Don't let the door hit you on the way out!
In a move that won’t surprise many folks, Kotaku Australia (alongside its sister sites Vice, Gizmodo, Refinery29, and Lifehacker), has ceased operations in Australia.
This development was announced via Twitter/X and is part of a broader strategy by the Australia-based Pedestrian Group to restructure and cut costs.
Dozens of jobs are being slashed in the process, marking a significant shift in the landscape of Australian digital media.
Restructuring and Cost-Cutting Measures
Matt Rowley, CEO of Pedestrian Group, broke the news on Monday morning in Australia.
He stated:
“We’ve made the tough decision to focus on our wholly-owned Pedestrian brands where we control the strategy, the content, the product, the sales and the outcome – the entire business. This will have an impact on roles within the group and I appreciate the uncertainty this change creates, so we will be in contact immediately with those people.”
Impact on Kotaku Australia
Among those affected is David Smith, the Managing Editor of Kotaku Australia, who is known by his handle @RhunWords on Twitter/X.
Smith is listed on Kotaku Detected for previously calling for gamers to be hardware banned for abusive or harassing comments in voice chat…
A Step in a New Direction for Games Journalism
While the closure of these sites undoubtedly affects many “journalists” that are now seeking new employment, I’d view this as a positive shift for games journalism in general.
G/O Media-owned Kotaku has often been at odds with gamers for over a decade now. Beginning back with the original Gamergate saga, and more recently their involvement with defending Sweet Baby Inc throughout controversy. This ongoing tension has placed the site in a contentious position within the gaming community, where many like myself have felt a strong need for accountability for professionalism that has been sincerely lacking (to put it nicely). Kotaku has, to put it bluntly, been a cancer to the entire gaming community.
While I genuinely find no pleasure in hearing about individuals losing their jobs, my consistent message has aimed to highlight the concerning paths some in the industry have taken.
My hope is that those affected can now search for greater fulfillment and opportunities in new careers that better align with their skills and values. But I gotta be real, for the health and future of the gaming community, it's in everyone's best interest if those who have SPECIFICALLY contributed to negative practices could kindly GTFO of the video game industry and never look back.
Wider Implications for the Gaming Media Landscape
The closure of Kotaku Australia puts additional pressures on other gaming media conglomerates, many of which have faced similar layoffs and cutbacks. This struggle is partly due to the often hostile relationships between some “journalists” (ok activists in hiding...) and their gaming audience. For example, Alyssa Mercante, Senior Editor at Kotaku US, has been known for her critical and often aggressive stance towards myself and the gaming community at large.
Searching out my wife's information and contacting her via a Facebook DM because she couldn't handle professional criticism was just the tip of the iceberg with this one... or how she cheered on getting SmashJT.com getting taken down by Nick Calandra of Second Wind. A few screws loose on the hinges with these creatures.
The Search for Leadership Continues
Kotaku US is supposedly still searching for a new Editor-in-Chief, a role crucial for steering the site through these turbulent times. The long-term effects of these Australian closures on Kotaku and its parent company, G/O Media, remain to be seen... The future looks uncertain for many involved in the current iteration of games journalism. If I worked at Kotaku US, I'd be actively applying elsewhere at this moment... But maybe, that's just me.
As the gaming media industry continues to evolve, only time will reveal the lasting impact of these closures. Unfortunately for the so-called "games journalists," time is not on their side.
~Smash
Source/Thanks/Credit: Minimal Effort Gaming
I think all of us out there should be celebrating the Death of Kotaku-Australia because it was a Useless company filled with activist Snowflakes that deserved to loose their jobs because they probably didn't do their jobs at all apart from writing crappy hit pieces that NO ONE read at all 😈
“Isn't it so strange and awful that a big part of your life can just be upended because of a dollar figure?”
How is this strange? This is literally how jobs work! You need to bring value to the company. It’s not a charity, you have to justify your salary.
“Woke up from bday leave to the sad news that my….”
Bday leave???? Is this a joke? I do not feel a bit sorry for these people.
Burn Kotaku Burn
It;s about time that these Consultation game companies started to fall apart & shut down for good because they had nothing but spitefull/ lying activists trying to pass themselves off as journalists, but as most called them Uranalists Cosplaying