The Company Quietly Buying Up Game Journalism

Games journalism outlet Aftermath has published a damning investigation into Clickout Media, a secretive company that has been acquiring well-known gaming sites and transforming them from legitimate journalism outlets into vehicles for gambling affiliate marketing and AI-generated content.

Which Sites Are Affected?

Outlets that have undergone transformation after being acquired include GamesHub, The Escapist, Videogamer, and Adventure Gamers. Once known for independent games journalism, these sites have seen a dramatic influx of casino and gambling-related sponsored content, alongside SEO-optimized AI-written articles.

The Affiliate Marketing Playbook

Clickout Media's apparent strategy prioritizes online gambling affiliate revenue and SEO traffic over traditional games journalism. By acquiring sites with established domain authority and reader trust, then pivoting them toward gambling referrals, the company extracts value from the brand equity built by years of legitimate journalism — while undermining the editorial independence that made these outlets valuable in the first place.

The report has sparked outrage among games journalists and readers alike, shining a light on just how deeply gambling capital has infiltrated gaming media. The investigation by Jackson Ryan at Aftermath represents the kind of accountability journalism that the sites being hollowed out once stood for.

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The Secretive Company Flooding Game Sites With Gambling Content and AI Articles