It does seem to be an issue mainly with the US press. As the article notes, the Guardian still has robust games coverage, including a podcast, although maybe not as good as in its heyday. And at the other end of the quality spectrum the Express, of all papers, seems to be trying to be the new GameFAQs with comprehensive release info, presumably largely automated.
Don’t Read That If You’re Planning To Play The Goose Game!
(Seriously, it spoils one of the best gags in the game, which is much improved if you don’t know about it.)
I found it more sensationalist than edifying, but it was their story to tell…
It looks like some shit’s going to go down at Kotaku:
For some context:
Plus G/O Media is cleaning house at Deadspin. They fired the Deputy Editor, and told the rest of the staff to “stick to sports” and stop writing other content.
Esports or outdoor sports?
Another recap:
The Kotaku crew’s latest tweets suggest things aren’t going to work out:
Writing was on the wall. End of an era. RIP.
Meanwhile, Kotaku seems back to normal today, at least prior to the resignations. It’s probably living on borrowed time, though. It was never as political as Deadspin, despite what its detractors might think, so it makes sense it could skirt by for a bit longer. Morale has to be nearly bottomed-out there, which I suspect is the new owners’ goal in all this: Force out the established, salaried writers and bring in new ones to do content-farm stuff at a fraction of the cost. Kotaku filled the niche formerly occupied by RPS of hipping me to weird indie games I’d otherwise never notice, so I’ll be sad to see it go.
Almost certainly.
Capitalism, everybody!
Drew Magary’s Williams Sonoma Christmas catalog reviews and his Adequate Man column are highlights there for someone like me who doesn’t follow sports. He’s probably still there because of the healthcare he needs after his medical scare last year.
#spinDead
At least there’s still Meatspin.
Some background, from August:
How long before Vox Media and Conde Nast (Ars Technica) run out of money?
Conde Nast I think have a good shot at surviving. During my interactions with them over the years they have always understood one thing, their business is driven from the creatives up. Not the top down.
IE: The exec team know they are not the value of the company.
I know that “well duh, in a creative field like entertainment then obviously creativity is the value generator” may seem self evident to most people, but its surprisingly rare in my dealings with media.
Shrug.