End of the games desk at The A.V. Club
Intelligence Summary
- Paste Media has laid off The A.V. Club’s games desk and is refocusing on film and TV.
End of the games desk at The A.V. Club
Media company Paste Media has announced that The A.V. Club has laid off its entire games desk as part of a restructuring. The goal is to refocus The A.V. Club’s resources on its "core competencies" of film and television.
Overview of Paste Media and The A.V. Club
Paste Media is a media company that originally focused on music and went fully online in 2010. The company later came into ownership of The A.V. Club in 2023, a well-known pop culture outlet covering film and TV reviews. Under Paste Media, The A.V. Club expanded into gaming with the launch of the Paste Games branch, which was led by Garrett Martin for fifteen years.
The history of Paste Games
Paste Games provided a platform for in-depth and critical analysis of video games throughout its run. More recently, in 2025, it became a separate entity under the name Endless Mode, with the aim of broadening its video game coverage. EndlessMode.com was intended to offer daily content not only on video games, but also anime, theme parks, board games, and pinball. However, this attempt to expand gaming coverage was short-lived, as the platform was merged back into The A.V. Club in November 2025 after less than six months.
The layoffs and their impact
On May 1, 2026, The A.V. Club announced that it would eliminate three roles, including two full-time positions responsible for its gaming coverage. This is not only a discouraging move for staff members such as Garrett Martin and Elijah Gonzalez, but also a sign that Paste Media is not prioritizing game content in the way many had hoped. The new direction for The A.V. Club is more focused on film and TV coverage, with games coverage continuing, albeit without a dedicated team.
Timeline
2010: Paste Media goes fully online, originally operating as a print music magazine.
2023: Paste Media acquires The A.V. Club and expands its reach into film, TV, and gaming.
2025: Paste Games is briefly spun off as Endless Mode to create a stronger focus on gaming content.
May 2026: The A.V. Club lays off its entire games desk and refocuses on film and television.
The future of games coverage
With the departure of the games desk, it seems unlikely that The A.V. Club will be able to maintain the level of games journalism it once offered. The loss of such experienced editors could lead to a significant drop in the quality of games coverage on the site. The shift toward film and television will be a key factor in how it serves the rest of its audience.
The loss of a mature and critical voice in the gaming community is seen as a major blow by fans and writers alike. Paste Media’s decision reflects a broader trend in the media industry, where gaming is increasingly seen as less essential to popular culture than it once was.
Conclusion
The closure of The A.V. Club’s games desk marks the end of an era for a site that once stood for quality analysis and a critical voice in gaming. As the wider media landscape evolves, the future of games coverage at The A.V. Club remains uncertain. The shift toward film and TV could mean a loss of insight for gamers and industry fans, which will be a major disappointment for many. While some level of games coverage may remain, it will not be the same without a dedicated team of editors with a passion for gaming.
