Gaming
IGN's Biggest Coverage Day Became Launch Day for Its Departing Veterans
Monday was one of IGN's biggest coverage days of the year. The tech team published seven stories on Valve's Steam Frame launch, with senior manager Bo Moore editing every one, working late last week and logging on early Monday to keep the biggest day on track. Then Moore posted on Bluesky that he was affected by the day's layoffs. IGN cut staff across multiple departments on the same day its remaining team delivered a flawless launch blitz.
The names hit hard because the faces are familiar. Brian Altano, a host, producer and writer at IGN since 2009 and a mainstay of the PlayStation podcast Beyond, is departing, with his last day set for October 2. Seth Macy, senior commerce editor and frequent host of Nintendo Voice Chat, confirmed his departure on X. Kotaku reports the cuts may have weighed employees' remote status and willingness to relocate. The IGN Creators Guild said it was blindsided by the layoff of four union members and many more people across the organization. Owner Ziff Davis, which bought Eurogamer and Rock Paper Shotgun in 2024, has been trimming editorial teams ever since, and a smaller round followed IGN Live earlier this summer.
Here is what seventeen and a half years buys you: perspective. Altano called IGN one of the coolest jobs on earth and described his run there as several books worth of memories. His first priority, he said, is figuring out how to keep making shows for the fans who have had him in their podcast feeds for years, ideally with familiar voices alongside him. "I'm honestly more excited than scared about what that's gonna look like," he wrote. "We're gonna have fun. That's always what this was all about."
Games media has seen this exact moment before, and it keeps producing the industry's best next acts. Kinda Funny and Last Stand Media both grew from earlier IGN departures into independent outlets with loyal audiences. Every wave of cuts at a big games publication seeds a crop of independent creators who own their shows outright. The talent disperses, and it builds.
For fans of the people behind the bylines, the move is obvious. Follow Altano, Macy and Moore to whatever they build next, because the track record says the next thing will be worth watching. IGN turns 30 on September 29. Its veterans are about to find out what the next chapter looks like from the other side of the desk.
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