Kotaku editor-in-chief exits due to parent company's new guide directive
Jen Glennon resigns after five months into her role while the publication deprioritizes news
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Kotaku editor-in-chief Jen Glennon has exited her role reportedly due to a new editorial direction from G/O media, according to Aftermath.
Per Glennon's letter of resignation, the parent company, G/O Media, mandated that the game's publication focus on game guides and deprioritize news.
"I firmly believe that the decision to 'invert' Kotaku's editorial strategy to deprioritize news in favor of guides is fundamentally misguided given the current infrastructure of the site," Glennon said in the letter.
"[This decision is] directly contradicted by months of traffic data, and shows an astonishing disregard for the livelihoods of the remaining writers and editors who work here."
According to a source familiar with the matter, Kotaku staffers are expected to create 50 guides in total a week.
Aftermath notes that the site's landing page area, a space typically home for major stories and breaking news, has been replaced by tips and guides.
Glennon was hired back in October 2023, and with her exit, Kotaku lost another editor-in-chief in under a year.
Back in August 2023, Patricia Hernandez was reportedly fired following a personnel disagreement.
GamesIndustry.biz has reached out to G/O media for comment.