Washington Post reportedly shutting down gaming section
Launcher to get the axe as paper lays off 20 staffers, decides to not fill 30 additional openings
The Washington Post is making a round of layoffs, and cutting its video game label Launcher in the process, according to Axios media reporter Sara Fischer.
Fischer posted to her Twitter account a memo Washington Post executive editor Sally Buzbee sent to staff today saying that the outlet is laying off 20 people from the newsroom and will not fill an additional 30 open positions that had been listed.
While the memo does not mention Launcher, Fischer cited two sources with saying the Post is sunsetting both the gaming label and KidsPost, a section written for students in grades 2 through 7.
The Post introduced Launcher in 2019, billing it as "a dedicated section that aims to recalibrate the conversation with classically trained journalists who were raised on games."
Gaming media has been hit by numerous layoffs in recent months, with IGN, Polygon, GameByte, Game Informer, Future, Fanbyte, Vice, and G4 all seeing cuts since last July, with G4 being shut down entirely less than a year after its relaunch.
Most recently, last week saw layoffs at GameSpot and Giant Bomb, with another round of cuts at Polygon parent Vox Media.