Apex Legends, Overwatch, and more join the Reddit blackout
The Apex Legends, Overwatch, Rocket League, Call of Duty, and more communities have joined in the protests against Reddit by 'going dark' throughout June.
12th Jun 2023 16:40
Respawn Entertainment | Reddit | Blizzard Entertainment
Apex Legends, Overwatch, and more join the Reddit blackout
The Apex Legends, Overwatch, Rocket League, Call of Duty, and more communities have joined in the protests against Reddit by 'going dark' throughout June.
12th Jun 2023 16:40
Respawn Entertainment | Reddit | Blizzard Entertainment
As Reddit has decided to now charge third-party app creators to access the site’s API, a range of the biggest gaming communities have taken a stand against the social media platform.
Millions of people worldwide will be without their favourite Reddit pages this week, as the protest against Reddit's new cash grab has forced many third-party apps to close - resulting in a blackout on the platform with a number of subreddits actively shutting down in protest.
Over 5,000 subreddits have now been temporarily and self-voluntarily removed from the platform as part of the protest, with some massive gaming hubs being at the forefront of the rally.
Here's why your favourite Reddit communities have disappeared
Although Reddit has been running since 2005, it was only in 2016 that it launched its official app. In this eleven-year gap, many third-party apps, such as Apollo, Sync, and Infinity, have all been released to serve as a Reddit relay service. All come with their own aesthetic branding.
These third-party apps have all been pushing Reddit threads for years, and even building on the website to provide a better customer experience and avoid unpopular changes to the actual Reddit app. Since 2005, many millions of Redditors have found comfort on these apps, preferring them to the original.
But now, Reddit is looking to nuke these sites, as it plans to charge exuberant rates to access the data that is shared to third-party apps. Apollo has been one of the more vocal apps, claiming that the new rates will cost it nearly $20 million a year to function, meaning it will be shut down by June 30.
In a stand against this new API charge, thousands of subreddits are joining a protest, starting on June 12, which will see a blackout formed and these communities be ghosted.
Many communities are planning to rejoin the platform after two days of protesting, with a planned comeback of June 14 being pencilled in. Other subreddits have confirmed plans to be completely removed until Reddit decides to reverse its decision to charge third-party apps.
Gaming's biggest communities join protests against Reddit
A range of the most active Reddit communities has now joined in the protests by going dark, with the likes of Apex Legends, Overwatch, Rocket League, CoD Competitive, and Global Offensive (CS:GO) all being involved in the movement and coming off Reddit for the foreseeable.
Even r/Games has joined in the blackout, saying that the community is "overwhelmingly in support of the blackout", as the API changes make third-party apps "ludicrously more expensive for developers to run." Some subreddits have remained open though, with r/LeagueofLegends and r/VALORANT staying available.
The movement has also affected the largest subreddits in the world, such as Harry Potter and Taylor Swift. Reddit's CEO, Steve Huffman, has recently backed the changes, saying that the "self-sustaining business" can no longer "subsidize commercial entities that require large-scale data use."
About The Author
Jack Marsh
Jack is an Esports Journalist at GGRecon. Graduating from the University of Chester, with a BA Honours degree in Journalism, Jack is an avid esports enthusiast and specialises in Rocket League, Call of Duty, VALORANT, and trending gaming news.
