Continue magazine, created by Jackson Ryan and Mark Serrels, rocketed past its $18,000 goal on Kickstarter, demonstrating that Australian readers still value serious games journalism. Within hours, not days, the project had secured nearly triple its initial target. This is not the story of a desperate nostalgia play. It is the story of a market signalling its hunger.
For those tracking the decline of games media globally, Australia presents a particularly stark case. The closure of Kotaku Australia in 2024, along with other shutterings and corporate downsizing, has left games media in Australia reeling, with a country that was once home to multiple magazines, websites and communities now facing 2026 with almost no local, specialised written coverage.
The list is brutal. Major Australian games outlets including Kotaku Australia, Hyper Magazine, Game Informer Australia, Good Game, and ScreenPLAY have all closed. When Nine Entertainment shut down Kotaku Australia in mid-2024, it was not the death of a niche hobby publication. It was the end of one of Australia's last bastions of serious, resourced games journalism at a moment when the local gaming industry was generating billions in revenue annually.
Australians spent $4.4 billion on games and digital game hardware in 2023, yet the journalism covering this massive cultural and economic force has shrunk to almost nothing. The market for games writing clearly exists. The financial model to support it does not.
This is where Continue enters. Created by former Kotaku Australia boss Mark Serrels and journalist Jackson Ryan, the magazine represents a deliberate turn away from the advertising-dependent online model that failed. According to the magazine's website, the focus will be on delivering 'something tangible you can hold, something beautiful and compelling you can get excited about buying'.
The first issue will feature contributions from prominent Australian games critics, including Ally McLean, Alanah Pearce, Ruby Innes, James O'Connor, Jini Maxwell, Ben Armstrong, Dan Golding and Dan Van Boom. But Continue is also a new initiative by Australian journalists Jack Ryan and Mark Serrels, with its own contributions to the mix. This matters. These are established voices taking a financial risk on a return to print.
The financial mechanics tell an important story about sustainability. The Kickstarter aimed to raise $25,000, which will reportedly cover premium printing costs of around $13,000 to $15,000, contributor fees, postage and Kickstarter fees. These are real costs for real work. The magazine is not undercutting professional writers; it is paying them from day one, and the crowdfunding model makes that visible to readers.
If Continue reaches $40,000 (which it has already surpassed), there are plans to continue beyond a first issue, possibly transforming Continue into a more permanent platform for games coverage. The magazine has signalled this expansion: Ryan and Serrels plan to establish Continue as its own website at continuemagazine.com, creating a hybrid print-digital operation.
Sceptics will note that crowdfunded ventures often struggle to sustain momentum after the initial launch burst. Print costs are real. Subscriber acquisition is hard. But the speed of Continue's success suggests something more encouraging: readers will support quality journalism if given a clear path to do so. The Kickstarter model removes the need to chase algorithms or depend on advertising markets that have abandoned specialist coverage.
What remains unclear is whether this represents a temporary rescue or a model for genuine revival. The team aims to gather early support to determine interest in Continue and bringing back the nostalgic days of glossy print media. The outcome depends on whether this initial energy translates into sustainable readership and revenue for issue two, and beyond.
For now, Continue offers something Australia's games industry has lacked for two years: a platform where serious writing about games can exist without competing for advertising scraps against viral content from global platforms. Whether that is enough to build something lasting remains to be seen. But the market has spoken within hours. Someone is listening.
You can support Continue and view the full project details on Kickstarter.