Following the spinoff of Quartz and The Inventory, the only publishers remaining in the G/O Media portfolio are The Root and Kotaku, the latter of which last month was the subject of a defamation lawsuit brought by Activision Blizzard’s Robert Kotick.

The legal action is the latest courtroom imbroglio for the embattled publisher, whose sports site Deadspin was also sued for defamation in February 2024. G/O Media also initiated legal proceedings against Paste Magazine in October, alleging a breach of contract related to non-payment.

The methodical winnowing of the G/O Media business reflects the broader headwinds facing the digital media sector. Without a dedicated reader revenue product or scaled, desirable audience, affinity publishers across the web are struggling to maintain operations.

G/O Media is owned by private equity firm Great Hill Partners, which created it after acquiring Gizmodo Media Group and The Onion for roughly $40 million in 2019.

When G/O Media sold Lifehacker, the transaction fetched a high enough price for Great Hill to make back its original investment and push to exit the business, ADWEEK previously reported.

“They sold Lifehacker, made a good return, and are looking to get out,” said a person familiar with the matter.