Zero Punctuation Ends As ‘The Escapist’ Faces Mass Resignations After EIC Firing

When individuals ask me the way to get into video games journalism nowadays, my predominant piece of recommendation is “don’t.” I’m actually not kidding, as whereas I’m privileged to be the place I’m, it’s an nearly not possible path to stroll given the state of the trade and the instability discovered inside.

Working example, a wild scene unfolded final night time as long-time gaming web site The Escapist fired a few of its staff members, together with EIC Nick Calandra, for reportedly not assembly targets set by its mother or father firm Gamurs.

After Calandra was fired, Escapist workers members, contributors and producers all took to Twitter to announce they have been additionally leaving the positioning, with lots of them indicating they’d be engaged on some new undertaking with Calandra instantly.

The departures and firings primarily cleaned out everything of The Escapist’s video division, together with most importantly in any respect, the departure of Yahtzee Croshaw, the voice of Zero Punctuation, one of many oldest and most well-known sport criticism video collection, and one I grew up watching lengthy earlier than I began doing this for a dwelling. Croshaw resigned, however he doesn’t personal the rights to Zero Punctuation itself, so no matter he does subsequent, it is going to be with out that branding. Although it’s apparent the branding can’t survive with out him, even when The Escapist retains it.

By all accounts Calandra was a terrific EIC, and clearly impressed quite a lot of loyalty in these working for him, given the occasions of final night time. Gamurs appears like yet one more firm attempting to squeeze blood from a stone with doubtless unreasonable progress targets in an trade the place massive will increase are roughly not possible. Their video part pivoted from native video to largely YouTube, which might achieve extra views however produce much less income, however clearly the whole endeavor ended up backfiring, and now The Escapist doesn’t have a video division in any respect, it appears.

As of this morning, The Escapist remains to be publishing new articles, as the positioning hasn’t misplaced all its writers or contributors. It stays unclear what stage of workers or freelancers stay on the firm, and what plans could also be to rehire for a brand new video part. However it’s protected to say that with out the previous staff or an icon like Yahtzee, it’d simply be over altogether.

As for Calandra and his new undertaking, that’s definitely the extra attention-grabbing endeavor, as that staff has quite a lot of followers and hopefully they will put one thing collectively that works for them and their viewers with out coping with company neck-breathing. Extra on that as particulars emerge. I’ve reached out to Gamurs for remark and can replace if I hear again.

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Choose up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller collection and The Earthborn Trilogy.