Exciting News: Former Polygon Writers Launch Innovative New Website!

A significant number of staff members were laid off at Polygon after Vox Media sold the publication to Valnet. However, two former writers, Ryan Gilliam and Jeffrey Parkin, are starting a new venture called Big Friendly Guide. You can check it out at bigfriendly.guide.

Gilliam explains that creating guides gives him a chance to help people enjoy something he’s passionate about. He didn’t want to stop that when he left his old job. Parkin shares that they excel at assisting gamers, making it easier for players to have fun and tackle challenges, like finding elusive items in popular games.

Big Friendly Guide will offer much of its content for free. Their guides won’t be paywalled, making it accessible to all. They also plan to launch a Patreon, which will allow fans to support their work and join a Discord community. They’ll have a weekly podcast available for everyone and a monthly subscriber-only podcast where they reveal their future plans.

For now, ads will help them stay afloat, but their main goal is to build a community that trusts their expertise. They encourage users to suggest guides they’d like to see.

This initiative follows a trend where former Polygon staff have started their own projects. Chris Plante, the former editor-in-chief, now runs the Post Games podcast, while Pete Volk leads the PV Guide newsletter. This shift highlights the rise of indie gaming publications like Aftermath and Game File.

Gilliam and Parkin have realistic goals. Parkin notes that they don’t aim to build a large brand to sell or get rich. They simply want to continue doing what they love.

Experts in the gaming community, like industry analyst Niko Partners, emphasize that independent voices are crucial for diverse perspectives in gaming. Statistics show that 35% of gamers prefer content from smaller, indie creators over mainstream sources. Big Friendly Guide taps into this growing demand for authentic, community-driven content.

In a time when content saturation is high, platforms that prioritize engagement and community-building stand out. Fans are looking for genuine interactions and insights tailored to their needs, making smaller guides-focused websites increasingly popular.

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