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AOL Closes Gaming Site Joystiq
Rumors have been swirling for most of this week that AOL would be shutting down a number of its media outlets. On the list was gaming site Joystiq. Today, this news is now official.
Joystiq was founded in 2004 by Weblogs, Inc. That company was acquired by AOL in 2005.
When reports of its demise emerged on AOL-owned TechCrunch, Joystiq boldly covered the rumor with grace and wit. TechCrunch today reports that the Joystiq name will be folded into Engadget as a sub-channel. Some staff members, including news content director Alexander Sliwinski and feature content director Xav de Matos have reported via Twitter that the staff will be let go.
Update: Editor-in-Chief Ludwig Kietzmann shared via Twitter that the site will continue to publish until Tuesday, February 3.
[Source: Alexander Sliwinski on Twitter, Xav de Matos on Twitter, TechCrunch]
Our Take
The staff of Game Informer would like to thank the Joystiq team for its years of hard work and dedication to this medium we so love. Joystiq has been an important part of so many stories, among them leading the way on the 38 Studios closure.
We wish the absolute best for the entire team. We look forward to working with you when you find new homes, which will no doubt be quickly.
For more personal thoughts, you can read a blog post I wrote recently.
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