Kotaku Australia is set to close its operations

Kotaku Australia is set to close its doors as Pedestrian Group undergoes a reorganization to prioritize its proprietary brands.

According to a report from The Guardian, other publications in the company’s portfolio such as Vice, Gizmodo, and Lifehacker will also be discontinued in the region.

This decision will result in the termination of numerous employees. CEO Matt Rowley of Pedestrian Group conveyed the update through an email, stating: "We've made the tough decision to focus on our wholly owned Pedestrian brands where we control the strategy, the content, the product, the sales and the outcome – the entire business.

"This will have an impact on roles within the group and I appreciate the uncertainty this change creates, so we will be in contact immediately with those people."

Rowley will be stepping down from his position as part of this restructuring, and a new CEO will be named shortly.

Kotaku Australia’s managing editor David Smith shared his thoughts on social media: "Today, the story of Kotaku Australia comes to a sad and abrupt end. It has been one of the great joys of my life to wake up every day and run a site I love with all my heart."

Smith noted that Kotaku Australia ranked as the second most-read site in the Pedestrian Group’s lineup.