GameStop has laid off the entire Staff of Game Informer following a meeting early Friday morning with its VP of HR. GameStop began the dismantling of Game Informer five years ago when it laid off roughly half of its staff and is now delivering the killing blow to the publication by letting go of the rest. Oddly enough a formal farewell announcement was reportedly made on Game Informer’s social media page not by its staff but by GameStop.
It’s been said that most staff were not even aware that the layoffs were forthcoming. Game Informer video lead Alex Van Aken was one of the first to post about the lack of communication regarding the decision but then content director Kyle Hilliard also posted his surprise and shared the next issue was mostly done.
There are still people on staff who don't know what's happening yet there's a tweet that someone higher up posted spilling the news. I'll have some stuff to say later today, but yes, everyone at Game Informer was laid off about an hour ago.
— Alex Van Aken (@itsVanAken) August 2, 2024
I will forever be proud of my decade of work there and grateful that I got to be part of its legacy. In the short term, I am sure you will catch me more over at @MinnMaxShow, and for the long term… I am looking for work!
— Kyle Hilliard (@KyleMHilliard) August 2, 2024
A swift ending
Kotaku reported on the abruptness of the meeting and the swift actions taken by GameStop as it immediately shut down the longest-running gaming magazine in the U.S.
- “Staff at the magazine, which also publishes a website, weekly podcast, and online video documentaries about game studios and developers, were all called into a meeting on Friday with parent company GameStop’s VP of HR.”
- “. . they were told the publication was closing immediately, they were all laid off, and would begin receiving severance terms. At least one staffer was in the middle of a work trip when the team was told.”
- “The entire website has been taken offline as well.”
- Regarding the farewell announcement on Game Informer’s social media page, “sources tell Kotaku it was not written by anyone on the team, which was still in the process of making sure everyone on staff was informed about the news.“
GameStop has essentially been crumbling for the better part of a decade and while it has made attempts to revive itself this quickly executed, and calculated move shows that the company is still not able to make ends meet. There may be more bad news for GameStop employees unless a positive growth change can take place.