> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.verticalslice.news/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Get in loser, you're going shopping - URL: https://www.verticalslice.news/get-in-loser-youre-going-shopping/ - Published: 2026-10-30T15:07:47.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-30T16:10:25.000Z - Description: The heady days of free articles are coming to an end. It's time to splash some cash. - Author: Chris Kerr - Tags: Slice of Life Vertical Slice did not exist three weeks ago. It was a glimmering figment of my imagination. Inspect the crumbling ruin of game media, and it would probably be more fair to call it a fantasy. Career suicide? Even that wouldn't be a stretch (just ask my financial advisor)—and yet, here we are. 19 days into what I hope will be a journey that spans years and already very much mixing it with the big fellas. Before we kick on, here's a rundown of what the publication has already accomplished in that minuscule timeframe: - 355 subscribers (131 paid) - 100+ articles published - Investigative reporting cited in [Eurogamer](https://www.eurogamer.net/inside-ea-layoffs-report-bioware-morale-secrecy?ref=verticalslice.news), [Rock Paper Shotgun](https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/while-ea-shuts-down-bioware-developers-of-the-sims-skate-and-battlefield-say-theyve-also-lost-their-jobs?ref=verticalslice.news), [Kotaku](https://kotaku.com/skydance-institutes-company-wide-mandatory-return-to-office-so-it-can-avoid-saying-layoffs-so-soon-after-merger-2000749847?ref=verticalslice.news), [GamesIndustry.biz](https://www.gamesindustry.biz/newly-merged-skydance-mandates-staff-return-to-office-five-days-a-week-offers-voluntary-buyout-program?ref=verticalslice.news), and more - 1,700+ Bluesky followers - 53,000 views (34,000 unique visitors) - Two newsletters launched (you're reading one right now!) - \~£5,500 gross income (£807 monthly salary) - Free design documents and pitch decks for all Cause for optimism? I think so! I have absolutely no comparison because this is my first rodeo. Maybe I'm doomed. Wouldn't that be a spooky Halloween twist? Boo! Deadpanning aside, it does feel like—at the very least—the work is resonating. I started Vertical Slice to publish stories that could move the needle and elevate workers. This week, our story on the recent layoffs at EA, and the unequivocal shitstorm they've been subjected to at the hands of company leadership, seemed to do exactly that. Proof, as if you needed it, that solid, well-sourced reporting can hold power to account. I also made the publication completely free for the first three weeks to ensure as many people as possible could peek under the hood. Generosity manifest? Absolutely. A cheeky little marketing ploy? You got me. Look, it would have been lunacy to ask people to commit financially to a cause when the pudding is devoid of proof. I know some of you might have followed my reporting at Game Developer, but there had to be a little kernel of doubt as to whether or not I could make this whole thing work on my own. Don't get me wrong, I am eternally grateful to all of the intrepid lunatics who chose to soar into the great unknown with me, but the point stands. Or it did. I'm about to engage in some horn tooting, so cover your ears, but I think I've proven beyond a doubt that Vertical Slice can be a force for good in the world of game media. You want receipts? I've got them. Deep breath. [We broke the news that Unity is opting developers into its latest generative AI nonsense by default](https://www.verticalslice.news/unity-opting-asset-store-creators-into-new-generative-ai-platform-by-default/). [We were the first to report on Microsoft's very odd Xbox trade-in bulletin](https://www.verticalslice.news/how-bad-is-the-hardware-crisis-well-microsoft-is-emailing-some-xbox-owners-the-latest-trade-in-offers-at-best-buy/). [We interviewed Peak co-creator Aggro Crab about its rather rambunctious approach to publishing](https://www.verticalslice.news/fuck-it-send-it-peak-co-creators-new-publishing-label-is-all-about-that-aggro-tone/). [We surfaced some very interesting allegations against Rockstar Games by attending a high-profile employment tribunal](https://www.verticalslice.news/rockstar-accused-of-rewarding-moles-for-spying-on-union-members-with-additional-time-off/). [We managed to shine a light on the extent of EA's latest layoffs](https://www.verticalslice.news/maxis-full-circle-and-ripple-effect-targeted-by-ea-during-sweeping-layoffs/). [Then we spent days speaking to current and former EA workers to understand the human impact of those cuts](https://www.verticalslice.news/ea-workers-decry-mismanagement-and-corporate-greed-after-mass-layoffs/). [We revealed that Warner Bros. Games' new parent company Skydance has issued a five-day RTO mandate alongside a 'Voluntary Buyout Program.'](https://www.verticalslice.news/wb-games-owner-skydance-introducing-five-day-in-office-mandate-alongside-voluntary-buyout-program/) [Oh, and we published this opinion piece on how access journalism is brain-meltingly dumb](https://www.verticalslice.news/opinion-xbox-already-has-a-marketing-team-and-unless-im-mistaken-journalists-are-not-on-its-payroll/). Alright, now exhale. As I mentioned earlier, those stories have pulled in over 34,000 viewers. If just 2 percent of those readers (a mere 680 people) were to pay £7.45 for a full-price monthly subscription, Vertical Slice would not only become sustainable in an instant, but I would also have enough money to start attending events, commissioning more freelancers, and maybe even bring on a part-time newser. Ooh la la. It sounds brilliant, doesn't it? Almost as brilliant as seminal American teen comedy and MTV Movie Award winner Mean Girls. