Our sister site Kotaku UK, which is managed by British publisher Future Publishing, is shutting down this week after a strong six-year run. Kotaku UK EiC Rich Stanton delivered the news to readers this morning.
Our regional sister sites are the result of licensing deals with outside publishers. A company such as Future pays to use the Kotaku branding and to publish Kotaku posts. They also bring on a small number of regional staff to add original stories to the mix.
The regional EiCs call the shots on their sites and create their version of Kotaku. It’s been a blast to watch Kotaku UK (and Kotaku Australia, which will continue) develop their own variation on what a Kotaku can be.
It’s not part of the deal for the regional Kotaku editors to work with each other, but, back in 2014, it would have been foolish for me to not jump at the chance to collaborate with founding Kotaku UK EiC Keza MacDonald. Keza understood what made Kotaku special and was determined to use the UK site to create her own distinct, bold, fearless take on what we do. She and I wouldn’t chat daily, but we’d connect enough that I always felt a close kinship to the UK operation. I rejoiced in its success and felt the pain of its struggles. Keza brought on a terrific but terribly small support team, and was succeeded, after several years, by outgoing UK EiC Rich Stanton. Rich fought that good fight, too, and I am very grateful for it.
Kotaku UK was always a small operation. That, too, is part of the Kotaku experience I’ve seen: scrappy crews trying to punch above their weight. Over the years I heard many a dream of what Kotaku UK could be with a bigger team, and I wish the site had gotten that opportunity. Regardless, I’m simply glad it got a chance to be—and that it was able to give a platform to more voices to cover the culture of video games.
Thank you, Keza. Thank you, Rich. Thank you, Kotaku UK.