G/O Media sells Kotaku to digital publishing company Keleops
G/O Media winding down operations following Keleops acquisition of Kotaku
Digital publishing company Keleops has acquired Kotaku from G/O Media in an undisclosed, all-cash asset deal.
As reported by Axios, Kotaku’s editorial staff will remain at the site and more senior staff will be hired.
Keleops CEO Jean-Guillaume Kleis told the publication that “he had no immediate strategy shifts and he hadn’t yet met with Kotaku’s editor-in-chief”.
“We are thrilled to welcome the entire Kotaku team to Keleops,” said Kleis. “Kotaku isn’t just a brand – it’s a home for gamers and a place where the culture keeps moving forward.
“We are honoured to shape its future and make such an iconic gaming brand part of our family, as part of our bold vision for Keleops and ongoing US expansion.”
He added: “Building on our success with Gizmodo thus far, we are committed to taking Kotaku to the next horizon, reinforcing its status as a must-read for gamers and anyone curious about gaming.”
Keleops purchased Gizmodo from G/O Media last year.
G/O Media CEO Jim Spanfeller told Axios via email that it was “very happy we were able to find a great home for Kotaku and its entire staff” and “wish[ed] the team and Keleops only the best”.
Following the acquisition, Spanfeller announced G/O Media “has been working towards a wind down” of operations.
“G/O Media is predominantly owned by growth equity firm Great Hill Partners,” he said. “Given how both private equity and growth equity work it became clear to our investors that it was time to move on.”
Spanfeller added: “In short, given their business model and frankly my own plans, the time had come. Now that said, they neither pushed nor did we work to sell at any price simply to exit the business.
“We worked through a rather difficult time in the digital content space to get the best outcomes that we possibly could for both the shareholders as well as the employees.”
Kotaku was purchased by Univision Communications among other websites following its acquisition of Gawker Media in 2016. Gizmodo Media Group was founded to house these sites.
In 2019, Gizmodo Media Group was acquired by Great Hill Partners, and renamed to G/O Media.
Since being under G/O Media, Kotaku experienced major shake ups to its editorial staff. Editor-in-chief Patricia Hernandez was reportedly fired in August 2023, with Jen Glennon taking the role that October.
Glennon left the role last March after G/O Media reportedly changed Kotaku’s editorial direction to focus on guides rather than news.
“I firmly believe that the decision to ‘invert’ Kotaku’s editorial strategy to deprioritise news in favour of guides is fundamentally misguided given the current infrastructure of the site,” Glennon said in her letter of resignation.
“[The decision is] directly contradicted by this month’s traffic data, and shows an astonishing disregard for the livelihoods of the remaining writers and editors who work here.”
In 2022, a union representing staff from Kotaku, Gizmodo, and other G/O Media brands went on strike over issues including better salaries, parental leave, and healthcare.
