Outside of giants like IGN and GamesRadar, most gaming sites aren’t getting meaningful search traffic anymore. AI is eating that use case — people ask a chatbot instead of clicking through to a niche site.

The attention has shifted. YouTube and TikTok own gaming discovery now. That’s where eyeballs live.

But for written content, newsletters are quietly holding their own. That’s why I started a Substack back in 2023, and why I’m now looking at Beehiiv and YouTube Shorts as growth channels. Even without a dedicated gaming category, Substack has organic discovery — and I’ve been surprised by how many of those emails actually get opened.

For 2026, the funnel I’m building looks like this: YouTube for discovery → Newsletter for depth → Steam or Itch for the sell. Simple, but it holds up.

Even on YouTube things are shifting. The influencer era is fading. What’s working now feels more like a TV show — consistent format, recognisable voice, a reason to come back. Less “creator,” more “show runner.”

As for this blog? It’s staying. Not as a traffic play — just as a place to think out loud and document ideas. Even if the only reader is me.