Layoffs once again hit games outlet GameSpot on Thursday. Owner Fandom cut the site’s entire commerce team, as well as vice president of games and entertainment Chris Grant.
According to an affected worker, the cuts to commerce affect four staffers and five freelancers, who covered deals posts, buying and preorder guides, and on occasion other topics. “I just got laid off from GameSpot while on paid medical leave recovering from a gunshot wound,” deals editor Brendan Hesse wrote on Bluesky, who had been on leave since July 1 after sustaining an injury during gunfire in his neighborhood. Commerce editor Colette Bennett was also affected, “along with the rest of my commerce team,” and added that “I was so excited to work [at GameSpot] and so sad that I only had a few months there.” Writer Jaina Rodríguez-Grey wrote on LinkedIn that “My entire team at Gamespot has been fired.”
Also laid off today was Chris Grant, who joined Fandom in September 2025 to oversee GameSpot, as well as other sites including Metacritic, GameFAQs, and TV Guide. Grant was a co-founder of Polygon, and went to Fandom after Vox Media sold Polygon to Valnet in May 2025.
Fandom did not reply to a request for comment in time for publication.
Layoffs are nothing new at GameSpot, with editor Mark Delaney noting on Bluesky that the site has had five layoffs since Fandom purchased it, alongside other sites, from previous owner Red Ventures in October 2022. Founded in 1996, GameSpot has been through multiple owners, including ZDNET, CNET and CBS. In May 2025, sister site Giant Bomb saw several high profile departures after a podcast episode that featured staffers mocking Fandom’s brand safety guidelines was taken down. Giant Bomb went independent later that month.
