Video Games Chronicle

About Video Games Chronicle

Video Games Chronicle (VGC) is a London-based video game news website known for breaking major industry stories. Launched on 2 May 2019 by a team of former Computer and Video Games (CVG) journalists led by founder and editor-in-chief Andy Robinson, it is owned by 1981 Media and has quickly established itself as one of the most influential voices in games journalism, winning Games Media Brand of the Year at the MCV/Develop Awards in 2025. Visit the official website at videogameschronicle.com.

History and founding

Video Games Chronicle launched on 2 May 2019, founded by Andy Robinson, the former editor of Computer and Video Games, alongside colleagues from the CVG team. The launch came at a moment of flux in British games media: Future plc had closed CVG's website operations, leaving a gap for authoritative UK-based games news. Robinson and his team filled it with VGC, a new independent site that combined the institutional knowledge of the CVG staff with a modern, digital-first approach. The site's early scoops — including accurate reporting on unannounced games and industry moves — rapidly built its reputation.

Ownership and funding model

VGC is owned by 1981 Media, an independent British media company. Unlike many of its rivals, which have been absorbed into large corporate portfolios (Gamer Network into IGN/Ziff Davis, for example), VGC has remained independently owned, which its team presents as a guarantee of editorial independence. The site is free to read and funded by advertising, with additional revenue from its Patreon-style supporter programme, through which readers can back the site directly.

Editorial focus and coverage areas

VGC's signature is hard news: the site has broken some of the biggest stories in the games industry, from unannounced title reveals to corporate acquisitions and studio closures. Its reporting is particularly strong on PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo platform news, and its journalists have cultivated deep sourcing within publishers and developers. Alongside breaking news, VGC publishes reviews, interviews, features and analysis, plus a podcast. The site's news judgment — knowing which stories matter and getting them first — is the foundation of its influence.

Notable journalists and contributors

VGC was founded and is led by editor-in-chief Andy Robinson, whose CVG pedigree gave the new site instant credibility. The launch team drew heavily on former CVG staff, bringing with them years of industry contacts and reporting experience. The site's bylines have become familiar to anyone who follows games news, and its reporters are regularly cited — and credited — by rival outlets when VGC breaks a story, a mark of respect in a competitive field.

Audience and reach

VGC's audience is the core gaming enthusiast: readers who follow the industry as closely as the games themselves. Its scoops routinely drive the global news cycle, with stories broken by VGC picked up by mainstream outlets including the BBC, The Guardian and international games press. This agenda-setting power gives VGC an influence disproportionate to its size, making it essential reading for industry professionals as well as fans.

Business model

VGC operates a hybrid model: free, advertising-supported journalism supplemented by direct reader support. Its supporter programme allows fans to contribute financially, reflecting a broader trend in specialist journalism toward reader revenue as advertising alone becomes less reliable. The site's independence from large corporate owners is both an editorial stance and a commercial differentiator, marketed to readers who want games journalism free of conglomerate influence.

Digital platforms, podcasts and newsletters

VGC publishes through videogameschronicle.com and maintains an active social media presence, where its breaking stories spread rapidly. The site also produces the VGC podcast, extending its news analysis into audio. Its digital-first design prioritises speed — getting verified stories published quickly is central to its competitive advantage in the news-driven games media market.

Awards and recognition

VGC's rise was formally recognised in 2025 when it won Games Media Brand of the Year at the MCV/Develop Awards — a striking achievement for a site then only six years old, competing against long-established rivals. The award confirmed what the industry had already concluded: that VGC had become one of the defining games media brands of its era. Its stories are routinely credited across the global games press, and its journalists are regular commentators on the state of the industry.

The site's own About page describes VGC as a 100% independent publication supported by readers through Patreon, with its review coverage aggregated by both Metacritic and OpenCritic. It is a long-standing judging publication for The Game Awards, and in 2025 it won Games Media Brand of the Year at the MCV Develop Awards, having previously been nominated for the same honour in consecutive years.

Industry role and reputation

In a games media landscape marked by consolidation and layoffs, VGC stands as a proof point that independent, news-driven games journalism can thrive. Its willingness to report stories that larger, corporately owned outlets might hesitate over — and its track record of getting them right — has earned it the trust of both readers and sources. For industry professionals, a VGC exclusive is often the first sign of a significant development; for rival journalists, it is the story to follow.

Outlook

Video Games Chronicle continues to break major stories from its London newsroom, and its 2025 MCV/Develop award suggests its influence is still growing. As the games industry navigates platform transitions, studio consolidation and changing business models, VGC's independent, scoop-driven journalism positions it well. For anyone who wants to know what's really happening in the games business, it remains essential reading.

The scoop machine: how VGC sets the news agenda

VGC's defining characteristic — and the reason for its rapid rise — is its ability to break stories. Founded by former Computer and Video Games journalists with deep industry sourcing, the site has repeatedly published accurate reports on unannounced games, studio developments, corporate acquisitions and platform plans ahead of official announcements. This scoop-driven model depends on two assets that are hard to replicate: trusted relationships with sources inside publishers and developers, built over decades in the case of founder Andy Robinson and his launch team, and the editorial judgment to verify and publish quickly without getting burned. When VGC breaks a story, the mechanics of the modern news cycle take over: rival outlets follow with their own confirmations (usually crediting VGC), mainstream media pick it up, and social media amplifies it — giving a relatively small London newsroom an outsized influence on the global conversation. The site's track record on major platform stories — covering PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo with equal aggression — has made it essential reading for industry professionals who need to know what's coming, not just what's announced. This agenda-setting power also creates a virtuous circle: being known as the outlet that breaks stories encourages more sources to come forward, which produces more stories. VGC's podcast extends the model into audio, with its journalists discussing the week's news and the stories behind the stories. The site's independence, under 1981 Media rather than a conglomerate owner, is frequently cited by its team as essential to this model — sources talk to journalists they trust, and readers trust exclusives from an outlet with no corporate parent to protect. In an era when much games "news" is repackaged press releases, VGC's investment in original reporting stands out, and its 2025 MCV/Develop Games Media Brand of the Year award recognised precisely this: a brand built not on scale or heritage, but on getting the story first and getting it right.