Let me tell you the best thing about being an Editor-in-Chief Kotaku.
There is a writer or a producer in the team. They have an idea. It’s something real, something their people need to tell, something worth knowing. They write it. They post it. And the readers show up. Maybe I helped make the space for them, but it really is them. They did it. And I encourage them.
And that’s it.
You can probably know where it’s going, right?
Since May 2009, first as Deputy Editor of Kotaku and since 2012 as editor – in – chief, I have tried more than anything else I have done here to bring about those successes. Amidst the growing chaos that the different versions of our company constantly brought, I put my energy into retaining moments Kotaku go and hold Kotaku where. When I did this, I kept in mind that what was made Kotaku wonderful in 2009, 2012, 2014, 2019, name it, were his staff: his writers, editors and producers, all in the past and present, and put their journalism, their critique and the rest of their ideas on the page. And my main task was to just make sure they could, and to support them as they did.
I am going Kotaku. Today is my last day while getting ready for a wonderful holiday getaway. Maybe I can tackle some long runs, teach my kids to ride a bike, actually finish Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (does it ever end?). Then I will start my new thing, still journalism about video games and more back to a time when I wrote and reported on my own stuff. I have missed a lot over the last few years. No, I’m not saying true yet. Follow me Twitter, people.
Kotaku, like all Gawker Media sites, was born in revolt. Deadspin is designed to splash ESPN, Jezebel to counter retrograde women’s magazines, Gawker to bump everyone and Kotaku the establishment of Games Spot and IGN (or to finally take control of one of them – keep kicking, Tina!).
G / O Media can get a commission
The point of all our sites was to get closer to the truth. By Kotaku the truth involved games and game culture. We had to deliver the ideal, as articulated by Gawker founder Nick Denton, of the real story. He expected us to show the public the reality that reporters in the newspaper did not put in the newspaper, but told each other after hours at the bar – or could get as close to it as possible. I like Nick’s guideline, definitely more than the one where he suggested we take pictures of people making faces playing games every day (uh, thanks for the suggestion, boss!). The journalistic value was not unique to Gawker Media, but the zeal to pursue it will motivate me forever. I hope it’s the staff of Kotaku, current and former, always digging deeper, always avoiding artwork, always working harder to bring the reader in on what you know, always finding ways to be more real.
Over the years I have had a lot of hope Kotaku, for our reporting to get the necessary details that would not otherwise see the light of day, for our critique to improve our appreciation and reflect on a still barely comprehensible medium.
The most important of my goals was to challenge people’s expectations about what a great gambling website would write about and who would write it. I was inspired by small sites and brave voices, especially those of the groundbreaking site The Border House, which recognized the need to cover politics and people, and to reach and address a diverse readership, at a time when the big stores did not. Year after year, I was motivated by daring staff members who dealt with taboo topics because they were important. I wanted a Kotaku which felt daring and inclusive, which would make a more diverse set of readers feel welcomed and seen by the site. I hope we have made progress there. There is so much more work to do.
It was a dream job, but sometimes a nightmare. It was worth it. I’m grateful for that Kotaku exists, there is a website where readers will show whether the EiC is conducting an interview the head of Nintendo or some random “boring” commentator. Many thanks to the readers for that. Really thank you to the millions of people who read this site every month. And thanks to everyone who chatted with me for a story and who tolerated my last five questions.
Many thanks to Brian Crecente, Nick Denton and all the leaders of Gawker Media and his permutations who believed in me and my team and / or just stayed out of the way. (And talking about power brokers, thanks to The New York Times for run Kotaku reviews for a few years on the pages. It was pretty cool too.)
Many thanks to everyone I worked with – every reporter, critic, blogger, producer, artist, social media editor, financial worker, salesman, office manager, event coordinator, and anyone else who was a part of Kotaku or provide support. Some of you are still with this company, others have moved on. I root that you all thrive. I also want to greet the staff on our sister sites, who embody the living rebellious spirit.
I want to thank our current staff – Alexandra, Ari, Ash, Brian, Ethan, Ian, Lisa Marie, Luke, Mike, Nathan, Zack, Tim and our regular partner John – for their incredible strength in these most recent and difficult years. What you all did on the site during what we had to live and work through together is amazing. You are so wonderful a Kotaku team like there never has been.
I would also like to give a special nod to Riley MacLeod, a longtime managing editor and more recently editor. He’s a great teammate, top critic, and trusted friend. He worked so hard to keep this site together through so many storms and was my indispensable, de facto deputy for the past, challenging year.
It was an honor to serve this team and the readers of our website. To the staff of Kotaku, just one last request: please do not post my comment on the gray.