Aftermath (website)

Last updated

Aftermath
Aftermath website logo.png
Aftermath website screenshot.png
Screenshot of Aftermath on August 14, 2024
Type of site
Gaming blog
URL aftermath.site
LaunchedNovember 2023;1 year ago (2023-11)

Aftermath is an independently owned video game website and blog launched in 2023. The site was created and is owned by several former writers of other news websites. Alongside news about video games, the site also publishes content related to internet culture, and also manages a podcast. [1] [2] The site uses a subscription business model. [3]

Contents

Content

Aftermath is a video game website that primarily covers video games, the video game industry, and internet culture. The site also manages a podcast that covers additional subjects, such as 52 Pickup, which covers comic books. Alongside the sites main writers, the site also has a number of "featured contributors" and freelance writers that publish content on the site. [4] [3] While other news websites primarily host advertisements to make profits, Aftermath uses a subscription business model that is required to access the site's content. [4] [2]

History

In 2023, several divisions of news websites that covered video games were shut down, [3] with several more laying off several writers. [3] [5] These included the shutdowns of Waypoint (part of Vice Media) and Launcher (part of The Washington Post ), and layoffs of several workers for Inverse , GameSpot , Destructoid , The Escapist , and others. In November 2023, several former writers of these sites, namely Nathan Grayson, Gita Jackson, Riley MacLeod, and Luke Plunkett, created Aftermath. [3] All of the founders were former writers for Kotaku . [3] [6]

Related Research Articles

<i>Slate</i> (magazine) American online politics and culture magazine

Slate is an online magazine that covers current affairs, politics, and culture in the United States. It was created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. In 2004, it was purchased by The Washington Post Company, and since 2008 has been managed by The Slate Group, an online publishing entity created by Graham Holdings. Slate is based in New York City, with an additional office in Washington, D.C.

<i>Game Informer</i> American monthly video game magazine (1991–2024)

Game Informer was an American monthly video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and game consoles. It debuted in August 1991, when the video game retailer FuncoLand started publishing an in-house newsletter. It was acquired by the retailer GameStop, which bought FuncoLand in 2000. Due to this, a large amount of promotion was done in-store, which contributed to the success of the magazine. As of June 2017, it was the fifth-most popular magazine by copies circulated.

GameSpot is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady, and Jon Epstein. In addition to the information produced by GameSpot staff, the site also allows users to write their own reviews, blogs, and post on the site's forums. It has been owned by Fandom, Inc. since October 2022.

<i>Computer and Video Games</i> UK magazine and website

Computer and Video Games was a UK-based video game magazine, published in its original form between 1981 and 2004. Its offshoot website was launched in 1999 and closed in February 2015. CVG was the longest-running video game media brand in the world. Several CVG writers led the creation of Video Games Chronicle in 2019.

Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC was an American entertainment company headquartered in Austin, Texas. Founded in 2003 by Burnie Burns, Matt Hullum, Geoff Ramsey, Jason Saldaña, Gus Sorola, and Joel Heyman, Rooster Teeth was a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery Global Streaming & Interactive Entertainment, which is a division of Warner Bros. Discovery.

<i>1Up Network</i> American entertainment network

1Up.com was an American entertainment website that focused on video games. Launched in 2003, 1Up.com provided its own original features, news stories, game reviews, and video interviews, and also featured comprehensive PC-focused content. Like a print magazine, 1Up.com also hosted special week-long online cover stories that presented each day a new in-depth feature story, interview with the developers, game screenshot gallery, game video footage, and video of the game studio and creators. On February 21, 2013, Ziff Davis announced it would be winding down the site, along with sister sites GameSpy and UGO.com.

Kotaku is a video game website and blog that was originally launched in 2004 as part of the Gawker Media network. Notable former contributors to the site include Luke Smith, Cecilia D'Anastasio, Tim Rogers, and Jason Schreier.

IGN is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN EntertainmentInc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former editor-in-chief, Peer Schneider. The IGN website was the brainchild of media entrepreneur Chris Anderson and launched on September 29, 1996. It focuses on games, films, anime, television, comics, technology, and other media. Originally a network of desktop websites, IGN is also distributed on mobile platforms, console programs on the Xbox and PlayStation, FireTV, Roku, and via YouTube, Twitch, Hulu, and Snapchat.

