I don't feel like posting the alternative, but there is a much more extreme alternative to LiveLeak that makes LiveLeak look like eye bleach and I suspect much of LiveLeak's users moved over to it.

LiveLeak was in a weird position because it allowed full on gore but it also kind of tried to pretend to be a serious site reporting actual events. I suspect most people going to LiveLeak were not interested in seeing a legit gore site pretending to be news and just wanted the most hardcore gore they could find, and well the alternative to LiveLeak is exactly that.

I understand you said you don’t want to tell us, but the way you wrote that comment you have to imagine it would generate interest. Can you share it or provide a clue (though since this is HN, I would appreciate it if you shared the knowledge with us). Knowing about these sites is more than the gore. People with kids, journalists, public safety people and more source stuff from these places, and often to do good or inform.

Liveleak stopped hosting gore, including controversial videos, many years before this shut down.

Found an audience but only with the content...they really didn't want to be about.

Understandable that they might choose not to go that far.

The shutdown note reads like they got bored, but money certainly might have been an issue.