Like most enterprise concepts on the web, all of it started as a chat thread.
Former Kotaku Australia editor Mark Serrels and fellow journalist Jackson Ryan have been discussing the dismal destiny of gaming journalism in Australia, spurred on by the closure of Kotaku Australia in 2024. The pair each contributed to the web site — Serrels at one level served as its editor — and later labored collectively instantly at CNET Australia. They have been nicely conscious of the gaping gap the closure left in Australia’s already receding video games journalism trade.
They tossed round concepts for a brand new platform. One thing they may function inside the constraints of their present roles. Serrels runs shopper advocacy group Selection’s editorial division, in the meantime Ryan freelances throughout each science and videogames journalism. A publication? A TikTok channel? A YouTube present? Nothing caught till probably the most retro variant of media round got here into the dialog: a print journal.
Over a catch up at a restaurant in Western Sydney in January this yr, the pair made plans, and extra importantly, set deadlines, to launch a brand new journal known as CONTINUE. It resulted in some of the explosive media Kickstarter campaigns in Australia to this point.
Inside every week, CONTINUE had raised over $70,000, nicely past its preliminary launch aim of $25,000, producing world headlines within the course of. Each have been shocked and stunned when it initially hit $10,000 inside the marketing campaign’s first few hours. The bulk — round 60 per cent — of its backers are Australian.
“Watching the numbers go up, the massive factor for me was: man, we have now shot at making the journal of our desires right here. And that’s what I’m actually enthusiastic about,” Serrels mentioned.
“Past the greenback determine rising, the response from folks on-line; precise builders reaching out, journalists reaching out, random folks I haven’t spoken to in ages. Everybody’s actually enthusiastic about it.”
Ryan, then again, didn’t wish to tempt destiny. He launched the marketing campaign and went for a jog. It wasn’t till his accomplice identified how rapidly the determine was climbing that he took a peek.
“I simply began sobbing. I used to be like, this guidelines, man. Folks truly need this. It was actually overwhelming,” he mentioned.
“We are actually utilizing the title to ask folks: would you like us to proceed?” Ryan mentioned.
“Would you like all these tales instructed? Would you like this type of journalism? To have folks reply a powerful sure after the final 5 years of ache is simply soul-warming.”
This was not your atypical gaming journalism moonshot. It has capitalised on the quiet global resurgence in gaming magazines, primarily buoyed by 90s nostalgia and most lately seen by the revival of Game Informer as a print magazine.
In CONTINUE’s occasion, Serrels and Ryan’s deep contact books have gone into pulling in a few of the native trade’s finest and brightest for the primary version, that includes this prominently on the journal’s Kickstarter web page. The crown jewel of this marketing campaign: Jack Kirby Crosby’s art work, combining parts of Hole Knight: Silksong, Untitled Goose Recreation and different key Australian titles, introduced as the primary journal’s cowl.
Serrels added: “It actually illustrates what we’re attempting to do right here: have a good time Australian video games, elevate them, and convey them to a broader viewers.”
Magazines aren’t with out their challenges
But, whereas their preliminary pleasure persists, the fact of the duty is beginning to set in, even for 2 trade veterans who considerably knew what they have been in for.
Whereas the fundraising continues until mid April, the pair’s ideas have already shifted in direction of execution of the primary journal. And even with the marketing campaign’s outright headline success, the extra Serrels and Ryan interrogate their prices, the extra they consider they’ll want each cent.
They confirmed to Infinite Lives that because it stands at time of interview, with over $60,000 raised, they’ll nonetheless be broadly volunteering their time to get the primary product out the door. A number of preliminary contributors have additionally supplied to forgo their charges out of a drive to easily see the product make it to launch forward of Melbourne Worldwide Video games Week in October.
Looking back, the pair agreed the preliminary $25,000 goal was too conservative, resulting from manufacturing prices and a drive to pay contributors pretty — a longstanding ache level in all work regarding video games journalism. An preliminary goal of nearer to $40,000 would have made extra sense.
