Yesterday it was announced that a number of English-speaking gaming sites, as well as the German Eurogamer, will be taken over by IGN, which is backed by the media company Ziff Davis. Some positions were eliminated on the same evening. This is not something one likes to accept everywhere. The strategy site Rock Paper Shotgun sends a nice greeting to the new owners today, on May 22.
This was the message:
- It had been known for a while that the “Gamer Network” was for sale. The parent company ReedPop wanted to sell its gaming sites around Eurogamer.
- Last night it was reported that Ziff Davis has acquired the sites of Gamer’s Network for an “undisclosed amount”, including GamesIndustry.biz, Eurogamer and its 6 local editions, as well as Rock Paper Shotgun, VG 247, and Dicebreakers.
The site Rock Paper Shotgun specializes in PC games, especially in role-playing and strategy games like Crusader Kings 3:
News about layoffs came on the evening of the purchase
This was the not-so-good news: Relatively quickly, news emerged that long-time editors of the sites were laid off. Positions at Eurogamer and Digital Foundry were apparently safe. But it cost jobs at GamesIndustry.biz and the strategy site Rock Paper Shotgun. Employees reported: Apparently many, perhaps all employees who were not based in the UK were fired (via aftermath).
Aftermath reported critically: The acquisition had been discussed for a long time, but the news that people had to leave was new. Some employees had been explicitly assured beforehand that their positions were secure.
The last editor of a gaming magazine has to go – did not expect this
The layoff hurts particularly: Alice Bell had to go, an editor from the strategy magazine Rock Paper Shotgun.
The magazine, which specializes in PC games focusing on strategy and role-playing, was founded in 2007, but the founders gradually left the company. The last ones left in 2019. Gamer’s Network acquired the site in May 2017.
Alice Bell had been at Rock Paper Shotgun for 6 years, since June 2018, and held the position of “Deputy Editor”. She believes that her living in Ireland was her downfall. She did not expect to be laid off because she was the only editor still working at Rock Paper Shotgun. Without her, there would be no editorial leadership. Therefore, her own dismissal particularly surprised her.
She bid farewell on Twitter on the day of the acquisition, May 21, with: “Guess who has two thumbs and became redundant after my company got new owners” and sent two thumbs up.
Article published as a subversive greeting
How is the magazine reacting? Rock Paper Shotgun published an article today titled “The Best Alices in PC Games” (via rockpapershotun). The article is the standout feature article of the site.
Somewhat subversively, without mentioning the editor, it is said: At Rock Paper Shotgun, people like Alices. When one meets an Alice, one must respectfully greet her and call her “Alice”. Such an Alice should not be taken lightly and should not be left unattended. One must be wary of an Alice.
Then it lists several Alices from video games, of course “American McGee’s Alice”, plus three others, and ends with: Those are all the Alices that come to mind.
They include a poll asking if people still support Rock Paper Shotgun, with some nasty options like “I used to support it, but I can’t justify it right now” and “No, but I might, now that it’s cheaper than before.”
They also ask the readers if they know another Alice they might want to celebrate.
The comment with the most likes says: “This feels a bit redundant” – a clear reference to the dismissal of the editor.
This is how one can subtly rebel against the prevailing conditions on a website. Someone at MeinMMO once tried to start a revolt, but it was quickly and mercilessly crushed: Cortyn’s Workday – a Subjugated Demon Speaks Out
