Last month, IGN underwent its latest wave of brutal cuts. Longtime hosts Brian Altano and Seth Macy were among those laid off. They’re now launching their own independent network of gaming podcasts called X Button alongside Max Scoville, who also departed the organization amid its latest strategy shift. The news comes as IGN itself is backing away from its well-known gaming podcasts, Kotaku understands.
“A couple weeks ago, you know, there was a slight shift in, uh, programming at our former employer, and we are now out into the great unknown and doing a brand new thing,” Altano said in the inaugural episode of one of the group’s new shows. “And hopefully by this time, by the time you’re hearing this, we’re all crying tears of joy because it worked out.”
Housed on Patreon, the group has two podcasts so far. The first is called X Button, a general gaming show, and the second is called Ninfriendo 64, a show dedicated to Nintendo. “We’ll cover video game news, new game releases, and the classic games we still love today, all with the insight, passion, and humor you expect from us by now,” reads X Button’s About page. “We’re bringing our years of experience and inviting dozens of games industry peers, game developers, voice actors, and more on as guests, all for every listener and viewer we’ve reached along the way. We’re making something brand new that also feels familiar.”
Prior to last months layoffs, Altano and Scoville cohosted IGN‘s weekly PlayStation show Beyond! and Macy was a longtime cohost of Nintendo-themed podcast NVC. Following the restructuring, Beyond! is currently on hiatus and NVC will no longer publish weekly episodes.
Unlocked, IGN‘s Xbox-themed podcast, hasn’t published a new episode since October 1. Kotaku understands that Game Scoop, cohosted by site veteran Daemon Hatfield, will be the only show that still publishes regularly. According to a source familiar with the discussions, staff were informed by site leadership that the rest of the shows weren’t generating enough revenue to commit weekly resources to them.
Retreating from podcasts is an unexpected move for one of the medium’s earliest adopters, especially as other media outfits like The Ringer and the Vox Media Podcast Network double down on producing conversational video content. Some have even struck deals with streaming platforms like Netflix to air shows directly alongside movies and TV. Kinda Funny, another podcast network launched by ex-IGN staff, has shown the model can still be lucrative.
“We got let go,” reads X Button’s pitch to new subscribers. “Careers we put so much passion, love, and expertise into for so long vanished instantly. We lost it all, suddenly and unexpectedly. And it really, really sucked. But then, we got thousands of comments and messages telling us to keep going. So we’re picking up the pieces and doing just that. And we’re bringing our community, our peers, and our years of experience with us. Because we know we want to keep doing this crazy fun thing, and we want you there with us.”