We've been quiet. Here's why.

Hey everyone, Mikhail and Jacob here!

The Patreon has been a bit quiet recently. We want to explain why — we have good reasons, we promise! — and also reassure that we're going to be back starting later today.

Here's the deal.

Besides writing a newsletter, I (Mikhail) have a day job: I am an editor on the international desk at The Washington Post, where I was reassigned after Launcher, the Post's video game and esports vertical, was shut down earlier this year. If you haven't noticed, things have been a bit busy internationally these past two weeks; I have been right in the middle of that. Chances are, if you've glanced at the Post's homepage at any point since Oct. 7, you've probably seen something that I've worked on.

The stakes of covering the Israel-Gaza war are extraordinarily high, and I've been in awe of my colleagues, many of whom are working from the Middle East. But just the fact of keeping up with that news has been draining, which has kept me from ReaderGrev.

That said, I'd like to offer an update on the reporting I'm doing for you. Recently, I've been having conversations with relevant parties at two Valorant teams that suffered humiliating ends — though both took very different routes to that point. I hope to have more news on those stories for you soon.

And on Monday, I hope to share a Launcher postmortem with you all, in light of further downsizing at the Post.

Meanwhile for me (hello, it's Jacob now), I'm preparing for my wedding — which I might have foolishly decided to plan all by myself — as well as being in the thick of fundraising efforts over here on our end to turn this venture into something much bigger with other creators and journalists across gaming, Nerd culture and the creator economy.

The good news is we're making some really good forward progress. The bad news is that after taking a few days off to enjoy my bachelor party in Kentucky this past week, I returned home with a COVID-like upper respiratory infection that knocked me out of commission until yesterday, and still has me nauseated today (it sucks!). 

I'll be writing later today about the FaZe Clan acquisition news, as reported by our friend Alexander Lee, and we'll have a guest piece from Cecilia Ciocchetti in The Jacob Wolf Report mid-day today about Riot Games' growing significance in the world of pop music.

We appreciate your patience — and for believing in our vision enough to join us on this journey.

Best,

Mikhail and Jacob