Layoffs confirmed as several gaming websites approach their last days.
According to several posts on Twitter from employees who have been affected, as well as confirmation from Joystiq with a company spokesperson, several videogame websites associated with IGN will be shutting down completely in the coming days. 1UP, GameSpy, and UGO will all be going dark, and several writers and other staff have been laid off as today.
“We are focusing on our two flagship brands, IGN and AskMen,” the representative told Joystiq. “Unfortunately, as a result, we have made the decision to close sites and restructure our teams accordingly.”
IGN and its partner sites were recently purchased by Ziff Davis, which originally owned the brand before letting it go in 2009. Now it seems the saga has come full circle, with IGN’s former owners re-purchasing the suite of gaming sites, and hitting the switch on three out of the four.
Source: Joystiq