Gaming information web site Video Video games Chronicle has introduced the launch of a Patreon to assist fund it. First fashioned in 2019, VGC’s employees contains veterans from a number of UK publications, and supporters can count on two new month-to-month podcasts, a e-newsletter, a Discord server, and particular commenting privileges on the location, relying on the Patreon tier they select.
“It’s no secret that just lately it’s been a tough time for journalism, particularly round video video games,” VGC editor-in-chief Andy Robinson explained. “Website closures and job losses have develop into all too frequent fixtures in headlines, whereas those that stay have been more and more pressured to focus extra on maintaining the lights on, and fewer on creating the content material readers truly need to see. As a completely unbiased publication, VGC has felt these market pressures greater than most.”
Robinson added that even with VGC’s excessive and persistently rising viewers numbers, the risky promoting local weather has made funding the location “more and more difficult” when counting on conventional platforms like Google. The location is aiming to make use of Patreon to determine a extra direct relationship with its viewers with unique content material, whereas all of its common work will nonetheless stay free for all.
“We’re launching as we speak with a bunch of nice content material, however we even have masses extra deliberate for the long run, and we’re enthusiastic about how this new mannequin will help us form VGC’s future,” Robinson wrote, whereas additionally teasing an upcoming VGC guide.
The previous couple of years have seen some huge adjustments to the gaming media panorama. Just lately, IGN Leisure bought Gamer Community’s digital brands–Eurogamer, GamesIndustry.biz, Rock Paper Shotgun, VG247, and Dicebreaker–and there have been a number of rounds of layoffs at media shops throughout the globe. This has led to the rise of Patreon-funded teams as properly, with notable examples being a number of former workers of The Escapist beginning Second Wind and the formation of Aftermath by a workforce of Kotaku veterans. Longrunning online game journal Recreation Informer is providing standalone subscriptions, and for $20, subscribers can get 10 problems with the journal yearly in each bodily and digital codecs.