Washington Post Is Closing Launcher, Its Highly Regarded Video Game Website

The Washington Post is the latest publication to be struck by layoffs in the midst of the wave of ongoing reductions in the media and elsewhere, with its video game vertical among the casualties.

As reported by the New York Times and Axios, the Washington Post is eliminating 20 newsroom positions while declining to fill 30 open positions. The layoffs include five members of Launcher, a video game-focused website that has been running since 2019.

More details on @washingtonpost layoffs, per memo from Executive Editor Sally Buzbee:

— 20 newsroom positions eliminated
— 30 open positions will not be filled
— WaPo is sunsetting Launcher, its online gaming vertical, and KidsPost, per two sources familiar

Memo below: https://t.co/YLr7WyZI8Z pic.twitter.com/vbQDdqeKZL

— Sara Fischer (@sarafischer) January 24, 2023

Writing on Twitter, editor Mike Hume described the news as “sad, upsetting, and perhaps most of all, mindboggling,” saying that Launcher has attracted “tens of millions of users, the majority first-time readers of The Post and almost all of them under the age of 40.”

“What makes this news so hard is that Launcher was doing well! In ‘22, Launcher’s traffic was up year over year, even as [reporter Gene Park] recovered from cancer. We were succeeding in our mission. I’m stunned. But mostly just sad to lose such wonderful, dedicated, caring colleagues,” Hume wrote.

In the video game world, Launcher made a name for itself as a high-quality games media site with a focus on first-rate reporting, often taking the lead on difficult stories beyond the scope of the traditional enthusiast press. It stood out as one of the few examples of serious games reporting in a legacy newspaper, often landing major interviews and exclusives as a result.

According to Hume, the site and its coverage will not disappearing immediately, but did not share additional details.

Today The Washington Post decided to lay off five members of the Launcher team and sunset the site. I’m heartbroken to lose @LeaderGrev, @JhaanElker, @pithyalyse, @Shannon_Liao and @Vahn16 to The Post’s layoffs. ?

— Mike Hume (@MikeHumePost) January 24, 2023

Launcher’s closure is part of a wave of layoffs that have also affected GameSpot, Giant Bomb, G4, Vox, and numerous other outlets. Outside the media, tech giants like Microsoft and Google are among those making large cuts ahead of an anticipated recession.

In a memo to employees obtained by Axios, executive editor Sally Buzbee said that the layoffs were due to the “economic climate” and said “evolution is necessary for us to stay competitive.”

Elsewhere, members of the games media are mourning the closure of Launcher on social media, as they have for several sites over the past year.

“If Launcher can’t make it there is simply no hope for quality gaming coverage anywhere in legacy newspaper business,” wrote Kyle Orland, a longtime editor at Ars Technica, whose tweet captured the sentiment of many in the games press. “Sympathy to all those affected.”

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.