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/83/ae/83ae1391-311e-4ba5-a8ec-7a0ea72ef568/content/images/2026/10/f975b87c-bd3e-4b34-8390-c816822bf0dd_800x448.jpg) Yes, dear reader, it is time to overlook that impossibly rough transition and go shopping. Regina George demands it. I demand it. But mainly my landlord demands it. As promised, the paywall is looming. It will manifest like the wonders of old on November 2\. Better known as 'next Monday' in the common tongue. What does this mean for paying subscribers? Nothing. You high-flying early birds are home and dry. Just keep reading, commenting, and generally slurping down the good word of Vertical Slice as normal. Free subscribers, well, you know the score. Going forward, you'll still be able to access every single headline and a few select articles each week, but the whole hog is reserved for those with a ticket to the buffet. The Repository, our educational collection of design documents and pitch decks, will remain free to all. No login required. I'm not a monster. I know this might feel like a rug pull, but I genuinely cannot stress how much time and effort goes into producing video game reporting on this scale. Since launch, I've consistently worked weekends, taken late night source calls, spent days attending an employment tribunal, and sunk hours into reporting that never made it to print because, well, sometimes the wind changes direction. That's the job. I adore it. I cannot do it for free. Fortunately for you, [our launch sale is still alive and kicking](https://www.verticalslice.news/limited-time-launch-sale-now-on/). 33% off annual and monthly subscriptions. All yours until November 9\. From that point on, well, let's just say that unlike sofa specialist DFS our discounts are not eternal. This is it folks. The moment of truth. Do you support independent journalism with the conviction and tenacity to chase the truth? Are you prepared to put your money where my mouth is and believe in a video game press that actually serves its audience? Or, are you willing to take the increasingly risky bet that video game media will somehow survive—lord knows it won't thrive—in the throes of corporations whose only devotion is to profit, not people? Free journalism does not exist. If you aren't paying for it, then you are the product. That doesn't sound very fetch, does it? ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/83/ae/83ae1391-311e-4ba5-a8ec-7a0ea72ef568/content/images/2026/10/Mailbag.png) Image via Pixabay / [aitoff](https://pixabay.com/users/aitoff-388338/?ref=verticalslice.news) Alright, enough of that, let's rip into the first-ever Slice of Life mailbag! This month we have a couple of (very contrasting) questions from Solomar and Bryant (my old GD.com colleague), who've pressed me on the inspiration behind The Repository and the absence of baked goods on Vertical Slice. Both reasonable queries! **Solomar asks: One of the most unique aspects of Vertical Slice is The Repository. It's an amazing idea that is bound to become an important resource for anyone looking to make a design doc or pitch deck. It does feel significantly different from what one might expect to find on a news website, so I was wondering how the idea came about?** **Chris:** First off, I agree! The Repository is a pretty cool idea. Thank you for noticing. When I first started mulling over the prospect of going independent I wanted to find a way to make Vertical Slice unique (aside from publishing banger after banger). Doubling down on knowledge sharing in an industry known for anything but felt like a good way to do that. Even better, it felt like a way to pay homage to Gamasutra, my old stomping ground, which once upon a time had a bristling blog section stuffed with wonderful dev-authored deep dives and postmortems. Eventually, I'd love for The Repository to evolve into a full-blown blogging section, but that will require more time and money than I currently have. Uploading design docs and pitch decks isn't too time consuming, which is pretty important. Running a business and writing a bunch of articles every day can be overwhelming at times, so my aim has always been to start slow and build towards something bigger! **Bryant asks: When will you begin sharing your fabulous baked goods on Vertical Slice?** **Chris:** I recently promised a friend I'll make them an impossibly moist lemon curd cake over the Christmas holidays. If Vertical Slice becomes sustainable before then I will not only share the recipe, but post a series of increasingly scandalous pictures of said cake. Gooey cross-sections are for paying subs ONLY. 📭 Got a burning question about the world of independent media, my baking habits, or quite literally anything else? Fling them over to our [contact email](mailto: contact@verticalslice.news) with the subject 'Slice of Life' and I'll do my best to answer in next month's edition!