IGN hit by layoffs as parent company Ziff Davis cuts costs

IGN hit by layoffs as parent company Ziff Davis cuts costs | The Verge

The cuts follow last week’s layoffs at Ziff Davis-owned CNET.

theverge.com

IGN, the Ziff Davis–owned gaming giant, just laid off eight members of its Creators Guild—about 12% of the bargaining unit—including senior editor Matt Kim and video editor Chelsea Miller. The cuts were spread across multiple departments, catching many off guard since IGN has been posting strong year-over-year revenue.

This shake-up is part of a bigger gaming-media shakeout (Polygon’s sale, Giant Bomb’s independence, CNET cuts, etc.). The IGN Creators Guild calls the “perplexing” layoffs a direct result of a top-down cost-cutting mandate, even as the site celebrates a “tremendously successful year,” and now wonders if future acquisition plans (like last year’s Gamer Network deal) are next on the chopping block.