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A group of former staff members from Polygon has launched a new independent video game website called Rogue. The seven founders came together after layoffs occurred at Polygon following its acquisition by Valnet from Vox Media in May.

The team aims to help readers discover games that resonate with them personally, highlighting both triple-A and indie titles. They also plan to humanize game developers and their processes while holding studios accountable for their actions. Their goal is to create content that is made by people, for people, without relying on algorithms.

The editorial team includes Alice Jovanée, Cass Marshall, Jeffrey Parkin, Ryan Gilliam, Clayton Ashley, Pat Gill, and Toussaint Egan, all of whom are founders and contributors. In their mission statement, they noted, “2025 has been rough for everyone. Games and games journalism are no exception. We believe that we can help by showcasing some of the coolest stuff we find, helping general readers understand what development looks like, and drawing attention to the challenges studios overcome to build your favorite games.”

The founders expressed their concerns about the industry’s focus on traffic numbers, stating, “We’ve all worked for companies that demand big traffic numbers to benefit people at the top. This often demands writers cater to Google above all else, which is why AI has started to permeate your favorite websites, and why headlines feel like ‘clickbait.’ In a ‘growth forever’ economy, it’s the only way for these websites to keep going, and unfortunately, that often isn’t enough.”

They emphasized their commitment to writing about topics they are passionate about, saying, “This cycle is only going to get worse in the future. We aim to fight against that, as so many incredible independent sites before us have. We will write about what we want to write about, and what we think our audience will enjoy. We don’t need an algorithm to tell us what the people want when you can just tell us yourselves.”

Rogue is established in partnership with the independent tabletop gaming site Rascal, but it operates as a completely worker-owned entity. In a detailed FAQ, the Rogue team explained that the four owners are full-time staffers responsible for news coverage, reviews, interviews, and guides. Contributors will also host the Patlabor watch-through podcast while making editorial contributions.

The FAQ states, “We, the staff, own Rogue. There is no company above us. We have no ‘boss.’ Nobody can shut us down or sell us. Even Rascal, a site we love, is not above us or below us. We’re sister sites in the fight to make gaming (of all kinds) accessible to everyone.”

They assured readers that the content on their website is created for them, saying, “If we want to write about Grand Theft Auto 6, it’ll be because we want to, not because someone else noticed how well it’s trending. If we want to cover a rad indie game instead of a triple-A release, nobody can stop us.”

As an independent outlet, Rogue will avoid advertising and sponsored articles to eliminate ethical concerns. Instead, it will adopt a reader-supported model with various subscription options. Some content, including news and most guides, will remain free to access. “Every post can be accessed with our lowest subscription tier, for just $7 a month. We have two other tiers which offer subscriber bonuses (like video versions of both of our podcasts!). But these are merely additional ways to support us and what we do,” the FAQ adds.

The founders concluded, “None of us entered games journalism to get rich, and we certainly have no intention of getting rich from Rogue. All we want is to keep doing this for as long as possible. To do that right, we need to treat Rogue as a full-time commitment, which is why we’re asking for your support.”

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