Internet video wasn’t what it is now back when GameTrailers first started in 2002. The site played a big part in turning coverage about games just from text and images to actual gameplay and footage.
GameTrailers has been around for 13 years, turning out not only great footage and gameplay videos, but also great web content about games. It’s sad to see such a longstanding site having to close down. Even sadder is that it’s hard to justify the need for the site anymore though, what with YouTube commanding pretty much the entire market for online videos about anything.
The shutdown is effective today and employees were notified only a few hours before, so they’re still reeling as Ben Moore, GT’s Associate Editor, puts it in a forum post. The GT Facebook page has this post to mark its shut down.
“After 13 years, GameTrailers is closing down today.
When GameTrailers was founded in 2002, internet video was a revolutionary concept. YouTube wouldn’t be founded for another three years; consumer live streaming was nine years away. Back then, online game journalism was still dominated by text articles and static imagery. The most prestigious coverage still happened in print. If you wanted to watch a show about video games, you had to watch it on a special TV station that had 10 shows.
GameTrailers helped change all that. 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. Thank you for your continued support over the years. It has been an adventure.”
Little else is known at this time. The site is still up, but it’s only a question of how much longer till it’s offline. Also, it is unknown whether or not their YouTube channel will stay up after the closure.
Many have taken to Twitter with the hashtag, RIPGameTrailers, to say their goodbyes to a site that helped bring internet videos to the forefront of the video game industry.
I remember when #Gametrailers started and loved their work! Gonna miss them #ripGameTrailers ?
— JohnnyMac (@JohnnyMacZero24) February 9, 2016
Thank you for everything @GameTrailers, this is truly heartbreaking. May the best of luck be with you! #ripGameTrailers
— Marcel Dahl Nielsen (@Laksegaffel) February 9, 2016
RIP gametrailers. Out of all of Defy Media’s brands, you should have been the last to go.
Thanks for 13 years of awesome. <3
— Steven Boogie Williams (@Boogie2988) February 9, 2016
