Last month, IGN suffered its latest wave of brutal cuts. Hosts Brian Altano and Seth Macy were among those fired. They are now launching their own independent gaming podcast network called X Button alongside Max Scoville, who also left the organization amid its latest strategy change. The news comes as IGN itself is moving away from its well-known gaming podcasts, Kotaku understands. “A couple of weeks ago, you know, there was a slight change in programming from our former employer, and now we’re into the unknown and doing something completely new,” Altano said in the inaugural episode of one of the group’s new shows. “And hopefully by the time you hear this, we’re all crying with joy because it worked.” Located on Patreon, the group has two podcasts so far. The first is called X Button, a general game program, and the second is called Ninfrido 64, a program dedicated to Nintendo. “We’ll cover gaming news, new game releases, and the classic games we still love today, all with the insight, passion, and humor you’ve come to expect from us by now,” reads X Button’s About page. “We’re bringing our years of experience and inviting as guests dozens of gaming industry peers, game developers, voice actors and more, all for every listener and viewer we’ve touched along the way. We’re creating something new that’s also familiar.” Before last month’s layoffs, Altano and Scoville co-hosted IGN’s weekly PlayStation show, Beyond! and Macy was a longtime co-host of the Nintendo-themed NVC podcast. After the restructuring, Beyond! It is currently on hiatus and NVC will no longer release weekly episodes. Unlocked, IGN’s Xbox-themed podcast, hasn’t posted a new episode since October 1st. Kotaku understands that Game Scoop, co-hosted by site veteran Daemon Hatfield, will be the only show still running regularly. According to a source familiar with the discussions, site leadership informed staff that the rest of the programs were not generating enough revenue to commit weekly resources to them. Retiring from podcasts is an unexpected move for one of the medium’s early adopters, especially as other outlets like The Ringer and Vox Media Podcast Network double down on their production of conversational video content. Some have even struck deals with streaming platforms like Netflix to stream shows directly alongside movies and television. Kinda Funny, another podcast network launched by former IGN staff, has shown that the model can still be lucrative. “They let us go,” reads X Button’s speech to new subscribers. “The careers that we put so much passion and love and experience into for so long were instantly gone. We lost it all, suddenly and unexpectedly. And it really, really sucked. But then, we got thousands of comments and messages telling us to move on. 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.”
