Video game news outlet Kotaku has been sold to European media company Keleops, as former owner G/O Media winds down its operations.
Kotaku had been owned by G/O Media since 2019. While G/O Media once owned news and humour websites like Gizmodo, Lifehacker, Jezebel, and The Onion, it began selling much of its portfolio in 2023.
“Kotaku isn’t just a brand — it’s a home for gamers and a place where the culture keeps moving forward. We are honoured to shape its future and make such an iconic gaming brand part of our family, as part of our bold vision for Keleops and ongoing U.S. expansion,” said Keleops CEO Jean-Guillaume Kleis
Keleops, based in Switzerland, also owns French-language technology and culture websites including 01net and Journal Du Geek. It did not disclose the deal’s price.
It acquired Gizmodo from G/O Media in 2024, the company’s first purchase outside of Europe. Keleops says Gizmodo’s global audience has quadrupled since the acquisition.
“Building on our astonishing success with Gizmodo thus far, we are committed to taking Kotaku to the next horizon, reinforcing its status as a must-read for gamers and anyone curious about gaming,” said Kleis.
Kotaku’s editorial staff will remain on the website, with further hiring planned, according to Kleis.
G/O Media’s only remaining property is the Black culture-focused website The Root. The company sold websites Quartz and The Inventory earlier in 2025, and outlets like Deadspin, The Onion, and The A/V Club in 2024.
“While The Root is a wonderful site and a very good business it is now abundantly clear that G/O Media is and has been working towards a full wind down,” wrote G/O Media CEO Jim Spanfeller. Spanfeller said Great Hill Partners, G/O Media’s private equity parent, had decided to sunset the company due to a lack of growth.
Formed after Gizmodo Media Group was bought by Great Hill Partners in 2019, G/O Media frequently conflicted with its publications’ employees over editorial directives and labour issues. Kotaku hosted just six full-time staff after multiple rounds of layoffs in 2024, including the exit of its senior editor.
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