Game Informer just lost nearly half of its editorial staff to job cuts
In another round of brutal layoffs within the industry, popular long-time video game magazine Game Informer has cut its editorial staff nearly in half as parent company GameStop continues its reorganization amid falling sales and a tanking stock.
Kotaku broke the news of the layoffs yesterday, noting the surprise nature and extent of the cuts:
The layoffs blindsided staff at Game Informer today. Seven of the popular magazine’s editors announced on Twitter this afternoon that they had been laid off, including one who said he was on vacation. (Per Game Informer’s masthead, the magazine has 19 full-time editorial staff.)
“I am trying to get things right with my people,” editor-in-chief Andy McNamara wrote on Twitter. “I love Game Informer, its people and its readers more than any corporation could, and I will address all the issues when I can, but for now I need to focus on my GI family.”
GameStop offered the following statement:
As part of the previously announced GameStop Reboot initiative to transform our business for the future and improve our financial performance, we can confirm a workforce reduction was implemented impacting more than 120 corporate staff positions, representing approximately 14% of our total associate base at our company headquarters as well as at some other offices…
While these changes are difficult, they were necessary to reduce costs and better align the organization with our efforts to optimize the business to meet our future objectives and success factors. We recognize that this is a difficult day for our company and particularly for those associates impacted. We appreciate their dedication and service to GameStop and are committed to supporting them during this time of transition.
In addition to cutting staff and closing stores, GameStop is also reportedly looking at reinventing stores with new layouts, e-sports, and retro games as consumers continue to shift toward online shopping and digital purchases.
None of this, of course, is any solace to the employees who find themselves looking for a new job. My thoughts are with those folks as they navigate a job market where employers increasingly view their employees as expendable.
