G4 shuts down after layoffs, Frosk firing, WWE deal falls apart - The Washington Post

While G4 has struggled passim 2022, the shutdown itself was sudden. The Washington Post viewed different email sent Sunday from G4 caput Joe Marsh to employees that informed unit that G4′s Los Angeles installation would beryllium closed until Oct. 18 — and that each streams were postponed. But that email did not notation the network’s shutdown. Additionally, erstwhile G4 employees who requested anonymity owed to the signing of nondisclosure agreements told The Post that unit were locked retired of interior connection services similar Slack and Google Drive without contiguous explanation. This came aft unit from “Arena,” a amusement produced arsenic portion of a important woody with the WWE, discontinue past week, according to ex-employees.

G4 is Comcast’s effort astatine reviving a web from the aboriginal 2000s that imagined what televised video crippled sum and amusement could look similar years earlier contented creators connected YouTube and Twitch began amassing millions of viewers. Despite repeated attempts astatine bringing said creators into the fold — shows specified arsenic “Name Your Price” were hosted by Twitch stars similar AustinShow (who has not publically divulged his afloat name) — the web ne'er recovered its footing erstwhile competing against idiosyncratic influencers, who themselves were inspired by G4′s original, 2002-2014 iteration.

Expenditures for impermanent endowment look to person played a relation successful the closure. According to aggregate G4 employees interviewed by The Post, immoderate high-profile creators demanded time rates of $25,000-$30,000 erstwhile invited to look arsenic guests connected G4.

Several events presaged G4′s demise. The nosedive that culminated Sunday began erstwhile then-president Russell Arons exited G4 astatine the extremity of August. In September, G4 laid disconnected much than 20 unit members, galore of whom worked connected shows similar video crippled reappraisal and commentary flagship “X-Play.” A week later, Kotaku reported that 1 of the revived G4′s astir salient faces, “X-Play” big Indiana “Froskurinn” Black, was nary longer with the network. Later that aforesaid month, Kevin Pereira — 1 of the biggest names to travel retired of the archetypal 2005-13 tally of geek civilization assortment programme “Attack of the Show,” who besides hosted its reboot — besides departed.

In Sunday’s memo, Scott expressed his regrets.

“I cognize this is disappointing news, and I’m disappointed, too,” helium wrote. “I privation to convey you and everyone connected the G4 squad for the hard enactment and committedness to the network.”