Gamespy and IGN announce merger agreement
#1
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Gamespy and IGN announce merger agreement
http://gamespyindustries.com/press/r...mber-ign.shtml
Saw this over a P-A and went to Gamespy to see if it was real... it is.
IGN and GameSpy Announce Merger Agreement
Combination Will Create Web's Largest Network of Gaming Destination Sites
SAN FRANCISCO and IRVINE, CA - December 4, 2003: IGN Entertainment - home to IGN.com, the Web's largest gaming and entertainment destination for young males - and GameSpy Industries, a leading online entertainment and technology company serving game enthusiasts and game developers, today announced that they have signed a definitive merger agreement creating the Web's largest network of destination sites for gamers.
The combination will create the Internet's largest gaming audience and its highest traffic PC and console game content network with 673 million page views per month. According to comScore NetScore data, the two networks attract more than 22 million unduplicated unique visitors per month worldwide, and they rank number one in unduplicated U.S. audience reach with both comScore Media Metrix and Nielsen//NetRatings in the gaming information category.
Additionally, the combined companies service the biggest gaming information subscription base with 194,000 active paying subscribers and have registered over 26 million users. They also operate the highest volume download service with 6.1 million downloads per month and are the industry leader in online gaming tools and services.
...
Combination Will Create Web's Largest Network of Gaming Destination Sites
SAN FRANCISCO and IRVINE, CA - December 4, 2003: IGN Entertainment - home to IGN.com, the Web's largest gaming and entertainment destination for young males - and GameSpy Industries, a leading online entertainment and technology company serving game enthusiasts and game developers, today announced that they have signed a definitive merger agreement creating the Web's largest network of destination sites for gamers.
The combination will create the Internet's largest gaming audience and its highest traffic PC and console game content network with 673 million page views per month. According to comScore NetScore data, the two networks attract more than 22 million unduplicated unique visitors per month worldwide, and they rank number one in unduplicated U.S. audience reach with both comScore Media Metrix and Nielsen//NetRatings in the gaming information category.
Additionally, the combined companies service the biggest gaming information subscription base with 194,000 active paying subscribers and have registered over 26 million users. They also operate the highest volume download service with 6.1 million downloads per month and are the industry leader in online gaming tools and services.
...
#3
DVD Talk Legend
Originally posted by Groucho
The two worst sites in the history of video gaming, together at last.
The two worst sites in the history of video gaming, together at last.
#5
DVD Talk Hero
I still like reading IGN.
Gamespy has always been shit (and Penny Arcade isn't a whole lot better, IMHO.)
Gamespy has always been shit (and Penny Arcade isn't a whole lot better, IMHO.)
#7
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My biggest complaint about Gamespy, and I guess this is pretty inconsequential, is the "teasers" for reviews. You know, stuff like: "[title] is one of the holiday's most anticipated releases. Does it live up to expectations? Click here to find out." That approach always grates on my nerves for some reason. Teasers don't bug me so much as the uninformative "click here..." variety.
#9
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I don't see what's so bad about IGN. I hate their insane amount of advertising, content limits, picture limits, and everything, but besides Gameforms and Gamefaqs, they are the only gamesite I care about.
Most people here I see are quite happy with "Cheap Rear End Gamer" and "Gamerankings.com", which to me are very sad and uninformative websites
Most people here I see are quite happy with "Cheap Rear End Gamer" and "Gamerankings.com", which to me are very sad and uninformative websites
#10
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Originally posted by sararekuforever
I don't see what's so bad about IGN. I hate their insane amount of advertising, content limits, picture limits, and everything, but besides Gameforms and Gamefaqs, they are the only gamesite I care about.
I don't see what's so bad about IGN. I hate their insane amount of advertising, content limits, picture limits, and everything, but besides Gameforms and Gamefaqs, they are the only gamesite I care about.
That about sums it up.
OR
I hate a website where i have to wade through 45 flash ads just to read a damn article.
I hate those ads popping up when when i am reading an article, & i hate those "contine on to ____" pages with the huge ad.
#11
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
Originally posted by UAIOE
I hate those ads popping up when when i am reading an article, & i hate those "contine on to ____" pages with the huge ad.
