Rumor: MTV acquiring 1UP, adding to their collection

by Alexander Sliwinski on Jan 11th 2007 1:55AM

GameDaily.biz reports a "highly-placed" source says MTV is looking to purchase 1UP.com and GameVideos.com from Ziff Davis. This seems probable considering Ziff Davis is selling the Ziff Davis Game Group and MTV has been on a gaming acquisition bender, purchasing GameTrailers, Atom Entertainment and Guitar Hero developer Harmonix. MTV's purchase of 1UP.com would allow them to acquire some gaming editorial clout, and because they already have GameTrailers they can either disband, or assimilate, GameVideos.com.

Currently there is no expectation MTV will purchase any of the Ziff Davis gaming publications (EGM, Games for Windows). Revenue in the print publications has been flat and the only reason the game group didn't lose revenue was due to the online sections. Ziff Davis's earnings release states, "Lower print advertising and circulation revenues for the group's three print magazines were mostly offset by a nearly four-fold increase in the group's online revenues." Ziff Davis corporation had cash and cash equivalents drop by $5.4 million through September.

These Ziff Davis Game Group stories and rumors have been growing exponentially over the last couple weeks. So, if MTV is only interested in the online portion and they've been keeping the publications afloat -- what's that going to mean for Electronic Gaming Monthly and Games for Windows?

Source

Tags: 1up, egm, gamedaily.biz, gamevideos, mtv, ziff davis

Reader Comments (27)

Great!... Something else MTV can screw up like it's Maiden Channel...

I guess Money is indeed more important than "Quality"...

So much for 1up. They'll be just as popular as the music videos on MTV...

...Does MTV play music videos anymore?

Aw hell no!!!!

If this interferes with the 1UP show I'm going to be sorely disappointed. Just reading this news makes my skin crawl...MTV+1Up=puke. I thought the Dell thing sounded bad enough, only and MTV collabo could be worse.

please no.

Because MTV has been waiting for a moment to follow in G4's steps with a gaming magazine.

Sure - they can't figure out their own name's meaning, but at least give this a chance before you get all up in arms about it. They've done tons of gaming related stuff already (Guitar Hero 1 and 2 springs to mind first) and their game-news reporting has significantly improved over the past year. I could be more in depth if there were some reasons besides, "It's MTV!" to refute, but that seems to be the only bad thing to say about the deal.

#4 -- Not being smarmy, but you make it sound like MTV made Guitar Hero, not Harmonix and RedOctane. They did have the foresight to buy them, but it can't be denied that, overall, MTV has had a negative impact on music and popular culture (watch the channel for 15 min, seriously). Getting into games isn't necessarily great news.

Give it time, they'll start tinkering with Guitar Hero, probably sooner than later. And 1up.com, it's sort of a match made in heaven for them (style > substance), but reading that story you have to feel for the future of the Ziff and MTV/GT guys and any conflicts that will arise from bringing the two groups together, that always sucks. :(

John doesn't mean to be smarmy, but I do:

Hey, number 4, here's a little secret for you: MTV didn't make Guitar Hero 1 or 2. They acuired Harmonix after one game was released, and one was nearing release. But don't let trivial little things like "facts" get in the way of defending the worst network on televsion.

Worst network on television or not, their gaming coverage is better than pretty much all the other cable channels (granted most of it is online only). Mtv buying 1up wont likely change much, other than Luke Smith's wardrobe (say goodbye to the sweaters) and the 1up shows theme song (goodbye acoustic guitar hello southern rap).

That's a lot of activity within the span of 18 months. If MTV completes its transaction with Ziff to acquire 1UP, it will gain a solid editorial voice to complement its GameTrailers team.

1up is one of the few good gaming sites out there. They occationally screw up rather comically but generally they are run by a bunch of really passionate gamers. To see MTV might do a takeover really depresses me. Also, what will happen to gamevideos.com?

If the sales goes thru, then what happens to the mags? I'm subscribed to GFW til 2011 and EMG til 2015. What happens if they go under?

