Jon Hicks joins GamesIndustry.biz as Editorial Director

My name’s Jon (or Jonty, either works) and I’m the new Editorial Director of GamesIndustry.biz, overseeing this site and its sub-brands.

You may recognise my name (and tasteful hand-drawn profile picture) from my ten-year stint at previous GamesIndustry.biz parent Gamer Network, where I oversaw the B2C brands like Eurogamer and Rock Paper Shotgun and popped up on stage at events like EGX and MCM Comic-Con. Prior to that, I ran the late lamented Official Xbox Magazine and its digital offshoots at Future during the glory days of the Xbox 360 and the rather less glorious debut of Xbox One, and after that I’ve been working on B2B events for MobileGamer.biz and MCM Comic-Con as well as the Convergence showcase.

Throughout that time, GamesIndustry.biz has been an essential voice covering the industry and the people who work in it. I’ve worked alongside esteemed GI alumnus Christopher Dring and the team past and present on GI’s editorial, events and awards (and parties), and seen first-hand the importance of GI’s role hosting the discussions, data and direct human connections for the industry globally. To be able to continue and expand that, within a new structure that enables the Gamer Network sites to leverage the immense reach and resources of IGN Entertainment, is a tremendously exciting opportunity – and the need for coverage and support for the games industry is unprecedented.

Developers and teams of all sizes continue to suffer from layoffs, and publishers are struggling to launch titles into a market that’s intensively competitive at the lower end and dominated by incumbents at the top end. The old platform “wars” have settled into increasingly distinct empires, while largest service games are platforms in their own right. Mobile remains gigantic in revenue terms, under-reported in media terms, and facing its own struggles with both platforms and legislation.

Players have never had it so good, in terms of the range and quality of releases, but have also never been so vocal in sharing their unhappiness. The media landscape has sprawled and mutated in ways that defy easy classification, and while the game-playing audience has never been larger, it’s never been more difficult to actually reach them. It’s a fraught but fascinating time – and one that still holds immense potential, for titles as diverse as Balatro and Battlefield 6. It’s tough out there, but there’s still everything to play for.

I’m committed to GI telling the most important stories and delivering essential insights and analysis, and building on its legacy on the site, in person, and in between (which includes, yes, the podcast, which will be returning soon). In the last few days I’ve had nothing but exciting conversations with the GI and IGN team, and I look forward to sharing more in the coming weeks and months. In the meantime, I welcome all other conversations with the industry about how we can cover it more effectively – you can reach me at jon.hicks@gamesindustry.biz.