TheGamer

TheGamer is a digital video game publication launched in 2017 by Canadian media company Valnet. Its editorial output includes gaming news, reviews, guides, opinion pieces, features, entertainment coverage, and commentary on issues affecting players and the games industry. The site operates as part of Valnet’s portfolio of online publishing brands and is aimed at an international gaming audience rather than a narrowly regional readership. The publication was established as a gaming news website and expanded its coverage across major console, PC, and broader entertainment topics. Its work has included reporting on game releases and industry developments, reviews of new and established titles, explanatory and list-based features, and articles examining representation and social issues in gaming. TheGamer has publicly associated itself with diversity-focused editorial coverage, including discussion of intersectionality, racism, and transphobia. This positioning has sometimes placed the outlet’s editorial policies in tension with commercially prominent games or major industry companies. In 2020, Valnet appointed former VG247 editor Kirk McKeand as TheGamer’s editor-in-chief. During McKeand’s tenure, the publication said that its audience had grown substantially, while Valnet claimed that the site attracted approximately seven million visitors per month. In July 2021, McKeand announced that TheGamer would not cover games made by Activision Blizzard as a protest against allegations concerning the company’s workplace environment. The decision represented a clear editorial stance and distinguished the publication from outlets that continued routine coverage of the publisher’s releases. Stacey Henley later became editor-in-chief. In February 2023, Henley announced that TheGamer would not review or report on Hogwarts Legacy, citing author J. K. Rowling’s public views concerning transgender people. The decision extended the site’s practice of treating editorial coverage as a means of expressing institutional values, although it also meant declining coverage of a major commercial game. In April 2023, TheGamer was among the publications nominated for the MCV/Develop Awards’ Media Brand of the Year category. The publication subsequently faced significant internal disruption. In October 2025, several editors were reportedly dismissed during mass layoffs. Affected and continuing staff described the editorial operation as having been severely reduced and attributed the directive to Valnet. In May 2026, Valnet announced a payment arrangement called “Pay Per Session” for some TheGamer editors. Under the described system, compensation depended on an article reaching one thousand visits and ranged from three to eight US dollars according to the editor’s role. Interviews with affected staff characterized the arrangement as a substantial reduction in earnings and, in one account, as a form of soft layoff. Former editor Lex Luddy later told Kotaku that about half of TheGamer’s editors were in open revolt over the system and its relationship to senior management. TheGamer therefore combines the reach-oriented operating model of a large digital publishing network with an editorial identity that has periodically emphasized inclusion, workplace accountability, and opposition to figures or companies whose conduct or public positions it regards as unacceptable. Its history also reflects broader pressures in online media: dependence on traffic, corporate consolidation, restructuring, and compensation systems tied to audience performance.

TheGamer was launched in 2017 by Valnet as an online publication dedicated to video game news and related editorial coverage. From its beginning, the site operated within Valnet’s broader network of digital media properties, using a high-volume publishing model that combined timely news with reviews, guides, features, and opinion. The publication’s subject matter spans video games and the surrounding culture, including industry practices, representation, and controversies involving developers, publishers, and public figures. The site developed an identity that was not limited to release reporting. TheGamer has said that it supports diversity and has published material concerning intersectionality, racism, and transphobia in gaming. This editorial emphasis became especially visible when the publication adopted explicit positions regarding coverage of controversial companies and products. In 2020, former VG247 editor Kirk McKeand became editor-in-chief. Valnet subsequently said that TheGamer’s popularity had increased since launch and claimed that the site received approximately seven million monthly visitors. In July 2021, McKeand announced that TheGamer would no longer cover games made by Activision Blizzard. The decision was presented as a protest against allegations of a bad workplace environment at the company. Rather than treating the publisher’s releases solely as editorial subjects, TheGamer made coverage conditional on a broader judgment about corporate conduct. The move demonstrated the publication’s willingness to sacrifice access or traffic associated with major releases in order to maintain a stated editorial position. Stacey Henley later served as editor-in-chief. In February 2023, she announced that TheGamer would not review or report on Hogwarts Legacy. The stated reason was opposition to J. K. Rowling’s views concerning transgender people. Since Hogwarts Legacy was a prominent release, the decision was commercially and editorially consequential, but it was consistent with the outlet’s earlier willingness to use coverage decisions to signal institutional values. In April of the same year, TheGamer was nominated for Media Brand of the Year at the 2023 MCV/Develop Awards. The publication later encountered organizational instability. In October 2025, several editors were reportedly dismissed as part of mass layoffs. Interviews and social-media posts from affected and remaining staff described the editorial team as having been substantially reduced, with employees attributing the action to Valnet. The episode placed attention on the relationship between TheGamer’s editorial staff and its parent company, as well as on the vulnerability of large online publishing operations to centralized restructuring. In May 2026, Valnet announced a new compensation arrangement for some TheGamer editors called “Pay Per Session.” Under the reported structure, an editor’s payment depended on an article generating one thousand visits, with the amount varying from three to eight dollars according to the editor’s contribution. Editors interviewed about the change said that earnings had been drastically reduced; one described the arrangement as a form of soft layoff. Former editor Lex Luddy, later editor-in-chief of Startmenu, told Kotaku that approximately half of TheGamer’s editors were in open revolt against senior management over the system. TheGamer’s history illustrates two parallel developments. Editorially, it grew from a general gaming news site into a publication that also made visible commitments around inclusion and accountability. Organizationally, it remained subject to the economics of traffic-driven digital media, including corporate ownership, layoffs, and performance-linked compensation. Its continuing brand identity rests on a combination of broad gaming coverage, search- and audience-oriented publishing, and occasional high-profile editorial refusals.

