Video Game Journalism Faces an Uncertain Future

The video game business is booming with revenue increasing as each year passes. It is estimated that revenue within that industry is scheduled to surpass half a trillion dollars by 2030. The industry has been expanding into other mediums too. Recently, the shows Fallout and The Last of Us were adapted from video games into highly profitable projects. Unfortunately, that doesn’t translate to a thriving workforce within the whole industry. 

Video game journalism has been facing the same problems as any other area of journalism. Significant layoffs have hit video game developers, games media, and publishers. As with other publishers, such as Vice and The Washington Post, video game journalism is still feeling the impact of the sector’s post-pandemic rebound. Headcounts and budgets have been dramatically reduced across the board, putting video game journalists under more pressure than ever before.

Publisher Shutdowns

Print media has faced challenges in the digital age, and these difficulties have also impacted video game websites connected to traditional publications.

GameInformer is the most recent video game journalism publisher that closed its doors. In August their website was unceremoniously shut down, without any warning, suddenly putting dozens of writers out of a job. The publication had switched to a fully digital format for a few years before revamping their print version and sending it out again for a full year prior to the closure. Their audience was thrilled to see the magazines back in circulation, demonstrating that there is still a demand for print media in video game journalism. The reasons behind GameInformer shutting down remain unclear, though it likely stems from revenue falling short of expectations despite strong interest. However, the exact cause is still speculative.

What is even more upsetting to the loyal readers of GameInformer is the deletion of its extensive archive of articles spanning its decades of publishing. Once the website was shut down, the hard work of journalists all those years became no longer accessible to anyone. It was difficult enough for readers to say goodbye to a publication that many have enjoyed since childhood, but now they cannot even look back at their favorite pieces. It sounded alarm bells for some people, now realizing that so much video game journalism history can be deleted at a moment’s notice. Thankfully, fans who have archived the work are coming together to preserve its legacy.

The Future of Video Game Journalism

Video game journalism as we know it likely won’t exist in just several years' time. Layoffs are not slowing down and fewer journalists will be covering the big stories that get gamers excited about industry developments. Video game companies and publishers have become increasingly money hungry and operating purely from bringing in the most revenue possible, even if that means cutting countless hours and the journalists themselves. 

This has all added up to a bleak landscape in the video game world. The biggest video game conventions of the year, such as E3, have slowly shut down too. Conventions like E3 provided the best opportunities for countless journalists to experience the latest and greatest that the video game industry had on the horizon. Journalists used to break major stories that readers eagerly anticipated, and their passion for the work was contagious. Unfortunately, without these opportunities, enthusiasm has diminished, further dampened by the sudden, ruthless layoffs that have become all too common.

Journalists have been carelessly thrown back into the job market without any time to smoothly transition to another job. As the video game industry grows, the role of journalists seems to be diminishing, unfortunately leaving the future of this niche in doubt.