Kotaku hires Rebekah Valentine as Senior Reporter as site expands under new ownership
Kotaku has announced the hiring of Rebekah Valentine as Senior Reporter, marking the publication’s first significant staffing addition since being acquired from G/O Media by French media company Keleops Media in July 2025. Valentine brings substantial experience from her previous roles at IGN and GamesIndustry.biz, where she built expertise covering the gaming industry.
The hire represents part of Keleops’ broader expansion strategy for the iconic games media brand. According to Mylène Poncet, Managing Director for both Kotaku and Engadget, the acquisition has proven highly successful. The company reports that Kotaku’s traffic has doubled in less than one year since Keleops took ownership, signaling strong audience engagement and market viability for the brand.
Poncet indicated that Valentine’s appointment is the first of several planned hires aimed at capitalizing on this growth and further strengthening the publication’s reporting capabilities. The expansion strategy underscores Keleops’ confidence in Kotaku’s market position and suggests the company intends to invest in editorial resources to drive continued development.
The rapid traffic growth under new ownership and commitment to hiring additional senior talent suggests the transition has positioned Kotaku well within the competitive games media landscape. Valentine’s appointment, combined with planned future hires, indicates Keleops’ commitment to maintaining Kotaku’s prominence as a major voice in gaming industry coverage.