Vox Media sold its gaming site Polygon to the internet‑brand aggregator Valnet, and the deal immediately triggered a wave of layoffs. The cuts hit veteran journalists who had built the outlet over a decade.

The sale bundled Polygon with Valnet's roster of sites—including Game Rant, OpenCritic, Android Police, and Comic Book Resources. Within hours, co‑founder and editor‑in‑chief Chris Plante and senior writer Michael McW…

Valnet's Business Model and Controversies

Valnet, founded by Hassan Youssef, runs dozens of content brands that together generate more than 260 million page views. Youssef previously helped run Mansef Inc., the company behind Brazzers and a minority investor …