Kotaku Detected
List of folks who work, have worked, or are friends with Kotaku... and beyond!
Kotaku has turned into a more all-encompassing word for everything wrong with the video game industry. This page aims to become a comprehensive directory of individuals who work, have worked, or are in some way related to Kotaku or other game companies that have become websites that have historically shown to care more about pushing activist agendas and narratives instead of conversations about video games.
The initial sections of this page include some of the worst writers, editors, and others who have contributed to the downfall of games journalism over the years for various reasons. Each entry provides relevant information for further research, including their roles, articles, and/or linked video or tweet explanations. Whether you're a researcher, enthusiast, or industry professional, this resource is designed to spotlight the people behind Kotaku's content and hold them accountable for their actions.
For those who do not appear on this list, they have not committed any awful behavior publicly... Yet.
Consider this a curation group, citing facts, as my personal opinions. Your opinion may vary.
All information provided on this page is sourced from easily located, publicly available information.
For more information detailing why the #EndKotaku movement was created, please watch this video.
Current Employees
Previously Worked At Kotaku
Alyssa Mercante
Freelance "Journalist" for Rolling Stone
- Misled readers by leaving out key aspects of why Sweet Baby Inc. started the GG2 Controversy
- Misled readers by misrepresenting CEO's words in an interview to push her narrative
- Contacted wife of Smash JT on Facebook
- Threatened to sue Smash JT multiple times
- Send SmashJT a Cease & Desist Letter for covering her transgressions in the industry
John Walker
Freelance "Journalist" for Kotaku (Previously: Co-Founder of Rock Paper Shotgun)
- Wrote article attacking YouTubers, calling them 'bigots' and 'grifters' in a weak attempt to defend racist Art Director Matt Hanson of Obsidian
Tom Regan
Freelance "Journalist" for Kotaku (also The Guardian, NME, GQ, GamesRadar, IGN, Inverse, VGC, VG247, and more)
David Smith
Former Managing Editor, Kotaku AU (Defunct)
- Wants to 'Hardware Ban' gamers for mean words in a lobby
Cecilia D'Anastasio
Reporter, Bloomberg News
- Claimed hack Youtubers are stealing their jobs in journalism
Luke Plunkett
Co-founder, Aftermath
Gita Jackson
Cofounder, Aftermath
Nathanial Grayson
Cofounder, Aftermath
Hayes Madsen
Video Games Trends Writer, Inverse
Sisi Jiang
Scriptwriter, Genshin Impact (Prev. Verge, Vice, Polygon, Kotaku)
Jason Schreier
Journalist, Bloomberg
- Intentionally misled readers about why Suicide Squad failed by leaving out any mention of SBI. When questioned, he dismissed any concerns as "angry hallucinations" and "rage clicks"
- Regarding an all-male, white team, he tweeted ”It’s pretty wild that in 2021 a new game studio still looks like this”
- Called the head of a game company a 14-year old boy, who is "cheap" and that the game studio should better stop "hiring teenagers"
- Deleted tweet trying to 'own the chuds' by claiming Dragon Age: The Veilguard was topping charts when it actually flopped hard. Also, stated he didn't play the game and didn't care about the game, he just wanted to get an 'own'
Laura Kate Dale
Former Kotaku UK (2 years)
- Accused Nintendo, Super Smash Bros., and Persona 5 of Insulting Disabled People, later had to issue an apology through Kotaku
- Criticized the use of the word "Tranny" in the canceled game "Tranny Gladiator" by Pan Games, leading to claims by the developer of receiving death threats, which they attributed to her influence
- Falsely accused a presenter at a video game expo of misgendering her, leading to widespread backlash and media coverage by NeoGaf and Kotaku. Later, Laura admitted that the claims were incorrect & resulted in a joint apology and significant repercussions, including Kotaku revising its policy on using tweets as credible sources
- Hired by Bioware as a writer for Dragon Age: The Veilguard while caught writing children's books encouraging transgenderism
Ash Parrish
Reporter, The Verge
- Wrote an article for "The Verge" blaming Gamergate return on "a group of gamers has mobilized a harassment campaign against a story consultant company, marginalized developers, and journalists in protest of what they see as ‘forced’ diversity in gaming."