I hate those ads popping up when when i am reading an article, & i hate those "contine on to ____" pages with the huge ad.
(disclaimer: I work for a website with all of the annoying ad types talked about)
#12
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Originally posted by UAIOE
That about sums it up.
OR
I hate a website where i have to wade through 45 flash ads just to read a damn article.
I hate those ads popping up when when i am reading an article, & i hate those "contine on to ____" pages with the huge ad.
That about sums it up.
OR
I hate a website where i have to wade through 45 flash ads just to read a damn article.
I hate those ads popping up when when i am reading an article, & i hate those "contine on to ____" pages with the huge ad.
#13
DVD Talk Limited Edition
I could waste however much it costs to subscribe to IGN but i dont really see any reason why.
I get great info about games from message boards such as this one.
And to be honest, i dont really see how bombarding would be subscribers with a ton of ads is supposed to make people want to subscribe even more.
"If you pay money you can get rid of the ads" Well, i can do the same thing by just simply not going to IGN, which is what i currently do.
If IGN was as great as it once was then i might feel differently, but about two years ago the place went to crap and i have (tried) to avoid going there at all costs.
I get great info about games from message boards such as this one.
And to be honest, i dont really see how bombarding would be subscribers with a ton of ads is supposed to make people want to subscribe even more.
"If you pay money you can get rid of the ads" Well, i can do the same thing by just simply not going to IGN, which is what i currently do.
If IGN was as great as it once was then i might feel differently, but about two years ago the place went to crap and i have (tried) to avoid going there at all costs.
Last edited by UAIOE; 12-06-03 at 11:19 AM.
#14
DVD Talk Godfather & 2020 TOTY Winner
PA has a lot of nerve calling IGN "shit". Have they ever read their own stuff?
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Originally posted by UAIOE
I could waste however much it costs to subscribe to IGN but i dont really see any reason why.
I get great info about games from message boards such as this one.
I could waste however much it costs to subscribe to IGN but i dont really see any reason why.
I get great info about games from message boards such as this one.
I do wish they would tone down the ads for subscribers though. You can disable a lot of them, like the full screen splashes, but the flashing banners that are everywhere are super annoying. I use a banner blocker to remove them and make the site tolerable.
Honestly though, I don't know what Penny Arcade's problem is.
#16
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Originally posted by UAIOE
I could waste however much it costs to subscribe to IGN but i dont really see any reason why.
I get great info about games from message boards such as this one.
And to be honest, i dont really see how bombarding would be subscribers with a ton of ads is supposed to make people want to subscribe even more.
"If you pay money you can get rid of the ads" Well, i can do the same thing by just simply not going to IGN, which is what i currently do.
If IGN was as great as it once was then i might feel differently, but about two years ago the place went to crap and i have (tried) to avoid going there at all costs.
I could waste however much it costs to subscribe to IGN but i dont really see any reason why.
I get great info about games from message boards such as this one.
And to be honest, i dont really see how bombarding would be subscribers with a ton of ads is supposed to make people want to subscribe even more.
"If you pay money you can get rid of the ads" Well, i can do the same thing by just simply not going to IGN, which is what i currently do.
If IGN was as great as it once was then i might feel differently, but about two years ago the place went to crap and i have (tried) to avoid going there at all costs.
#17
DVD Talk Legend
Originally posted by nickdawgy
IGN sucks, I agree, but it's alot better then Gamespot which IMO has terrible reviews. I never really read anything from Gamespy.
IGN sucks, I agree, but it's alot better then Gamespot which IMO has terrible reviews. I never really read anything from Gamespy.
#18
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Originally posted by Decker
PA has a lot of nerve calling IGN "shit". Have they ever read their own stuff?
PA has a lot of nerve calling IGN "shit". Have they ever read their own stuff?
Anyway I'll also chime in and say that I also enjoy reading Gamespot's reviews, they seem to be more critical and tough than other sites. I usually wait for Gamespot's reviews on games I'm unsure of when a game gets mixed numbers. IGN Cube isn't that bad either as they are usually fairly tough, unlike the other sections of IGN.. I never visit Gamespy. If the content stays separate I suppose its fine. As much flak IGN gets I hope they'll stay around, you'll miss them when they are gone .
edit: argh, grammar
Last edited by Outlaw; 12-06-03 at 04:38 PM.
