Eurogamer and VG247 veterans launch new independent site

Eurogamer, RPG Site, and VG247 veterans have launched Respec, a new independent media site.

Announced today via a welcome post, the team is composed of editor in chief and co-founder Tom Orry, publisher and co-founder Alex Donaldson, editor Mikhail Madnani, contributor Rebecca Jones, and a host of freelance writers.

“There is a suggested new wisdom that the more traditional kind of video game coverage simply isn’t viable outside of the confines of established mega-sites—but we don’t think that is true,” Donaldson and Orry say in the welcome post.

“In fact, we think there’s a lot of people out there who want to read and watch good, fun gaming content with the tone and timber of the magazines of their youth or that they were too young to experience but have heard much about from nostalgic old-timers. We think that audience is best served through independence. That leads us here, putting our money where our mouth is.”

Related:Own goal specialist Xbox rifles another into the roof of the net – Patch Notes #60

Respec joins a stream of former games media staffers establishing independent sites, including the likes of Rogue, Jank, and many others, some of which have banded together to create subscription bundles.

Now, Respec’s mission is “simple,” focusing on games news, criticism, and features on the site, as well as podcasts and videos, with “no clickbait” and “no silly bollocks,” the latter referencing the publication being “unabashedly British-owned.”

The current editorial lineup aggregates the owner-operators of RPG Site, the genre-focused publication celebrating 20 years of operation in 2026, along with one of the original founders of Videogamer. The team’s experience spans across Eurogamer, VG247, TouchArcade, Inverse, TheGamer, and more.

“Alex and I have worked together for a long time and we want Respec to be the kind of site that is rare these days under corporate ownership,” Orry individually writes. “A site that has character, that leans on experience to celebrate what’s great about video games, but also isn’t afraid to lay down some hard truths.”

“RPG Site is now in its 20th year, and is how our Respec co-founder Mike and I know that fully independent sites can be successful—because we’ve done it,” Donaldson individually writes. “We own one. Indeed, that site was vital in figuring out what I wanted Respec to be—taking the tone, fun, and general madness we captured back on VG247 in its heyday and mingling it with the bootstraps structure and focus that has made RPG Site successful.”