Draft:TheGamer

TheGamer
Type of site
News website
Founded2017
Headquarters
Canada
OwnerValnet
Key peopleKirk McKeand, Stacey Henley
URLwww.thegamer.com
Users7 million+ (monthly readers)
Current statusActive

TheGamer is a news website launched in 2017 by media company Valnet. The website reports on and reviews video games.[1] It is based in Canada.[2]

History

TheGamer was launched in 2017 by Valnet as news website covering gaming.[1] In 2020, TheGamer chose former VG247 editor Kirk McKeand as its editor-in-chief. Valnet said that the website has grown in popularity since its launch, claiming its visited by 7 million users monthly.[3] TheGamer stated that it supports diversity and has published articles discussing issues such as intersectionality, racism and transphobia.[4]

In July 2021, Kirk McKeand said that TheGamer will not cover games created by Activision Blizzard to protest its alleged bad work environment.[5][6] In February 2023, new editor-in-chief Stacey Henley announced that TheGamer won’t review or report on Hogwarts Legacy to protest J.K. Rowling's views on transgender people.[2] On April 4, 2023, TheGamer along with other publications were nominated for 2023 MCV/Develop Awards as "Media Brand of the Year".[7]

In October 2025, various editors of TheGamer were fired due to mass layoffs. In an interview, the editors said that sections of the website's editorial team have been “decimated”.[8] Both affected and remaining employees of TheGamer shared information about the incident on social media, claiming the directive came from Valnet.[9] In May 2026, Valnet announced a new payment system for some of TheGamer editors, calling it “Pay Per Session". Depending on their role in writing the article, editors will be paid between $3 and $8 if it gets a thousand visits. In an interview with Aftermath, editors said that the salaries of employees working under the new system had been drastically reduced, one described it as a "form of soft-layoffs”.[10][11]

Reception

In 2024, YouTuber SmashJT said he felt that the website has become "the breeding ground for some of the worst, most spite-filled hateful people".[12] In 2025, Marvin Montanaro of Geeks + Gamers described TheGamer as one of the "most politically charged outlets" in the gaming industry. He said that a significant portion of the website's articles are political in nature.[13] Marvin Montanaro of That Park Place criticized TheGamer for claiming that Sora, protagonist of Kingdom Hearts, struggles with understanding love due to "compulsory heterosexuality". He said that this interpretation oversimplified the character and inserts its views.[14]

In 2026, former editor of TheGamer and editor-in-chief of Startmenu Lex Luddy told Kotaku that half TheGamer's editors were in “open revolt” against the website's higher ups due to the new payment system.[15]

References

  1. ^ a b "TheGamer - A Valnet Publication". Valnet, Inc. Retrieved May 30, 2026.
  2. ^ a b Totilo, Stephen (February 6, 2023). "Hogwarts Legacy video game launch becomes referendum on J.K. Rowling". Axios News.
  3. ^ Owen, Ryan (August 19, 2020). "VG247 Veteran Kirk McKeand Joins TheGamer.com as Editor-In-Chief". EIN News.
  4. ^ Henley, Stacey (December 15, 2021). "TheGamer's Past, Present, And Future". TheGamer.
  5. ^ Notis, Ari (July 26, 2021). "Some Gaming Websites, YouTube Channels Halt Coverage Of Activision Blizzard Games". Kotaku.
  6. ^ Sinclair, Brendan (July 23, 2021). "Gaming outlets halt Activision Blizzard coverage". GamesIndustry.biz.
  7. ^ Pavey, Vince (April 4, 2023). "Here are the finalists for the 2023 MCV/DEVELOP Awards!". MCV/Develop. ISSN 1469-4832.
  8. ^ Middler, Jordan (October 22, 2025). "TheGamer website suffers widespread editorial layoffs". Video Games Chronicle.
  9. ^ McKenzie, Theodore (October 23, 2025). "Gaming Website TheGamer Has Been "Decimated" By Layoffs". Level 80.
  10. ^ MacLeod, Riley (May 25, 2026). "Workers At TheGamer Say Site's New Pay-Per-Session Contract Is 'Heartbreaking'". Aftermath.
  11. ^ Argüello, Diego (May 27, 2026). "Report: Payment for some TheGamer staff now tied to per-article sessions". Game Developer.
  12. ^ Montanaro, Marvin (December 23, 2024). "CD Projekt Red's Lore Designer Reportedly Voiced a Desire to Assault Gamers". That Park Place.
  13. ^ Montanaro, Marvin (October 22, 2025). "TheGamer "Decimated" by Mass Layoffs". Geeks + Gamers.
  14. ^ Montanaro, Marvin (June 30, 2025). "TheGamer Claims Kingdom Hearts' Sora Doesn't Understand Love Due to "Compulsory Heterosexuality" — Can We Please Stop?". That Park Place.
  15. ^ Parker, Lewis (May 23, 2026). "Video Game Website Has Controversial Plan To Only Pay Per Click". Kotaku.

Category:Internet properties established in 2017 Category:Video game news websites Category:Video game Internet forums Category:Video gaming in Canada

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