- The Verge Reporter Ash Parrish ADMITS to Lying About Sweet Baby Inc.
- Ash Parrish defends Jack Black's band mate Kyle Gass and his birthday wish of more political violence.
- Ash Parrish's EXTREMELY racist tweet history...
Morgan Park
Staff Writer, PC Gamer
Keza MacDonald
Video Games Editor, The Guardia (Former: Kotaku UK)
Friends of Kotaku: Uncovered (FoK:U)
FoK:U is a section dedicated to those who have not have ever worked at Kotaku or on any game in particular, but have displayed resentment towards #KotakuDetected existing, and/or attempted to defend any of the "journalists" listed therein. This also includes some folks who have worked somewhere in the video game industry professionally at some point, as well as any relative information as to why they may no longer be actively employed in it (if applicable).
Cian Maher
Franchise & Lore Designer, CD Projekt Red (Former "Journalist" for TheGamer.com)
Zarmena Khan
Senior Editor, PlayStation Lifestyle (Evolve Media). Previously worked for the British government.
Arielle Danan
Unemployed, Former Writer, GameInformer
Samar Abedian
Senior Staff Writer, ScreenRant
Jeff Grubb
Reporter, GamesBeat
- Defended Alyssa Mercante's Racism
- Embarrassed Games Media on Giant Bomb Podcast at Summer Game Fest simping hard for Alyssa Mercante
Anita Sarkeesian
Founder, Feminist Frequency
Jake Steinberg
YouTuber, Former Editor at GameXplain
Kim Belair
Founder, Sweet baby Inc.
Jeffrey Rousseau
Unemployed, Former reporter for GameIndustry.biz
Dani Lolanders
Developer, Black Panther Video Game (Cliffhanger Games/EA)
Mary Kenney
Sr. Writer, CD Projekt Red (formerly: Associate Narrative Director, Marvel's Wolverine)
Ashley Cooper
Writer, Marvel's Iron Man (Motive/EA)
Megan Farokhmanesh
Senior Writer, Wired (Prev. Axios, The Verge)
Jules Hardy
Presenter/Host CBBC, BAFTA
Nick Calandra
Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Second Wind
Jessica Cogswell
Editor, GameSpot (Prev. GiantBomb, KindaFunnyVids, PasteMagazine, UPROXX)
- Misled followers by tweeting incorrect information & defended Alyssa Mercante Contacting wife of Smash JT
- Retweeted Alyssa Mercante cheering on that SmashJT.com had been taken down
- Tweeted "This RULES ahhh I am so happy for/proud of you babe!!!!!!" in response to SmashJT.com being false flagged
John Phipps
SDGC Creator/Host, Ambassador for TakeThis.org (Prev. Writer for IGN, Polygon, GameDaily.biz, KindaFunnyVids)
- Defended Alyssa Mercante contacting the wife of Smash JT
- Lied about his rank in the military to sound like he was an authority on stances
- Took serious issue with White Phosphorous being used in COD, advocates for violence towards those who disagree with him
- All around douchebag/jackass on Twitter
- Threatened to "Curb Stomp" anyone who opposes his views
Alana Hagues
Deputy Editor, Nintendo Life (Prev. RPGFan.com)
Rebekah Valentine
Senior Reporter, IGN (Prev. GameIndustry.biz, USGamer, PC Gamer, App Trigger, iMore, Android Central, Wirecutter)
Khee Hoon Chan
Freelance journalist/critic (Prev. bylines in Verge, Vice, Polygon, Rock Paper Shotgun, PC Gamer, Bandcamp, The Indie Game Website, Unwinnable, and Features Editor at TheGamer)
- Co-wrote hit piece (alongside Rebekah Valentine) on the game "Black Myth: Wukong", alleging sexism (and lack of feminist representation) in the development process
Ryan Easby
Freelance Journalist, NME, PCGamesN, The Escapist, The Gamer, Gayming Magazine
Sean Murray
Freelance Journalist, Flipboard, PC Gamer, Irish Examiner, USA Network, PlayStation LifeStyle, SmartBrief, TheGamer, TheSportster, Hotcars, Clarkesworld Magazine, Valnet Inc., etc.
