If you enjoy independent indie game coverage, consider supporting Indie-Games.eu on Patreon. It helps keep the site independent.
On Thursday, May 1st 2025, gaming journalism took a hit when Vox Media sold Polygon to Valnet, the owner of Game Rant and TheGamer, leading to numerous layoffs. Concurrently, Fandom announced layoffs at Giant Bomb, a popular gaming portal, as part of a “strategic reset.” These changes, which affected experienced journalists like Polygon co-founder Chris Plante and writer Nicole Carpenter, have raised concerns about the state of gaming journalism and its impact on the gaming industry.
Founded in 2012, Polygon was a key player in gaming journalism initially, visited by over 6 million monthly users in the US. Valnet’s acquisition resulted in at least 25 layoffs, including well-known names like Chris Plante, Michael McWhertor, and Petrana Radulovic, although Deputy Editor Maddy Myers and Games Editor Zoë Hannah remained. Giant Bomb, beloved for its personality-driven content, also experienced layoffs, including journalist Jeff Grubb, while Fandom halted its live streaming activities.
Gaming journalism is going through difficult times, with many portals struggling to survive. The Washington Post’s Launcher and Vice’s Waypoint were shut down in 2023, while Game Informer closed in 2024 before a partial revival this year. According to The Wrap, Valnet often replaces full-time employees with freelancers and focuses on click-driven articles. With unstable advertising revenue and increasing competition from YouTubers and influencers, sustainable business models are hard to achieve.
The latest Galaxies Spring Showcase has come to a close, featuring a diverse lineup of titles ranging from survival games…
The GameSpain Spring 2026 showcase, which featured of 24 indie games, has been aired sooner today on ClemmyGames YouTube channel.
According to the developers, the delay comes down to a late-stage issue discovered during final development, one that could have…
![[OPINION] PC Gamer’s Windrose Take Is Everything Wrong With Modern Games Journalism](https://www.indie-games.eu/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Windrose-2-300x169.jpg)
The PC Gamer's article "After 4 hours of pirate survival in Windrose, I'm reinstalling Sea of Thieves" shows everything wrong…
Among the removed games are family-oriented titles based on popular films such as Chicken Little, Bolt, and G-Force.
The main campaign lasts between 50 and 70 hours, and Pocketpair has already confirmed long-term support throughout the Early Access…
Perceptum is an upcoming psychological horror title developed by the two-person team at Duck Reaction, and early impressions suggest it…
According to the development team, the delay will allow for additional refinement, including bug fixes and expanded quality assurance.
One of Bridgebourn's most striking features is its visual presentation, which uses 2D techniques such as parallax scrolling and dynamic…
Road to Vostok, often described as a single-player take on Escape from Tarkov, launched into early access recently and has…
Originally released in full in 2015, the game has long been praised for its realistic approach to orbital mechanics.
Cozy life simulation game Starsand Island was temporarily (and still is) removed from the Steam store yesterday.
It is quite unusual for an indie game like Figment to see its strongest performance on the Nintendo Switch.
Lighthearted adventure game with dating sim elements Building Relationships has now been delayed from its previously planned Q1 2026 release…
Sony reportedly plans multiple PlayStation 6 models including a budget PS6S and a dockable handheld for a late 2027 launch,…
The publishing label is built around a curated approach, prioritizing a small number of projects that align with Black Tabby’s…
At its core, Lost Railway is designed around cooperative play for up to four players, emphasizing coordination and shared decision-making.
In Prove You’re Human, you are placed in a tense scenario involving an artificial intelligence that believes itself to be…
Microsoft has announced a series of long-awaited updates to the Xbox achievement system, marking it as one of the first…
In response to the underwhelming financial performance, Nexon has reportedly moved to restructure the development team at Neople responsible for…
The latest Galaxies Spring Showcase has come to a close, featuring a diverse lineup of titles ranging from survival games…
The GameSpain Spring 2026 showcase, which featured of 24 indie games, has been aired sooner today on ClemmyGames YouTube channel.
According to the developers, the delay comes down to a late-stage issue discovered during final development, one that could have…
The PC Gamer's article "After 4 hours of pirate survival in Windrose, I'm reinstalling Sea of Thieves" shows everything wrong…
Among the removed games are family-oriented titles based on popular films such as Chicken Little, Bolt, and G-Force.
The main campaign lasts between 50 and 70 hours, and Pocketpair has already confirmed long-term support throughout the Early Access…
Perceptum is an upcoming psychological horror title developed by the two-person team at Duck Reaction, and early impressions suggest it…
According to the development team, the delay will allow for additional refinement, including bug fixes and expanded quality assurance.
One of Bridgebourn's most striking features is its visual presentation, which uses 2D techniques such as parallax scrolling and dynamic…
Road to Vostok, often described as a single-player take on Escape from Tarkov, launched into early access recently and has…
Originally released in full in 2015, the game has long been praised for its realistic approach to orbital mechanics.
Cozy life simulation game Starsand Island was temporarily (and still is) removed from the Steam store yesterday.
It is quite unusual for an indie game like Figment to see its strongest performance on the Nintendo Switch.
Lighthearted adventure game with dating sim elements Building Relationships has now been delayed from its previously planned Q1 2026 release…
Sony reportedly plans multiple PlayStation 6 models including a budget PS6S and a dockable handheld for a late 2027 launch,…
The publishing label is built around a curated approach, prioritizing a small number of projects that align with Black Tabby’s…
At its core, Lost Railway is designed around cooperative play for up to four players, emphasizing coordination and shared decision-making.
In Prove You’re Human, you are placed in a tense scenario involving an artificial intelligence that believes itself to be…
Microsoft has announced a series of long-awaited updates to the Xbox achievement system, marking it as one of the first…
In response to the underwhelming financial performance, Nexon has reportedly moved to restructure the development team at Neople responsible for…
