Brian Altano, Seth Macy and Max Scoville, three former IGN hosts, have launched X Button, an independent gaming podcast network funded through Patreon. Altano announced it on October 19, about five weeks after the IGN layoffs that cost him and Macy their jobs.

What Is X Button?

X Button launches with two shows on Patreon. One is a general video game podcast, also called X Button. The other is Ninfriendo 64, a Nintendo-focused show. Altano’s announcement on Bluesky summed up the turnaround: “Last month we lost our jobs. This month we made new ones.” He also said this is only the start, but no further projects have been named.

The shows continue what the hosts did at IGN. Altano and Scoville co-hosted the PlayStation podcast Beyond!, and Macy was a longtime co-host of the Nintendo podcast NVC.

Why They Left

On September 14, Ziff Davis, IGN’s owner, laid off staff across several departments, with Altano and Macy the most visible names. Altano had been at IGN since 2009. Kotaku reports that IGN is itself stepping back from its well-known podcasts, and that its Xbox show Unlocked had not published since October 1. Scoville also left amid the same shift.

Why It Matters

This follows a familiar path. In January 2015, Greg Miller, Colin Moriarty, Nick Scarpino and Tim Gettys left IGN to start Kinda Funny, also Patreon-funded, and it is still running today. Audience-funded media has become a real option for laid-off games journalists and hosts.

What is not public yet matters too. The announcement coverage does not give Patreon tier pricing, a funding target or a first-episode schedule. Whether weekly shows can hold a paying audience is the thing to watch.

Sources

• https://happygamer.com/ex-ign-staffers-launch-x-button-independent-gaming-network-168985/
• https://kotaku.com/as-ign-retreats-from-podcasts-fired-hosts-start-their-own-2000747616
• https://kotaku.com/sources-ign-layoffs-hit-multiple-departments-and-long-time-hosts-2000734361
• https://aftermath.site/ign-layoffs-altano-macy/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinda_Funny
• https://www.resetera.com/threads/brian-altano-max-scoville-and-seth-macy-ex-ign-launch-x-button-a-new-video-game-podcast-network.1664440/ (not read; blocked)