Gaming Sites The Escapist, Videogamer Fire Staff, Replace With AI Writers Using Fake Identities
Key Takeaways
- ▸Clickout Media fired up to 20 journalists across The Escapist, Videogamer, and Esports Insider, replacing them with AI-generated content under fake bylines with fabricated photos and biographies
- ▸Metacritic removed AI-written reviews from the sites and severed ties with the publications indefinitely, citing its strict policy against machine-generated critic reviews
- ▸The sites continue to display trust statements claiming content comes from human gaming experts, despite verification tools confirming both text and images are AI-generated
Summary
UK-based gaming publications The Escapist, Videogamer, and Esports Insider have dismissed up to 20 human journalists and replaced them with AI-generated content under fake bylines, according to a Press Gazette investigation. The sites, recently acquired by SEO agency Clickout Media, now feature articles written by fictitious authors like "Brian Merrygold" and "Callum Mercer," complete with AI-generated profile photos and biographies. The deception came to light when Metacritic removed an AI-written game review from its aggregation platform, leading the review site to sever ties with the publications pending investigation.
Former staff members report that Clickout Media initially flooded the sites with AI-written casino content in late 2024, then froze budgets and required remaining journalists to reapply for roles training AI systems before ultimately letting them go. Despite these changes, Videogamer continues to display trust statements claiming "our team of gaming experts" provides "unique and original" content. AI detection tools confirmed both the profile images and article text were machine-generated.
Clickout Media has a documented history of acquiring gaming and tech sites with established reputations, then replacing editorial staff with automated content focused on casinos and cryptocurrency—a practice industry observers describe as "parasitic SEO." Metacritic co-founder Marc Doyle emphasized the platform's zero-tolerance policy for AI-generated reviews, stating they will permanently remove publications found using such content. The company rarely acknowledges its ownership of acquired sites and has been characterized as "peculiarly shy" by gaming publication Kotaku.
- Clickout Media has an established pattern of acquiring reputable gaming sites and replacing editorial teams with automated casino and cryptocurrency content
