GameTrailers Shutting Down After 13 Years
On February 8th 2016 at 4:47 PM (PST) the official GameTrailers twitter account posted this tweet:
After 13 years, GameTrailers is closing down today. Thank you for your continued support over the years. It has been an adventure.
— GameTrailers (@GameTrailers) February 9, 2016
After 13 years of operation, GameTrailers is shutting down. The news came as a shock to many, but the site had been struggling since its 2014 acquisition by Defy Media (who also own The Escapist, GameFront, Break.com and several other media sites.) Days after that acqusition, over half of the GameTrailers staff was fired. Its also clear that many knew of the impending closure ahead of time, with the site's founder beating the official twitter account to the punch:
Today is the last day of GameTrailers. I wish it wasn’t so. I love all of our fans like family. Thank you for letting me do this job.
— Brandon Jones (@GameTrailersVO) February 9, 2016
As someone who happened to be around during GameTrailer's early days, its sad to see the site go. But I can't feign shock or surprise. I can't remember the last time I visited the site. Originally positioned as a more focused competitor to YouTube's gaming content, GameTrailers struck deals with content creators like The Angry Video Game Nerd to try and poach YouTube's audience. But while GameTrailer's was fighting yesterday's battles, new entrants like Twitch.tv and the dozens of more focused gaming communities sprouted up.
Premium content exclusives weren't enough to beat YouTube
Despite its steady decline in recent years, GameTrailers is still a massive site with a massive audience. So why shut it down rather than try and sell it to a more caring hand? Defy Media already owns several other gaming related brands, selling GT off would simply create a new competitor. Better for the them to funnel fans to one of their other sites, like The Escapist. Its clear that Defy had high hopes for GameTrailers back in 2014, the platform is still listed on their corporate website as one of their Top Brands though perhaps being in such company as Smosh, Break, and "Teen.com" isn't such high praise after all.
Our best wishes to the staff effected by the closure. We're always looking for capable freelance writers here at MMOs.com, drop us a line through our About us page! You can also follow the ongoing discussion on the NeoGAF forum thread of the closure.