Kotaku EIC Resigns Over New Editorial Edict

[Gamernyc78]

Kotaku EIC Resigns Over New Editorial Edict - Aftermath

Kotaku EIC Jen Glennon resigned Thursday, citing a deprioritzation of news in favor of guides content at the G/O Media-owned gaming site.

aftermath.site

Jen Glennon, who took over as editor in chief of Kotaku in October, resigned Thursday. In a resignation letter seen by Aftermath, Glennon says that she made this choice due to the management team’s recent decision to deprioritize news in favor of guides.

Glennon is the second editor in chief of Kotaku since Stephen Totilo’s departure in 2021, following Patricia Hernandez, who was fired in August 2023.

“After careful consideration, I have concluded that the current management structure and decision-making processes at G/O Media are not aligned with my values and goals for Kotaku,” Glennon wrote in her letter of resignation, which was addressed to G/O Media executives Jim Spanfeller and Lea Goldman.

“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,” Glennon wrote. “[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.”

Glennon also announced her resignation on Twitter, writing, “I've resigned from Kotaku and Jim Spanfeller is an herb.”

According to a source close to the situation, Kotaku's staff will be expected to create 50 guides a week at the site. Currently, Kotaku’s homepage features a prominent “game tips and guides” module at the top of the page, in a space that was previously reserved for major stories and breaking news. Staff members have criticized the homepage redesign on social media, noting that Kotaku’s major source of traffic is not guides.

Aftermath reached out to G/O Media for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

 

[Evilnemesis8]

Haven't been reading at Kotaku besides for years beside the random fiery article here and there but the EIC leaving with these new directives doesn't surprise me.

This part here:

According to a source close to the situation, Kotaku's staff will be expected to create 50 guides a week at the site. Currently, Kotaku’s homepage features a prominent “game tips and guides” module at the top of the page, in a space that was previously reserved for major stories and breaking news. Staff members have criticized the homepage redesign on social media, noting that Kotaku’s major source of traffic is not guides.

Aftermath reached out to G/O Media for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Kotaku really doesn't have the infrastructure and general support to churn out these supposed guides at the rate that is expected, so yeah. All in all G/O Media running of Kotaku and the sister sites has been pretty brutal, but this is expected when the people controlling acquiring the whole thing are a private equity firm.

 

[Zzero]

Haven't read it for decades but I don't blame them for leaving. "Journalism" and guides are totally different things. Don't hire a baker to be a butcher.

 

[Jim Ryan]

 

[xollowsob]

Kuntako don't report news that's worth reading anyway, it's always shit. Moving to guides is a good idea. 50 a week? That's pants on head stupid.

One a week, per gamer, sure. But 50? The guides will be crap.