Past this, round $10,000 has been raised instantly for the journal’s second difficulty, ruling out its use for the primary version. Kickstarter’s 8 per cent platform price may even cut back the accessible working capital.
As first talked about by AdNews, promoting has been dominated out from the primary version too, following a broader development throughout gaming journalism upstarts that are likely to focus their efforts on reader-supported monetisation.
Although, in a nod to the demand for cut-through for Australian video games amongst an ever rising sea of indies launched yearly, 5 native studios (Studio Folly, Fuzzy Ghost, Paper Home, Ghoulish, Powerhoof) have been granted professional bono slots for 90s-style function adverts for his or her video games within the first journal.
Different unexpected prices introduced on by contributors to the Kickstarter at the moment are beginning to add up too. Delivery was promised as a part of a number of tiers of help for the marketing campaign, and with world oil costs climbing and the lingering prospects of an ongoing battle, that will begin to balloon.
Some supporters, as a part of their donation, made requests for a digital PDF model of the journal, which additionally has extra prices and problems. Ryan didn’t rule this out, however insisted: “In the beginning, this can be a printed bodily journal. That’s all the time going to be the aim.”
And given they nicely exceeded their funding goal, a pledged new web site can be now a part of the equation. Although the pair confirmed that that is extra seemingly set to be a house for longer-form investigative or feature-length gaming content material that promotes any future magazines, versus every day information articles.
Open for story pitches
But, regardless of the challenges forward, the publication is promising to not solely champion the native trade, but additionally floor new writing expertise. Along with launching the Kickstarter, CONTINUE additionally posted a form for writers to pitch their concepts for consideration, particularly for its second journal.
Serrels confirmed that regardless of its Australian focus, the location is open to writers from overseas. “We’re attempting to revive Australian video games media from a printed perspective. If we had a theme, I feel it could be one thing like revival. So that matches properly with having Australian writers,” he mentioned.
“However positively, when you’ve got a powerful pitch that’s Australian-focused or might be made Australian, we’d hear it.”
A number of editors contacted by Infinite Lives throughout the Australian gaming journalism ecosystem welcomed CONTINUE’s success up to now; some including they personally contributed to the Kickstarter too.
Apparently, its important success — and inferred demand — hasn’t triggered any broad introspection concerning gaming journalism enterprise fashions. For individuals who are reader-supported, resembling This Week In Videogames (TWIV), it reaffirmed their present route.
“CONTINUE and This Week in Videogames share the identical ethos in that each shirk the industrial strategy and the bags that comes with it to as a substitute concentrate on the standard of the work, matters, and product,” TWIV managing editor Edmond Tran mentioned.
“Their swift and well-deserved success reveals that there’s completely an viewers for this type of strategy — particularly at the moment, particularly with the expertise they’ve on board — and that this viewers doesn’t should be huge to make magic occur.”
Others, nonetheless, plan to remain on their course, working their websites as a way to champion under-represented communities in gaming, as a ardour undertaking, or working in direction of a reader-supported cooperative.
Serrels and Ryan, in the meantime, have an enormous yr forward of them. Not solely working different roles, but additionally coordinating an enormous journal, placing supporter funds to make use of. All with the final word aim of constructing CONTINUE a sustainable platform for ongoing long-form video games journalism.
Their thesis from that unique chat thread — that there’s nonetheless a real paying demand for prime quality video games journalism and magazines — proved appropriate. To an extent that maybe no person might have guessed.
A short disclaimer: I personally have supported CONTINUE financially, and help each Mark and Jackson in what they’re pulling collectively right here. It’s implausible and I’m very excited for it. Nevertheless, I’ve tried to come back at this text journalistically. In that spirit, I’m disclosing my help right here so that you because the reader can resolve whether or not that’s influenced my means to inform this story in a balanced means.
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