I don’t have much love for The Escapist, ever since they hired noted (alleged) stalker and selective chatlog leaker Nick Tomasheski (aka PressFartToContinue, Nick Monroe). About the only person over there I have any time for is Liz Finnegan. So when I heard they were going to be gutted earlier today, I didn’t exactly shed any tears. Still, not everyone over there is a creep, so I can understand some of you being less than thrilled with the news. On one hand, they are going to stay in business. But on the other, you have to wonder for how long.

From Forbes

 

Yet another round of layoffs has hit video game and pop culture website The Escapist today.

According to Defy Media’s Alexander Macris, the Durham, NC headquarters ofThe Escapist has been shuttered, though The Escapist itself will live on based out of its Seattle office under editor-in-chief Joshua Vanderwall…

While Defy is calling the number of employees affected “small” my own source tells me that “Every full-time staff member has been laid off there, from editors to artists to the IT team.”

What all this means for the future of The Escapist remains unclear. Hopefully all those impacted by this round of layoffs will land on their feet.

Well, at least Nick won’t likely be getting many checks out of Defy Media (parent company of The Escapist) anytime soon. Then again, he’s not a full-time staffer. Who knows if he’s ever gotten paid much in the first place. I imagine they will be relying on more free contributors and low-paid freelancers now, so perhaps his output will actually increase.

I never read the site much anyway, so I can’t tell you who all will be affected. In fact, I don’t read gaming media at all anymore, unless it’s something I have to examine in order to make fun of here on the site. I think most gamers find themselves in similar situations nowadays. I get most of my info from YouTube and the gaming companies themselves. Hell, I even rely on Twitter more than places like The Escapist. That’s not to single them out, though. I don’t read Polygon, Kotaku, or any of the rest, either.

Anyway, we’ll see what happens. Either way you slice it, this isn’t a good sign for the future of the institutionalized gaming press.