Megan Fausti
game writer for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Battle Chef Brigade
DEI Consultation Groups
There seems to have been an influx of companies and groups appearing over the past few years that only exist to siphon money out of government funding and get hired to raise an organization's ESG scores. These consultation groups can intentionally detract from the intended authentic gamer experience of the developer in order to inject "marginalized voices" and forced representation into the game.
Consulting
Sweet Baby Inc.
Sweet Baby Inc. is a Canadian narrative development and consultation studio based in Montreal. Founded by former Ubisoft developers, including scriptwriter Kim Belair and product manager David Bédard, the company consults on video game narratives during development to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion within game narratives and studios.
Consulting
HIT Detection
Hit Detection is a video game consulting firm with a global presence. We bring decades of experience in games media, consumer electronics, and interactive entertainment to deliver the most comprehensive and accurate insights to clients who have trusted us for many years. Among the esteemed clientele that we are able to publicly reveal, we have provided services to the likes of Bloober Team, Remedy, and Sega.
Consulting
Black Girl Gamers
BLACK GIRL GAMERS ® IS A MULTI-PLATFORM AND INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY POWERED ORGANISATION THAT KEEPS OVER 10,000+ BLACK WOMEN GAMERS SAFE ONLINE
Consulting
Splendid Communications
Our purpose is to deliver creative work that makes a positive cultural and commercial impact.
From our strategic thinking to the way we generate ideas, work with clients, engage the media, create buzz on social, co-create with influencers and connect with the public, our key challenge is always: how do we connect brands with real people in their real lives to truly make an impact?
Being People-First, we believe that team diversity enriches our collaborative culture and our work for clients. We are keen to meet candidates from all backgrounds so please get in touch if your skills, experience and attitude match ours.
Whether you’re looking for a new agency or a new home for your career, we’d love to meet you.
Consulting
GaymerX
GaymerX is a LGBTQ-focused gaming annual convention focused on games and gaming culture.
We focus on creating a fun and safe space for gamers and gaymers of all identities to have fun and hang out with like-minded folks. GaymerX is a “queer space”, in that many of the panels revolve around queer issues or queer devs, but GaymerX and the GX events are made for everyone and everyone is welcome!
GaymerX was founded in 2012 by Matt Conn via Kickstarter. The campaign was set to be funded at $25,000 but quickly soared over $90,000 causing the event to expand to a much larger venue than originally intended.
Consulting
SilverString Media
Silverstring Media is a critically-acclaimed game studio and narrative design firm.
With a team full of unique voices, we create hopeful, imperfect worlds, and we fill digital spaces with love and cosmic awe.
- Nothing of note (yet)
Consulting
Weird Ghosts
An impact fund for studios led by underrepresented founders across Canada.
We support video game studios with studio development training, catalytic investments, and community in order to build strong, impactful teams of underrepresented makers who are shaping the future of games.
- Nothing of note (yet)
Consulting
NNESAGA LTD
"Multi-awarding winning leading gaming & media entertainment organization that is dedicated to celebrating & pushing diversity, inclusion, representation & equity."
- Nothing of note (yet)
Non-Profit/Social Impact/Investment Firms
The "non-profit" organizations listed here utilize donations and/or government funding to directly impact and redirect the narrative of a video game toward a different perspective. Often stating "marginalized" or "under-represented" groups or lifestyles.
Non-profit "mental health" organization
Take This
Our Mission is to decrease the stigma, and increase the support for, mental health in the game enthusiast community and inside the game industry.
Our Vision is a game community that welcomes and supports people experiencing mental health challenges, and that recognizes the humanity and mental health of game creators.
Non-profit "under-represented genders" organization
SavePoint Industry Gathering
Overview
Welcome to SavePoint Industry Gathering, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization created exclusively for game industry professionals from gender underrepresented communities, such as non-binary individuals, members of the transgender and genderqueer communities, and women, to connect with one another both virtually and in-person.
Nothing of note (yet)
Non-profit arm of social impact investment firm
Baby Ghosts
Overview
Baby Ghosts is the nonprofit arm of social impact investment firm Weird Ghosts, delivering year-round programs to support underrepresented game developers and founders in Canada.
