Katelyn Kivel-Reporter

Staff Writer

Reporter

February, 2023
10+ years of journalism experience, ranging from science and technology to politics to gaming.
Indie Games, Final Fantasy 14, Community
  • 181
    articles
  • 1
    News
  • 266
    Features
  • 1
    Reviews

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About Katelyn Kivel

Katelyn has been a journalist for nearly 15 years, with focuses on science and technology, law, politics, and now the games industry. She's particularly proud of her work interviewing developers of indie hits just before they launch. In her career, she's interviewed game developers, researchers, business leaders, US Senators, and has broken news from game delays to election results.

Industry Focus

Katelyn focuses on interviews with developers of upcoming titles and creative forces within the gaming community. In particular, she's focused on the roleplaying communities in games like Final Fantasy XIV and Fallout 76, and the developers of upcoming cozy games, RPGs, and survival crafting titles.

Favorite Games

Katelyn is an avid player of Final Fantasy XIV with a frankly absurd number of alts. She's a devoted fan of Bethesda RPGs, GreedFall, Star Ocean, and more. Her favorite franchise, though, is the cozy JRPG crafting games in Atelier, which she runs convention panels highlighting.

Favorite Anime

Katelyn's an expert on yuri anime, presenting panels about queer women at anime conventions across the Midwest. In the genre, her top selections are YuruYuri, El Cazador de la Bruja, I'm In Love with the Villainess, and Magical Revolution. She's also a huge fan of the modern classic Frieren and the anime in Type-MOON's universe.

Latest

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Dames 4 Games Gives Gaming Industry's Unsung Heroes Their Flowers

In an interview with The Best War Games, Dames 4 Games founder Destinee Cleveland discussed the importance of highlighting gaming's unsung heroes.

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Assassin's Creed Shadows Dev on Yasuke: "He Is a Man Lost Between Two Worlds"

The Best War Games speaks with Assassin's Creed Shadows' creative director about the unique perspective offered by Yasuke as a protagonist.

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Assassin's Creed Shadows Reveals Beautiful New Concept Art [EXCLUSIVE]

The Best War Games Advance provides an exclusive look at new concept art for Assassin's Creed Shadows that helped bring its beautiful open world to life.

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Dames 4 Games Founder Talks Backlash Against Women Protagonists

Despite there being an overall trend toward better representation, Dames 4 Games hopes for a world where Black/female-led games are more normalized.

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Dames 4 Games Showcase Ushers in Women's History Month

Dames 4 Games, a showcase taking place on March 5, will feature a plethora of industry talks including one from a Naughty Dog senior character artist.

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Meet the Final Fantasy 14 Players Bringing The Great Train Robbery to Virtual Theater

The Best War Games speaks with writer-director duo of Doc Laladay and Penelope “Penny” Lane about the upcoming in-game production of The Great Train Robbery.

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Final Fantasy 14 Roleplayers Comment on Content Drought Criticisms

Doc Laladay and Penny Lane, creatives staging a play in Final Fantasy 14, discuss the wealth of casual content in the game.

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Final Fantasy 14 Community Preparing a Production of The Great Train Robbery

Final Fantasy 14 roleplayers, musicians, and more are coming together to create a virtual theater production of The Great Train Robbery.

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Avowed Dev Explains the Role of Giatta's Animancy

Giatta is Avowed's in-party animancer, but the science of souls plays a much bigger role in the Obsidian RPG than first glance may suggest.

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Avowed: Giatta's Companion Skills and Combat Role Explained

As a primary support caster, Giatta fits into any Avowed party composition easily and keeps everyone going for longer.

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Avowed Companion Overview: Giatta the Animancer

Giatta brings a scientific mind to study the Dreamscourge in Avowed, and in a The Best War Games interview, her writer explains why that's important.

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Obsidian Devs Detail Creation of Avowed's Companions

The Best War Games speaks with several Obsidian Devs about the companions who will join Avowed players: Kai, Giatta, Yatzli, and Marius.

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How Avowed's Envoy Compares to Pillars of Eternity's Watcher

Avowed's Envoy and Pillars of Eternity's Watcher share certain characteristics as Obsidian protagonists, but there is a key difference.

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Avowed Dev Details Creation of the Envoy

The Envoy is different from most Obsidian protagonists in a big way, but that also makes them more integrated into Avowed's story.

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'Everyone Always Brings Their A-Game' to Satisfactory Build Contest Pass It On, Says Organizer

The Best War Games spoke to organizers of Pass It On, a build contest that turns one Satisfactory save file into a gallery of the community's creativity.

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Community Managers Cheer the Creativity of Satisfactory Players

In a The Best War Games interview, Coffee Stain community managers discuss the creativity seen in Satisfactory's players and events, including Pass It On.

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Satisfactory Community Celebrates Eighth Pass It On Contest

Celebrating games, the eighth Pass It On competition saw what kind of works of art players could make in two hours, resulting in a walkable gallery.

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What to Expect from Civilization 7 in 2025

Coming out in early 2025, Civ 7 is a bold new direction for the franchise, and fans should expect plenty of changes.

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What to Expect from GreedFall 2 in 2025

There isn't a lot of information about where GreedFall 2: The Dying World's Early Access will go in 2025, but there are some reasonable expectations.

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Hyper Light Breaker Devs Go Behind the Scenes on Its Development

From its initial pitch to its overarching audio and sound design, Hyper Light Breaker devs discuss the game's development with The Best War Games.