GameTrailers is closing down after 13-years of reviews, trailers and walkthrough guides. It seems sad to say it, but even though the announcement came as a shock, in retrospect it seems inevitable.
The announcement was made via Twitter by GameTrailer’s Editor-In-Chief, Brandon Jones, who tweeted:
After 13 years, GameTrailers is closing down today. Thank you for your continued support over the years. It has been an adventure.
— GameTrailers (@GameTrailers) February 9, 2016
According to Jones, GameTrailers will be posting one last Twitch stream tonight at 6pm – we assume that’s US time – and fans are encouraged to drop by.
As was mentioned, while the announcement initially came as a surprise to long time fans of the site, the demise of GameTrailers was probably coming for a quite a while now. With the rise of YouTubers posting everything from walkthroughs to sketches to reviews on new gear and software, audience numbers on GameTrailers were likely to dwindle.
GameTrailers addressed this phenomenon on its Facebook account, saying:
“Today, game journalism is dominated by video: trailers, live gameplay, Let’s Plays, and news shows. Now there are millions of hours of content available at any time on your PC, your game console, your TV, and your phone.
We’re proud we helped bring this world into being. That is the legacy of GameTrailers. We’re grateful to all of our fans who helped make us successful.”