The gaming site sponsored by Walmart lays off its editorial staff
The Verge
β’2026-08-07T18:05:08-04:00
π° What Happened
Restart, a games media website launched in late 2024 and sponsored by Walmart, laid off its entire editorial team, according to a post from former editor-in-chief Brandy Berthelson. Other staffers also posted about losing their jobs. Restart is operated by Moonrock, a content marketing agency, despite positioning itself as an independent editorial outlet.
π The Backstory
Restart was created with sponsorship backing from a major retailer and run by a content-marketing agency, which raised questions about editorial independence from the start. Its abrupt editorial cuts reflect the broader financial squeeze across games media and the fragility of branded, sponsored journalism ventures.
π― Why It Matters
The collapse of a high-profile, corporate-sponsored outlet highlights how thin the margins are in games journalism and how quickly editorial teams can be cut. It matters to readers and journalists concerned about the erosion of independent gaming media and the reliability of sponsored coverage.
Restart, a games media website launched in late 2024 and sponsored by Walmart, laid off its entire editorial team, according to a post from former editor-in-chief Brandy Berthelson. Other staffers also posted about losing their jobs. Restart is operated by Moonrock, a content marketing agency, despite positioning itself as an independent editorial outlet.
Restart was created with sponsorship backing from a major retailer and run by a content-marketing agency, which raised questions about editorial independence from the start. Its abrupt editorial cuts reflect the broader financial squeeze across games media and the fragility of branded, sponsored journalism ventures.
The collapse of a high-profile, corporate-sponsored outlet highlights how thin the margins are in games journalism and how quickly editorial teams can be cut. It matters to readers and journalists concerned about the erosion of independent gaming media and the reliability of sponsored coverage.