IGN Sweeps Out Long-Time Hosts and Staff as Summer of Gaming Layoffs Deepen

The video game media outlet IGN has cut dozens of employees across multiple departments, eliminating some of its most recognizable on-air talent in a round of layoffs that has landed squarely amid the company’s annual Summer of Gaming coverage. According to sources who spoke with Kotaku, the Ziff Davis–owned site let go of longtime hosts Seth Macy and Brian Altano among others, marking yet another wave of workforce reductions as the industry’s biggest publishers continue trimming editorial staff during peak news cycles.

The timing drew immediate criticism from within the company. Moore posted on Bluesky that his team had just completed a heavy coverage day for Valve’s Steam Frame launch when he learned he was among those affected, underscoring how the cuts landed even as staff worked late hours to deliver some of the year’s most important stories.

The Faces Leaving IGN

Altano has been with IGN since 2009 and became one of the primary hosts of its popular PlayStation podcast, Beyond, following the departures of Kinda Funny’s Greg Miller and Last Stand’s Colin Moriarty more than a decade ago. Macy served as a senior commerce team editor at the site and was a frequent host on the Nintendo Voice Chat podcast. He confirmed his departure publicly on X, closing out a years-long career with one of gaming’s most prominent outlets.

The departures represent a significant loss of institutional knowledge for IGN’s editorial operations. Both hosts had become synonymous with the brand’s long-form podcast coverage, which helped establish the site as a leading voice in PlayStation and Nintendo journalism during a period when video game media was still finding its footing on audio platforms.

I’m so sorry to hear this, Seth. You’re a rockstar and brought so much to the IGN team across many departments that most people can’t publicly see. You didn’t deserve this. I think the world of you and am here if you ever want to chat or if I can be helpful somehow.

Ryan McCaffrey (@DMC_Ryan)

A Pattern of Post-Event Cuts

The latest round of cuts arrives just months after a smaller group of employees, including engineers, were laid off days after IGN Live, the site’s annual Los Angeles event for Summer Game Fest, wrapped up. That earlier wave reinforced concerns about when the company chooses to announce workforce reductions.

“My team had a huge content day today on IGN, covering the launch of Valve’s Steam Frame. So this seems like a good time as any to say that I was affected by today’s layoffs,” Bo Moore, senior manager of tech coverage, wrote on Bluesky. “My byline is only on one of the 7 stories we posted this morning, but I edited every one, worked late last week and logged on early this morning to make sure everything was on track for one of our biggest coverage days of the year.”

The pattern has not gone unnoticed by staff. One IGN Creators Guild member told Aftermath at the time of the earlier layoffs that the company had “a habit of doing layoffs right after a successful event,” a characterization now echoed as employees process this latest round.

A Broader Consolidation

The cuts come against the backdrop of Ziff Davis’s aggressive expansion into gaming media. The parent company acquired several major video game websites in 2024, including Eurogamer and Rock Paper Shotgun, and has been instituting sporadic editorial reductions ever since. IGN itself recently hosted its annual on-site coverage blitz at San Diego Comic-Con earlier this summer, with interviews led by Altano among others.

The company’s leadership situation has also been in flux. John Davison, IGN’s previous publisher, exited the company just over a year ago and was not formally replaced, leaving editorial operations without a single clearly identified head during an extended period of restructuring.

IGN did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding today’s layoffs or the broader strategy driving them. The scale of the reductions remains unclear, though sources indicate they may be influenced in some cases by employees’ remote status and whether they were willing to relocate.

Looking Ahead

As staff process the departures, colleagues have rallied around those affected, with McCaffrey publicly voicing support for Macy. The gaming community continues to watch closely how Ziff Davis’s portfolio of outlets will operate as consolidation reshapes an industry already grappling with job insecurity across editorial and technical roles.

No timeline has been provided for additional rounds or for the company’s plans to fill leadership gaps. Until then, former colleagues and fans alike are left reflecting on the loss of some of gaming media’s most familiar voices during a summer that was supposed to celebrate the industry rather than trim it.