• 2026

  Pay Per Session system announced

  [1]TheGameren.wikipedia.org

  Valnet introduces a traffic-linked payment arrangement for some TheGamer editors.

• 2025

  Editorial layoffs reported

  [1]TheGameren.wikipedia.org

  Several editors are reportedly dismissed during mass layoffs affecting the publication.

• 2023

  Hogwarts Legacy coverage rejected

  [1]TheGameren.wikipedia.org

  TheGamer announces that it will not review or report on Hogwarts Legacy because of J. K. Rowling’s views concerning transgender people.

• 2023

  MCV/Develop Awards nomination

  [1]TheGameren.wikipedia.org

  TheGamer is nominated for Media Brand of the Year at the 2023 MCV/Develop Awards.

• 2021

  Activision Blizzard coverage boycott announced

  [1]TheGameren.wikipedia.org

  The publication announces that it will not cover Activision Blizzard games in protest against allegations concerning the company’s workplace.

• 2020

  Kirk McKeand becomes editor-in-chief

  [1]TheGameren.wikipedia.org

  Former VG247 editor Kirk McKeand takes editorial leadership of TheGamer.

• 2017

  TheGamer launches

  [1]TheGameren.wikipedia.org

  Valnet launches TheGamer as a digital publication covering video game news and related editorial subjects.

An international-facing digital gaming publication combining news, reviews, guides, features, and commentary with a stated interest in diversity and social issues in games culture.

• Digital publication · 2017

  TheGamer website

  The core TheGamer website is a digital gaming publication operated by Valnet. It publishes a broad mix of reporting and editorial material, including breaking news, reviews, guides, features, opinion, and coverage of gaming culture. Its subject range includes games across platforms as well as industry developments and social questions affecting players and creators.

• Editorial content · 2017

  Video game news coverage

  TheGamer’s news output covers game announcements, updates, releases, companies, developers, publishers, and wider developments in the games business. The news operation is part of the publication’s audience-facing daily coverage and is complemented by analysis and commentary.

• Editorial content · 2017

  Reviews and guides

  Reviews, guides, and walkthrough-style material form another major part of TheGamer’s offering. These articles help readers assess games, understand mechanics, and navigate specific challenges, while also giving the publication a continuing presence around new releases and established titles.

• 2026

  Editor backlash over Pay Per Session compensation

  Editors criticized Valnet’s reported traffic-based payment system, saying that compensation had been drastically reduced. Former editor Lex Luddy characterized the internal response as an open revolt among a substantial portion of the editorial staff.

  Source

• 2025

  Mass layoffs affect TheGamer editorial team

  Multiple editors were reportedly dismissed during mass layoffs. Staff described the editorial operation as having been decimated and attributed the directive to Valnet.

  Source

Read more

• 2023Hogwarts Legacy coverage refusal

  TheGamer declined to review or report on Hogwarts Legacy in opposition to J. K. Rowling’s public views concerning transgender people.

  Outcome. The publication maintained a values-based editorial position and declined coverage of a major game release.

  Source
• 2021Activision Blizzard coverage boycott

  TheGamer announced that it would stop covering games created by Activision Blizzard as a protest against allegations regarding the company’s work environment.

  Outcome. The publication publicly adopted a coverage boycott, although the available reference does not document when or whether it ended.

  Source

• 2026

  Introduce Pay Per Session compensationStrategy

  Background

  Valnet introduced a new payment model for some editors amid reported staffing reductions and criticism of the publication’s employment structure.

  Action taken

  Editors were reportedly paid between three and eight dollars when an article reached one thousand visits, depending on their role in producing it.

  Aftermath

  Editors said the system sharply reduced earnings, and former editor Lex Luddy described widespread internal opposition.

  Per-article payment at 1,000 visits. US$3–US$8 depending on editorial role (2026)

  Source

• 2023

  Decline Hogwarts Legacy coverageStrategy

  Background

  The publication cited J. K. Rowling’s public views concerning transgender people.

  Action taken

  TheGamer chose not to review or report on Hogwarts Legacy.

  Aftermath

  The decision reinforced TheGamer’s practice of using coverage choices to express editorial values.

  Source

• 2021

  Suspend coverage of Activision Blizzard gamesStrategy

  Background

  The decision followed allegations concerning Activision Blizzard’s workplace environment.

  Action taken

  TheGamer announced that it would not cover games created by Activision Blizzard.

  Aftermath

  The decision positioned the publication as an editorial critic of the company, though the available material does not establish the boycott’s duration.

  Source

• 2025

  TheGamer editorial staff affected by mass layoffs[1]TheGameren.wikipedia.org

  Leadership change · Other

  Multiple editors were reportedly dismissed during mass layoffs. Affected and remaining staff said the publication’s editorial team had been severely reduced and linked the directive to parent company Valnet.

• 2023

  TheGamer declines coverage of Hogwarts Legacy[1]TheGameren.wikipedia.org

  Product launch · Campaign

  Editor-in-chief Stacey Henley announced that TheGamer would not review or report on Hogwarts Legacy because of J. K. Rowling’s public views concerning transgender people.

• 2023

  TheGamer nominated for Media Brand of the Year[1]TheGameren.wikipedia.org

  Other

  TheGamer was nominated alongside other publications in the Media Brand of the Year category at the MCV/Develop Awards.

• 2020

  TheGamer appoints Kirk McKeand as editor-in-chief[1]TheGameren.wikipedia.org

  Leadership change

  Valnet appointed former VG247 editor Kirk McKeand to lead TheGamer’s editorial operation.

1. 1TheGameren.wikipedia.org
2. 2TheGamer official websitethegamer.com