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Gaming & Esports
Walmart-backed gaming publication lays off editorial team
This story was first published by Digiday sibling ModernRetail
In December 2024, Walmart did something perhaps out of character: It helped start a video gaming news website.
Restart.run launched in December 2024 by gaming strategy and content marketing agency Moonrock. It prominently disclosed that it was created using funding from Walmart, with the initial tagline of “independent gaming news powered by Walmart,” according to worker-owned gaming news site Aftermath. Restart would cover launches of new games and publish reviews and previews of new or recent releases.
However, Brandy Berthelson — who had been Restart’s editor-in-chief — said on Bluesky last Friday that the “entire editorial team” at Restart was laid off that day. Several of her colleagues also posted that they had been laid off, including editors Jesse Vitelli and Imran Khan, as well as deals writer Myles Obenza.
“With that, my time in games media has also come to an end,” Berthelson wrote. “After 20 years, helping to build and run multiple sites, and experiencing numerous layoffs, I just don’t have it in me anymore. I’ll always be a gamer, but it’s time for a change.”
It’s unclear exactly how many employees were affected by the decision. The website’s staff page shows 10 names, but that appears to include freelancers or other contributors. Walmart and Moonrock did not respond to requests for comment. Berthelson, the editor, also declined to comment, but pointed to a recent story in Aftermath on the most recent news and Restart’s backstory.
In 2024, Berthelson told Aftermath that Walmart’s goal for Restart was of “community building and outreach.” Walmart has had other various initiatives in the gaming space in recent years, including virtual experiences on popular multiplayer game Roblox as well as its own virtual 3D e-commerce platform, Walmart Realm. Walmart also used the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 last year as a showcase of its fast-delivery services, bringing gamers Coca-Cola bottles and Pringles chips alongside their new consoles.
Berthelson said in 2024 that Restart had its own standards and metrics for success, rather than key performance indicators from Walmart. “The editorial team isn’t even aware of how poor the numbers would have to be before Walmart would consider pulling its funding.”
When Restart mentions a game, it provides purchase links that take readers to Walmart’s e-commerce website using a partner-tracking code. The outlet’s website says it does not take commissions from these links but that it has an “ongoing relationship” with Walmart.
“This link provides us with 0% of the sale if you decide to buy the product, but it does help Walmart see exactly how customers arrived at the product. Walmart doesn’t influence our editorial direction,” Restart’s website says. “We hope you can see this gives us zero incentive to provide biased review scores or other information about a game.”
“Thus far, through the building of the site and our few months in soft-launch, Walmart has been nothing but a supportive partner,” Berthelson told Aftermath in 2024. “‘Why would Walmart continue to fund Restart if the site underperforms?’ is a bridge we would cross if and when we had to cross it.”
Still, it’s unclear whether or not this year’s editorial layoffs are due to any such underperformance or a lack of investment, nor whether Walmart or Moonrock made the call to lay off the staffers.
“I suspect video game media is facing similar challenges to other beats,” said Chris Kerr, senior editor of news at GameDeveloper.com, told Modern Retail in an email. “Google’s increasing focus on delivering (often questionable) AI search results is creating a roadblock for digital publications, cutting off traffic and making it harder to tap into traditional revenue streams like advertising.”
GameStop ceased publishing the video game magazine Game Informer in 2024 after it regularly cut jobs throughout the business and following CEO Ryan Cohen’s push for “extreme frugality,” it relaunched in 2025
“Meanwhile, it seems some corporate owners simply do not understand the value of retaining key talent,” Kerr added, citing layoffs last year at gaming news site Polygon after it was sold to Valnet by Vox Media. “Instead, they often perceive the brand as being more valuable than the people who worked tooth and nail to establish it.”
The global games market reached a record $201.6 billion at the end of 2025, according to gaming research firm Newzoo. However, Kerr said despite a huge amount of interest in the sector from consumers and businesses, major publishers like Xbox, Nintendo and PlayStation now directly communicate with consumers through social media and digital showcases rather than third-party, traditional print and digital publications.
“I’d also wager the popularity of influencers/marketers — many of whom can be paid in exchange for tailored coverage — has also had an impact on the perceived value of more traditional media,” Kerr said. “Couple all of that with a lack of mentorship and well-paid career opportunities across the industry because of layoffs and the resulting talent exodus, and you’ve got a recipe for stagnation and struggle.”
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