<i>Giant Bomb</i> Video game website

Giant Bomb is an American video game website and wiki that includes personality-driven gaming videos, commentary, news, and reviews, created by former GameSpot editors Jeff Gerstmann and Ryan Davis. The website was voted by Time magazine as one of the Top 50 websites of 2011. Originally part of Whiskey Media, the website was acquired by CBS Interactive in March 2012 before being sold to Red Ventures in 2020, then to Fandom in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luke Smith (writer)</span> American journalist

Luke Michael Smith is an American writer. He was a staff member at the video game development company Bungie, and is a former video games journalist. Smith wrote for a college newspaper and weekly papers in Michigan before being hired as one of the first new freelance writers for Kotaku. At Kotaku, Smith developed his writing style but soon left the site for a staff position as 1Up.com's news editor. Smith made a name for himself at 1Up, particularly through an article he wrote focusing on problems with the game Halo 2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whiskey Media</span> American online media company

Whiskey Media was an American online media company founded independently by CNET co-founder Shelby Bonnie in 2008. It was the parent company of Tested, Screened, and Anime Vice, and the former parent company of Giant Bomb and Comic Vine. Whiskey Media websites were wiki community based, while maintaining an editorial staff. The company's target demographic was focused primarily on males between 10 and 30. The name "Whiskey Media" is a reference to a Kentucky distillery that was owned by the family of Shelby Bonnie before prohibition. Whiskey Media operated in San Francisco, California, after previously being located in Sausalito. On March 15, 2012, Whiskey Media was acquired by Lloyd Braun and Gail Berman's BermanBraun along with Tested, Screened, and Anime Vice while Giant Bomb and Comic Vine were bought separately by CBS Interactive.

Vox Media, Inc. is an American mass media company founded in Washington, D.C. with operational headquarters in Lower Manhattan, New York City. The company was established in November 2011 by CEO Jim Bankoff and Trei Brundrett to encompass SB Nation and The Verge. Bankoff had been the CEO for SB Nation since 2009.

<i>Polygon</i> (website) Video game website

Polygon is an American entertainment website by Vox Media covering video games, movies, television, and other popular culture. At its October 2012 launch as Vox Media's third property, Polygon sought to distinguish itself by focusing on the stories of the people behind video games and long-form magazine-style feature articles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dread Central</span> American website

Dread Central is an American website founded in 2006 that is dedicated to horror news, interviews, and reviews. It covers horror films, comics, novels, and toys. Dread Central has won the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award for Best Website four times and was selected as AMC's Site of the Week in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gamer Network</span> British digital media company

Gamer Network Limited is a British digital media company based in London. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and Nick Loman, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to video game journalism and other video game businesses. Its flagship website, Eurogamer, was launched alongside the company. It began hosting the video game trade show EGX in 2008. ReedPop acquired Gamer Network in 2018 and sold it to IGN Entertainment in 2024.

Video game journalism is a specialized branch of journalism that covers various aspects of video games, including game reviews, industry news, and player culture, typically following a core "reveal–preview–review" cycle. Originating in the 1970s with print-based magazines and trade publications, video game journalism evolved alongside the video game industry itself, shifting from niche columns in general entertainment and computing magazines to dedicated publications. Major early contributors to the field included magazines like Electronic Games and Famitsu, which set the stage for more comprehensive consumer-focused coverage. With the advent of the internet, video game journalism expanded to web-based outlets and video platforms, where independent online publications, blogs, YouTube channels, and eSports coverage gained significant influence.

<i>The Ringer</i> (website) American sports and pop culture website

The Ringer is a sports and pop culture website and podcast network, founded by sportswriter Bill Simmons in 2016 and acquired by Spotify in 2020.

Jason Schreier is an American journalist and author who primarily covers the video game industry. He worked as a news reporter for Kotaku from 2011 to 2020 and was recognized for several investigative stories, particularly on the crunch culture within the industry. In April 2020, Schreier joined the technology focus team at Bloomberg News.

Defector Media is a subscription-based sports and culture blog and media company founded in September 2020 and based in Manhattan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cecilia D'Anastasio</span> American video game journalist

Cecilia D'Anastasio is an American journalist who primarily covers the video game industry. From 2016 to 2020, D'Anastasio wrote for Kotaku, and she was recognized for a 2018 article reporting allegations of sexual harassment and gender discrimination at Riot Games. Subsequently, she wrote for Wired magazine and joined Bloomberg News in 2022 to cover the video game industry.

References

  1. Rousseau, Jeffrey (November 7, 2023). "Kotaku, Washington Post, and Vice alum form Aftermath". GamesIndustry.biz . Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  2. 1 2 Valens, Ana (December 15, 2023). "Games Journalism Is Moving Toward a New Model: Reader-Funded Journalism". The Mary Sue . Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Peters, Jay (November 7, 2023). "Former Kotaku writers are launching a new video game site — and they own it this time". The Verge . Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  4. 1 2 Kerr, Chris (November 7, 2023). "Former Kotaku staffers launch independent game and culture website Aftermath". Game Developer . Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  5. Bonthuys, Darryn (July 26, 2024). "VGC Starts Patreon To Deal With 'A Difficult Time For Journalism'". GameSpot . Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  6. Gach, Ethan (November 7, 2023). "A Terrible Year For Games Media Just Got A Little Better". Kotaku . Retrieved August 14, 2024.