Supporters survey that editors say will help shape how future perks are developed.
In announcing the monthly rewards, RPS thanked both regular and newer supporters for their continued backing while pointing to feedback gathered through its Supporters survey. The publication described the responses as providing “immensely helpful guidance on how to steer Supp rewards in the future,” alongside broader commentary on the site itself. “You’re all, and I don’t say this about a lot of people, da best,” the editors wrote in their roundup.
A Month of Staff Writing
The September lineup follows RPS’s established model of offering supporters a rotating collection of staff-written pieces that range from game previews to opinion essays. This month’s selections open with demo impressions of ShipShapers: Falconeer Chronicles, described as “a game about building ships and nothing else” yet nonetheless praised as “a therapeutic bit of modelmaking.”
The editorial spread also features Edwin Evans-Thirlwell turning his attention from horror cinema to the urban geography of sci-fi shooter Sprawl Zero, a departure that follows his earlier musings on cinematic deathpets. Meanwhile, Mark’s contribution traces its inspiration straight back to Automobilista 2, with the writer crediting the racing sim for days-long recitations of an unidentifiable tune.
Culture and Industry Reflections
Beyond game coverage, the rewards include a deeper look at design conventions. In one piece, Julian argues that demanding skippable cutscenes has become “yesterday’s cause,” contending instead that pausable cutscenes are closer to “a biological imperative.” The argument taps into an ongoing conversation about player agency and pacing in modern games.
The month also saw the continuation of Jeremy’s RPS writer desk tours, a recurring series offering readers a glimpse behind the scenes. This installment was billed as possibly “the sweetest one yet,” with editors noting it featured “the tidiest visible bookcase” of the series so far.
The survey has granted us some immensely helpful guidance on how to steer Supp rewards in the future, as well as some important feedback on the site more generally.
[Rock Paper Shotgun editors]
A more sober tone marked Julian’s monthly missive examining “the pernicious influence of the word ‘content’,” written in the aftermath of yet more Microsoft/Xbox layoffs. The piece situates RPS’s editorial commentary within a broader period of instability across the gaming industry, where repeated rounds of job cuts have prompted renewed scrutiny of how studios and outlets talk about their own output.
Looking Ahead
The roundup also carried a lighter, tongue-in-cheek tribute to colleague Sin, who editors said flew “a starfighter directly into about five billion missile salvos” before being announced as having “exploded.” The playful obituary reflects the publication’s long-standing tradition of self-deprecating humour even while covering serious industry developments.
RPS closed its September update by once again inviting readers to consider upgrading, noting that Premium subscribers gain access to all supporter articles alongside ad-free browsing and additional benefits. With the September rewards now live, editors turned their attention toward October, promising further content as the publication continues to refine what it offers its paying community.
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