TL;DR
- Clickout Media has laid off most editorial staff across its gaming and esports websites, including The Escapist and Esports Insider.
- Sources indicate the company is shifting heavily toward AI-generated content, keeping only a minimal team of "AI Editors."
Clickout Media has carried out significant layoffs at several of its properties. The company, which owns popular outlets such as The Escapist, Esports Insider, and others, informed staff recently that their positions were being eliminated.
The reductions come on the heels of earlier cuts to freelancers just a week prior, where the company also halted any new freelance assignments. Multiple reports point to a major strategic change: a strong push toward using AI to produce content, which has led to the departure of nearly the entire human editorial teams.
One affected writer, Lloyd Coombes from The Escapist, shared his experience publicly. "Sad to say that my role at The Escapist is up for redundancy, and that means a lot of things that I’m still not quite getting my head around," he posted. He did not reference the AI changes directly in his announcement.
Insiders suggest that Clickout plans to operate with a very small remaining group focused on overseeing AI tools. This skeleton crew of "AI Editors" would presumably handle whatever human supervision is needed for the automated output.
Adding to the challenges for those impacted, many laid-off staff members appear to be required to sign non-disclosure agreements. Failure to do so could reportedly jeopardize their severance packages, limiting open discussion about the situation.
Clickout Media acquired The Escapist in June 2025 from Gamurs Group. At that point, the sale was described as going to a private investor. Interestingly, just a year earlier in 2024, Clickout had been viewed by some as a stable option in digital media, even praised for offering job security to journalists.
The company has faced scrutiny in the past for its business approach, including affiliations with marketing and affiliate content in areas like gambling.
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