Aftermath Isn’t New Games Media – It’s Rebranded Irrelevance
Every few years, games journalism announces its own rebirth. A new website or publication launches. Some generic mission statement promises readers independence. Subscriptions replace ads. Corporate influence is supposedly left behind. And we're told that this time will finally be different, more honest, more authentic, and more connected to the people who actually play games. And then you look at the bylines. Aftermath Collection of Recent Ideological Bylines Aftermath, the latest “independent” games media startup, is trying to position itself as some sort of "clean break" from the failures of legacy outlets like Kotaku, Polygon, Vice, and The Verge...but scratch the surface for about five seconds and you might find that a different picture starts to emerge. This is not a revolution. It's more like a reunion tour. Same rejected writers. Same cringeworthy worldviews. Same self-aggrandizing echo-chamber social circles. Same […]
