IGN scoops up Eurogamer, Rock Paper Shotgun, and more
Cath Virginia / The Verge
It seems no industry is safe from consolidation, and the latest target is the gaming media. IGN Entertainment has acquired the website portfolio of UK publisher Gamer Network, which operates a number of beloved games-focused publications. That list includes Gamesindustry.biz, Eurogamer, Rock Paper Shotgun, VG247, and the tabletop site Dicebreaker. The network also holds shares in sites like Nintendo Life and Digital Foundry.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. GI.biz reports that “some redundancies” have been made across the sites, though it’s not clear how many workers have been impacted. According to several posts on X, editors at both RPS and GI.biz have been laid off. IGN is owned by Ziff Davis which, in addition to IGN’s site, also operates other subsidiaries like the Humble Bundle.
The news comes as the games media, like the rest of the industry, has been thrust into a period of dramatic upheaval, brought about in part by the sudden rise of AI, changes to Google, and shifting editorial strategies. In the wake of this, several independent sites — like Aftermath, formed by former Kotaku staff — have appeared.
Cath Virginia / The Verge
It seems no industry is safe from consolidation, and the latest target is the gaming media. IGN Entertainment has acquired the website portfolio of UK publisher Gamer Network, which operates a number of beloved games-focused publications. That list includes Gamesindustry.biz, Eurogamer, Rock Paper Shotgun, VG247, and the tabletop site Dicebreaker. The network also holds shares in sites like Nintendo Life and Digital Foundry.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. GI.biz reports that “some redundancies” have been made across the sites, though it’s not clear how many workers have been impacted. According to several posts on X, editors at both RPS and GI.biz have been laid off. IGN is owned by Ziff Davis which, in addition to IGN’s site, also operates other subsidiaries like the Humble Bundle.
The news comes as the games media, like the rest of the industry, has been thrust into a period of dramatic upheaval, brought about in part by the sudden rise of AI, changes to Google, and shifting editorial strategies. In the wake of this, several independent sites — like Aftermath, formed by former Kotaku staff — have appeared.