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IGN layoffs reported on September 14, 2026 affected multiple departments, but the total number of people let go has not been established. Kotaku named video hosts Brian Altano and Seth Macy; the IGN Creators Guild said four union members and many additional workers were affected. The Guild attributed the cuts to a Ziff Davis cost-cutting mandate, but no direct company statement explaining this specific round appears in the available reporting.
Who was affected by the IGN layoffs?
Kotaku’s September 14 report said the cuts reached multiple departments and named IGN video hosts Brian Altano and Seth Macy. The following day, the IGN Creators Guild said producers, editors, hosts, and other roles were affected. The union described those workers as people whose contributions had helped make IGN a voice in games and entertainment.
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The Guild said: “We were blindsided by the layoff of four union members and many more people across the organization who contributed years of their careers to making IGN an unparalleled voice in games and entertainment.” It also said, “We are devastated, angry, and heartbroken for our colleagues.” These are the union’s words and characterization, not a company-issued list of affected employees.
How many people were laid off?
The total headcount is unknown. Kotaku said the scale of the September cuts was not clear. The Guild reported that four union members and many more people across the organization were affected, but did not give a total. Four is the number of union members cited by the Guild, not the overall number of layoffs.
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Why did Ziff Davis cut IGN jobs?
The IGN Creators Guild said the company told it the cuts stemmed from a Ziff Davis cost-cutting mandate. Kotaku reported that IGN did not immediately respond to its request for comment. No direct public company statement explaining this particular round is included in the contemporaneous reporting, so the union’s account is the available explanation—not independently confirmed detail about management’s decision-making.
Kotaku reported that remote-work status and willingness to relocate might have influenced some decisions. It presented these as possible factors, not a confirmed company-wide policy or the sole reason for the layoffs. The reporting does not establish a connection to a game publisher, platform holder, or specific editorial decision.
What Ziff Davis’s financial results do—and do not—show
Ziff Davis’s August 6, 2026 earnings release reported continuing-operations revenue of $286.7 million in Q2 2026, compared with $294.8 million in Q2 2025. Its Gaming & Entertainment segment reported $46.6 million in Q2 2026, versus $46.2 million a year earlier. The company also reported a $54.8 million goodwill impairment in Q2 2026. These are Ziff Davis company and segment figures; the segment revenue is not an IGN-only figure.
The results provide financial context, but they do not establish that quarterly performance caused the IGN layoffs. The earnings release does not link those figures to the job cuts. Ziff Davis’s Q2 Form 10-Q describes its broader digital media and internet businesses and records the June 17, 2026 sale of its Connectivity business to Accenture, with proceeds intended for general corporate purposes and capital allocation. The filing does not connect that transaction to IGN’s staffing decisions.
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- Earlier in 2026: Kotaku reported a separate, smaller layoff round involving employees including engineers, days after IGN Live, the company’s annual Los Angeles event tied to Summer Game Fest. That earlier report does not establish why the September cuts occurred.
- September 14: Kotaku reported that layoffs affected multiple departments, named Altano and Macy, and said the scale was unclear.
- September 15: Kotaku added the Guild’s statement that four union members and many more workers were affected.
- October 2: Altano said this would be his last day at IGN. His statement, reproduced by Kotaku, read: “After seventeen and a half years at IGN, Friday, October 2nd will be my last day working there!”
- November: Scoville said he would no longer be employed by IGN starting in November. These announced departure dates are later than the reporting dates and should not be read as the date the cuts were first reported.
What remains uncertain for IGN staff
The Guild said remaining workers faced additional workload and anxiety about how the work might change. Those are the union’s concerns; the reporting does not yet measure the longer-term effect on IGN’s coverage or organization. A confirmed total headcount, a fuller employer explanation, and whether remote-work or relocation considerations shaped individual decisions remain unresolved in the cited accounts.
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