Valnet–the parent company of games websites including Polygon, GameRant, DualShockers, and others–has announced a new payment structure for some writers at its site TheGamer, according to current and former workers. Where those writers were once paid a flat rate or per article written, their compensation would now be tied to how many sessions an article gets. Workers say this represents a massive pay cut that, for some, could make continuing to work for the site impossible.
“We are writing to inform you of a new and exciting, performance-based bonus system coming to TheGamer,” Valnet wrote, according to an email to affected workers viewed by Aftermath. “The new system, effective May 22, will replace all current compensation structures including base payments and pay-per post.”
Valnet calls this new system “Pay Per Session,” or “PPS.” Saying it “rewards top-performing articles,” under the new structure, workers would receive between $3-$8 per 1000 sessions depending on their role in an article. An editor on a story would fall under the $3 rate; a “written article,” which workers who spoke to Aftermath explained means one that was edited, would receive $5 per 1000 sessions. “Self-published” articles would fall into the $8 category, which workers explained applies to when an article’s writer also handles tasks related to putting the article in the CMS. Workers say most articles TheGamer publishes would fall under this highest tier. In every case, Valnet wrote that this pay structure would be limited to “15 days per post publish.”
“The PPS model gives you more direct control over your earnings,” Valnet wrote, continuing that writers can “now earn up to $2,500 per article based on traffic performance.”
Not all workers at TheGamer have been offered these new terms, with workers telling Aftermath the offer has gone to some members of the site’s guides and news teams. One worker, whom Aftermath is granting anonymity out of concern for reprisal from Valnet, said they “don’t see any patterns here, really” regarding who the offer went to.
The worker told Aftermath that sessions (counted from the first time a user accesses a site within a given time frame, as opposed to pageviews, or every time a page is loaded) have been a success metric at TheGamer for a few years. Sessions, which are usually lower than pageviews, are commonly seen as the more valuable metric across many online publications.
While the success metrics might be the same, tying a worker’s pay entirely to them would be new. “Pay per view bonuses in the previous contracts were additive to base pay,” wrote former TheGamer editor Lex Luddy on Bluesky, who was the first to publicly share details of the site’s new pay structure. The PPS system would replace that, meaning writers would have no minimum guarantee of what they’d be paid for their work. It appears the details of the new structure are still being communicated, with workers who spoke to Aftermath expressing confusion over what it will actually look like in practice. Workers told Aftermath they believe pay could be pro-rated under the new structure, meaning that workers could receive some amount of pay for a story even if it doesn’t hit the 1000 sessions threshold.
But all the workers who spoke to Aftermath agreed that those working under the new structure would see their pay drop drastically, and worried those offered the PPS would feel forced to leave the site because they simply couldn’t afford to work there anymore. Luddy wrote that some TheGamer workers see the PPS as “a form of ‘soft-layoffs,’” a sentiment echoed by those who spoke to Aftermath. “No one is actually considering this,” the worker told Aftermath, saying that affected workers have been “making it clear that they would leave if they are put on this.”
Luddy told Kotaku that some workers are in “open revolt” in Valnet Slack against the changes. Workers who spoke to Aftermath said that TheGamer’s senior leaders, including the editor-in-chief, weren’t told about the PPS ahead of its announcement, and that workers at the site have been trying to get more clarity from Valnet leadership. The worker said the mood at the site is “bleak” as people struggle to understand how to square the new payment structure with current expectations around their hours and output, calling the situation "heartbreaking."
Valnet did reply to a request for comment in time for publication.
Workers told Aftermath that TheGamer had struggled in the past, including layoffs in October 2025. The site saw traffic drops related to Google changes, a common experience among online outlets (and one that’s likely to get worse for sites with Google’s latest Search overhaul). But they felt that their teams had worked hard to turn things around recently, making the PPS structure and the possibility of workers leaving over it feel even more shocking.
Valnet owns a large number of gaming sites, as well as sites covering entertainment, technology, travel, cars, and sports. In May 2025 the company purchased Polygon from Vox Media for a reported $20 million, a purchase that came with mass layoffs of Polygon’s staff. Valnet is a major source of work for online writers, largely as independent contractors; some people who’ve written for Valnet sites have criticized what they feel is low pay and high output expectations, though many online outlets–particularly in games–operate similarly. In April 2025 Valnet sued news outlet The Wrap over an article about Valnet CEO Hassan Youssef and allegations regarding the company’s labor practices.
The PPS would represent a major shift in how workers are compensated at TheGamer, and it’s unsurprising that workers–as well as readers of the site–are finding it unacceptable. In a time of shrinking opportunities for writers, especially in games journalism, practices that make the field feel even more untenable hit all writers hard. And readers want to see workers at the sites they love be paid fairly for their work, rather than rolling the dice on how much they’ll be paid at all.
