“The Escapist and Other Gaming Sites Pivot To AI, Hold Mass Layoffs”

Clickout Media, the owner of websites such as Esports Insider and The Escapist, has told its staff that they are being laid off. The layoffs come just a week after they began laying off freelancers and pausing all future freelance hires. Insider Gaming understands that the company is making a heavy pivot to AI content, resulting in almost all of its editorial staff being let go. It was said that the company will be maintaining a skeleton crew of “AI Editors.”

“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,” The Escapist writer Lloyd Coombes wrote, though he did not mention the AI pivot in his posting. It’s also believed that employees being let go are being forced to sign an NDA from speaking publicly about the layoffs, at risk of not receiving their severance payouts. Insider Gaming has reached out to Clickout Media for comment on the layoffs and AI pivot. As of publishing, a response has not been received.

Clickout Media purchased The Escapist in June 2025 from Gamurs Group. At the time, it was said that the outlet had been sold to a “private investor.” Back in 2024, Clickout was considered “one of the leading digital companies providing job security for journalists.”