Perfect. Just what america needs. Luke Smith on TV. Good luck y'all.

Ahhhh great... since gametrailers was bought by MTV it has been a Microsoft propaganda HQ... now 1UP is gonna be the same... just great...

"11. Perfect. Just what america needs. Luke Smith on TV. Good luck y'all."

Dude, are you kidding me? Luke Smith has more personality than the last 20 years worth of MTV VJs combined!

"Ahhhh great... since gametrailers was bought by MTV it has been a Microsoft propaganda HQ"

Nope. But I love when people accuse (insert website/magazine/writer/whatever) of being biased without any evidence to back it up, outside of "(Game X)'s review score is WRONG!" or "they give too much coverage to (game Y!)"...when it's something that everyone is excited about.

Hopefully this means EGM is going under sooner than later. Good riddance to a magazine that stopped being relevant many years ago.

The most obvious aspect of this story is that gaming magazines are dead the present and future in gaming journalism is online. Who wants to read reviews for games that have been out for 5 weeks?

That's perfect.

The XBOTS and the Posers all in one bed together.

SWEET!!

1UP sucks. And now with extra suck berries.

This rumor bothers me. MTV is pretty bad. Seems like everything they attempt is either reality or bad comedy with a minimum of actual music videos. If they were to acquire 1up I have a feeling their execs would transform it to more suit Viacom's needs instead of gaming.

I don't see how you can separate the online portion of 1UP from the print portion, as they use the same content and staff. I also fear for the corporate culture that exist at ZD and makes 1UP what it is, will be destroyed.

Um. The 1Up show is already like watching MTV feat. drunkards.

Good riddance.

I agree that the best place to get any kind of gamer info would be online, but I dig GFW. It's perfect for reading on the crapper. It's one of the few mags for PC specific gaming.

Now EGM and Game Pro (as well as that crappy larger format mag you get when you sign up for the Game Stop/EB Games Edge card) can all disappear as far as I'm concerned.

yeah, all the things that made 1up worth going to better get on a raft and paddle away now to another domain, to a better future.

mtv = death.

MTV networks? The guys responsible for the atrocious Spike! Video Game Awards?

Put a nail in the coffin of 1UP. It's dead.

@#14

Nope just because you say so? And how's this for proff?
http://www.gametrailers.com/dev_corner.php

Or what about the insane amount of "Sponsored Content:" propaganda Videos like these:
http://www.gametrailers.com/player.php?id=15649&type=wmv&pl=game
http://www.gametrailers.com/player.php?id=15574&type=wmv&pl=game
etc...

That appeared on the PS3 launch window? Wich btw all those videos were exclusive to gametrailers and everyone knows MS has a pretty good relation with MTV.

As long as MTV doesn't try and change 1UP, this is a great acquisition for them. However, I am having visions of reformations, firings, and the loss of one of the best gaming sites on the web.

And EGM and Games for Windows had better go with 1UP.

Remember, the GameTrailers crew are the ones who have done several shoots for MS themselves (I should know, I worked for them). I'm not talking the branded GT ones, I mean ones that were used as MS videos for the 360.

Everyone's gotta eat, I guess. I just don't think I'd trust, let's say, Joystiq's blog if their lead editor also wrote marketing copy for Sony's PS3 website.

I worry about this for two reasons: first, because one of 1UPs greatest strengths is its partnership with EGM and Co., and second, because MTV is increasingly moving into game development. I think 1UP has the best games coverage on the net, but this would be a Bad Thing. I posted a much longer rant about it on my site.

http://eat-sleep-game.com

I always wondered why GameTrailers was so lame. It's pretty obvious that the narrator is reading his lines from cue cards.

You know why I like The 1UP Network? Because they have real conversations about games! I would much rather listen to a bunch of people talking to each other than talking to a camera. The only content on GameTrailers that's even remotely decent is Bonus Round, but that loses points because it's hosted by Geoff Keighley.

In conclusion, this better not be true.

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Rumor: MTV acquiring 1UP, adding to their collection

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