The gaming site sponsored by Walmart lays off its editorial staff

Restart, a games media website launched in late 2024 that was sponsored by Walmart, has laid off its “entire editorial team,” according to a Friday post from Brandy Berthelson, the site’s former editor-in-chief. Other staffers have also posted about being laid off.

Restart is operated by Moonrock, a content marketing agency, though its editorial mission page says it’s “powered” by Walmart. That page outlines how Walmart is (or was) involved:

When we mention a game, we’ll provide purchase links that will take you to Walmart using a partner tracking code. This link provides us with 0% of the sale if you decide to buy the product, but it does help Walmart see exactly how customers arrived at the product.According to that page, Restart operated as an “independent site” and said that Walmart “doesn’t influence our editorial direction.”

According to that page, Restart operated as an “independent site” and said that Walmart “doesn’t influence our editorial direction.”

Basically, Restart was Walmart’s take on something like Game Informer, which used to be owned by GameStop. A few months before the launch of Restart, GameStop shut Game Informer down, though it’s since been revived under new ownership.

Berthelson says she is “not able” to discuss details of the layoffs. One laid off staffer tells The Verge that they signed a severance agreement with Moonrock.

As of this writing, Restart remains online. It’s unclear if Walmart and Moonrock will continue operating the site following the layoffs, and if so, what that will look like. Walmart and Moonrock didn’t immediately reply to requests for comment.