Entire Sections Wiped Out as TheGamer Hit by Massive Editorial Layoffs

TheGamer just gutted its editorial team, with entire sections axed and huge questions over what comes next. On Wednesday, ex-staffers broke the news on social media: they’re out. Multiple people who spoke anonymously say whole teams have been “decimated.”

If you think this is just a round of cuts, think again. According to staff still hanging on, TheGamer will keep going, but nobody really knows in what shape. Workers admit they expected layoffs, but not at this scale. The shock runs deep. Word is out to Valnet (the site’s owner) for an official statement, but so far, silence.

Layoffs Cut Deep, With Key Voices Losing Jobs

TheGamer isn’t some ancient relic. The site started in 2017 and quickly carved out a voice in covering video games. But it’s owned by Valnet, the same company behind OpenCritic, Game Rant, and, since this May, Polygon.

This week’s layoffs hit hard. Features lead Jade King took to X, posting that the entire features team was let go, along with several others. “Many incredibly talented and hard-working writers I’ve had the pleasure of working with over the past several years,” King wrote, making the scale clear: it’s not just a shuffle, it’s a wipeout.

Valnet unfortunately let go of the entire TheGamer features team today alongside several other staff members.

Many incredibly talented and hard working writers I've had the pleasure of working with over the past several years.

— Jade King (@KonaYMA6) October 22, 2025

Sticking around, news editor Rhiannon Bevan posted to Bluesky, pouring out frustration and grief. “TheGamer is losing so much talent today, it breaks my heart. On a personal and professional level, I cannot put the loss into words.” She called the departing staff “incredible” and urged other outlets: “Hire them!” For those let go, the reality is grim. Teams have been upended. Uncertainty rules the few staff left. No real plan for how the site will move forward has been shared, at least not yet.

Games Media’s Brutal Year: Not Just TheGamer

This isn’t isolated. Games media’s been in crisis mode for months. Back in May, Polygon was sold to Valnet, triggering layoffs that included editor-in-chief Chris Plante and many others. Same month, cult favourite site Giant Bomb lost staff in a dispute with then-owner Fandom. The team there eventually bought back its own brand, shifting to a fan-supported model just to survive.

And it’s not just the smaller names. Big guns like IGN and Gamer Network, parent to Eurogamer, GamesIndustry.biz, and VG247, have also seen jobs cut in the past year.

The data is devastating: more than 1,200 games journalists have left the industry in the last two years. Layoffs are routine now, making it harder and harder for talent, especially those who aren’t the loudest on social media, to find their next step.

For readers, the impact isn’t just fewer articles. It’s the loss of unique voices, the steady bleeding away of experience, and the shrinking diversity of perspectives covering games. When entire teams disappear overnight, so does the depth and nuance they brought to coverage. As of now, TheGamer still exists, though far leaner and facing uncertainty. The question is how it, and the rest of the games media, can recover when even established teams can vanish in a matter of hours.