#19
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Originally posted by xmiyux
Sheesh i was just letting you know that subscribers don't have to deal with as many ads. Kind of like what dvdtalk is moving to - fewer ads for subscribers. Now whether you feel IGN ior dvdtalk for that matter is worth the cash for the content it is between you and your wallet. I really don't care Just letting you know that is one of the perks of being an Insider.
Sheesh i was just letting you know that subscribers don't have to deal with as many ads. Kind of like what dvdtalk is moving to - fewer ads for subscribers. Now whether you feel IGN ior dvdtalk for that matter is worth the cash for the content it is between you and your wallet. I really don't care Just letting you know that is one of the perks of being an Insider.
I do feel different about DVDTalk here, i have found out some great (and other times not so great) info but what i have saved by doing trades with members makes this place 10x more enjoyable and worthwhile.
And DVDTalk has never forced me to watch flash ads that made my computer crash. (this was some years and a computer ago)
#20
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IGN's web site brings my DSL connection to it's knees. The pages load slowly, eventually slowing to the point that nothing is loading. After that, I can't go anywhere else. Even Google will time out. If I close all browser windows and start over, everything is fine.
#21
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I've been an IGN subscriber for 2 years now, and it's my main source of gaming info. Gamefaqs is nice for walkthroughs, but, as silly as this is, it's awfully nice to have access to walkthroughs with screencaps. Access to the exclusive media and boards is great too. I have all the ads turned off, so I will admit that I don't know how bad it really is. My fiance is an avid Penny Arcade reader (and monetary supporter), so naturally he's anti IGN, but even still, he's using my account right now to access the walkthrough for Prince of Persia.
#22
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Speaking as someone who wrote for GB Station, a Game Boy site that prided itself on long-form, literate, tightly edited (is IGN content edited at all?) reviews, I have lots of reasons to hate IGN AND GameSpy. Back in the day, IGN made a lot of promises to us to get our content to fill out their then non-existent handheld section. In the end, all we got was one game apiece (there were three of us) for over one hundred reviews, editorials, and other pieces. They claimed our content as theirs, for a time not even giving us bylines, and treated us like second-class citizens when we covered E3 under their banner. We couldn’t even get a terminal to type up our reports in IGN's press center. After that experience we covered the show on our own the next two years and had a much better time. Eventually we threatened a lawsuit to get our content back and IGN relented, removing our stuff (or so we thought, as when I browsed around there recently I found a couple of my old GB reviews still posted there).
Then GameSpy came calling. This was just ahead of the tech meltdown in late 99, early 2000. They offered us $100,000 for our content, though most of it was in form of their private stock, which is, of course, worthless until it goes public (which it still has not). We negotiated for a long time. But at one point there was as much as $18,000 in cash on the table, split three ways. We should have taken it. But by the time we pulled the trigger, the bubble had burst and GameSpy wasn’t buying up sites anymore. They wouldn’t even return our phone calls. True, this was largely our fault, but they slowed up negotiations quite a bit and had equal share in letting the deal fall through.
Shortly after that we all moved on and got real jobs and GB Station faded away. I miss it sometimes. I still read IGN and even subscribe, but as one previous poster mentioned, I largely do so for the high-quality video and other media. The writing on the site is abysmal and really makes me long for something better…but it’s not there anymore.
Then GameSpy came calling. This was just ahead of the tech meltdown in late 99, early 2000. They offered us $100,000 for our content, though most of it was in form of their private stock, which is, of course, worthless until it goes public (which it still has not). We negotiated for a long time. But at one point there was as much as $18,000 in cash on the table, split three ways. We should have taken it. But by the time we pulled the trigger, the bubble had burst and GameSpy wasn’t buying up sites anymore. They wouldn’t even return our phone calls. True, this was largely our fault, but they slowed up negotiations quite a bit and had equal share in letting the deal fall through.
Shortly after that we all moved on and got real jobs and GB Station faded away. I miss it sometimes. I still read IGN and even subscribe, but as one previous poster mentioned, I largely do so for the high-quality video and other media. The writing on the site is abysmal and really makes me long for something better…but it’s not there anymore.