Is This The End Of Kotaku

Kotaku Editor-In-Chief Departs With Company

Is this the end of Kotaku? That is the question that everyone is asking after news broke that the editor-in-chief resigned. This week, news broke that Kotaku’s parent company is trying to distance itself from activism gaming journalism. Instead of Kotaku telling you during their PlayStation review why you should not vote for Donald Trump instead, they will now be forced to play actual games. The Parent company behind Kotaku wants the publisher to produce 50 game guides a week.

When this decision became final, the editor-in-chief stated, “I firmly believe that the decision to ‘invert’ Kotaku’s editorial strategy to deprioritize news in favor of guides is fundamentally misguided given the current infrastructure of the site… This decision is directly contradicted by months of traffic data, and shows an astonishing disregard for the livelihoods of the remaining writers and editors who work here.”

Now I am not entirely sure what data she is referring to here. Kotaku has been declining for years now. Thus, they rely on extremely inflammatory hit pieces that have little to do with gaming. I will state that going 50 game guides a week does seem excessive. This pivot might not be the smartest move. I would have thought more gaming news similar to what IGN does might have been the way to go. The game guide decision does make me believe that the parent company might be trying to get the writers to resign.

Should You Feel Bad For Kotaku

Usually, when news breaks that people will lose their jobs, it is nothing to celebrate. Even in this case, I still hold that belief. However, I can also understand why some do not feel the same way. Kotaku has been doing to hit pieces on people for years now. They claim to be a gaming news site. Yet, they mostly do political activism. As we speak, they are busy putting out a hit piece for Melony Mac. Just last week, they tried to get a sponsor to drop Twitch streamer and YouTuber Asmondgold for speaking out against Sweet Baby Inc.

Things like this make it difficult for people to feel bad for them. Reverse the roles, and they are actively celebrating you losing your livelihood for disagreeing with them. It was only a few weeks ago when a Kotako writer was in the Sweet Baby Inc. Detected subreddit trying to get people’s names. I can only speculate what the motive behind this was. It is hard to feel bad for people who will, in a heartbeat, do even worse to you. However, I will still say this. I believe in Kotaku’s right to exist. In addition, I believe in their right to do all the political grandstanding that they want.

Unfortunately for them, while they have the right to exist, you cannot expect people to care. Kotaku has traded long-term growth for shorter sensationalized rage bait. This is always a bad strategy. Sadly, even with this pivot, I fear that their reputation is too far gone. Then again, I said the same thing about IGN. While I still disagree with much of their writing, their online reputation is improving.

Conclusion: End Of Kotaku

Currently, it is believed that there are only seven writers left for Kotaku. They previously had to shut down offices in other regions and this latest move can be devastating. The writing is not on the wall yet, but it is in sight. The parent company behind Kotaku can still save the ship if they are prepared to make a long-term play. First, will change the site name. Perge all activists from your site and only keep the gamers. You can cover game news, and game trailers and turn yourself into a blend between IGN and Game Rant.

Additionally, they can keep their current talent and completely pivot to politics. That is where their heart lies anyway.