In December 2024, Walmart did something perhaps out of character: It helped start a video gaming news website.Restart.run launched in December 2024 by gaming strategy and content marketing agency Moonrock. It prominently disclosed that it was created using funding from Walmart, with the initial tagline of “independent gaming news powered by Walmart,” according to worker-owned gaming news site Aftermath. Restart would cover launches of new games and publish reviews and previews of new or recent releases.
However, Brandy Berthelson — who had been Restart’s editor-in-chief — said on Bluesky last Friday that the “entire editorial team” at Restart was laid off that day. Several of her colleagues also posted that they had been laid off, including editors Jesse Vitelli and Imran Khan, as well as deals writer Myles Obenza.
“With that, my time in games media has also come to an end,” Berthelson wrote. “After 20 years, helping to build and run multiple sites, and experiencing numerous layoffs, I just don’t have it in me anymore. I’ll always be a gamer, but it’s time for a change.”
It’s unclear exactly how many employees were affected by the decision. The website’s staff page shows 10 names, but that appears to include freelancers or other contributors. Walmart and Moonrock did not respond to requests for comment. Berthelson, the editor, also declined to comment, but pointed to a recent story in Aftermath on the most recent news and Restart’s backstory.
