IGN and GameStop forge partnership, combine traffic, learn the power of sharing

by Christopher Grant on Dec 6th 2010 11:21AM

Major corporation cooperation news now, with a report from The Wall Street Journal's Kara Swisher announcing a "partnership" between News Corp's gaming megasite IGN and retail (and recycling) behemoth GameStop. While it's not clear how extensive this partnership will be, Swisher reports that IGN will be creating (and presumably selling) ads on GameStop.com; IGN editorial content will appear on GameStop.com; and, inversely, IGN.com will inherit plenty of GameStop.com e-commerce buttons.

Perhaps most notably, IGN and GameStop will merge their traffic, to better appeal to advertisers and further cement IGN's pole position amongst video game websites. GameStop has 7.2 million monthly unique visitors which will be added to IGN's 28.9 million, resulting in a post-rollup total of more than anyone else.

We've got notable questions regarding the businesses which overlap. For example, what happens to Game Informer, the GameStop-owned video game magazine and site that competes with IGN? And what about IGN's Direct2Drive PC gaming retail arm? And what about concerns that this extensive of a retail relationship is a little cozy for an editorial outlet? We'll update this post when we learn more.

Source: AllThingsD

Tags: Gamestop, IGN, WSJ

Reader Comments (97)

What the hell? This is a dark day, my friends. Let us put our differences aside. Weep ye all with me.

@A Sandwich

...this has *got* to be the first sign.

Truthfully...I just threw up a little...

.....n64.com, oh how far you've fallen.....

So let me get this straight, IGN is now going to merge with gamestop.com, and it's basically all going to become a gamestop site, with IGN editors and weak-ass "IGN content" tags on the articles. So an already troubled site is getting put out of it's misery, by being absorbed, and whoring themselves out even more.

I remember the N64.com days. When they were actually trustable, dependable, not swayed by advertising and whoring out like they have been for the past many years.

@Drakkenfyre

Let the waybackmachine help you remember...

@ShadowXIII

I never went to n64.com, but it now takes me to http://www.nintendo.com/countryselector

Wonder if it's cached...

@Drakkenfyre If you can find anyone who works at IGN who was there during the n64.com days I'd be impressed.

This is sadly what happens, company gets big, staff leave and the company's morals get lost. It's sad, but it happens. Look at Google, their mantra a few years ago was "don't be evil", but now they're in cahoots with Verizon to send Net Neutrality up the creek without a paddle [on wireless networks anyway].

Great, a partnership between two of the worst entities in the video game world.

It's like mixing Bowser with Ganon.

Or something. Only not as fun.

@Enosoma
Yup. Even more reason for me to never visit either one of their websites or stores again.

@Enosoma
...
http://www.nooooooooooooooo.com/

@Enosoma
oh Snap!

This is what he mayans where refering to.

@Enosoma
Yeah, who really cares anyway?
I'm just gonna keep visiting Joystiq and GameInformer for my news and recreation. I'm still not gonna factor in a IGN review on Metacritic and I'm still not gonna buy an opened "new" game or a $5 "discounted" used game from Gamestop. If it wasn't for the time and effort typing this reply, I would be completely unaffected by this mess.

@JonahStein Okay, stop and look at what you just said. Then think really hard about who supplied you with that Game Informer subscription. They've already got you man, and you don't even know it!

@JonahStein

Hahaha, you're just going to stick with Game Informer?

Game Informer is distributed by Gamestop. They already have you and you didn't even know it, what a joke.

2 shit organizations combined. This is a cancer to gaming.

@Arsenic13

now all we need is for activision to buy both companies so that the triumvirate of shitty balls may commence! 10s for every call of duty! hurrah! hurrah!

@Liquidfingers

And then put it all on Facebook!

@Liquidfingers
10's for every call of duty, which will have a used resale cost of $55 dollars for an extra year after release. Of course the trade in value will be a cool $10.

@Liquidfingers

Doesn't COD already get 10s like nothing? Black Ops was the worst COD so far (this in my opinion of course) and it still got 91 metacritic or whatever.

MW2 had 94 or something crazy high like that.

Who will stop these madmen?!?

Now you'll have to pre-order your shitty game reviews.

@Jovrick Would you like the strategy guide to reading the review?!

@Jovrick
EPIC WIN!

@Drew327
Yes. I can't even diagram some of the sentences in IGN's reviews.

This will revolutionize the way we read irrelevant top 10 lists and arbitrary "8.0" reviews.

Honestly, who still leans on these pages for news or reviews? They are to games news what printed paper is to regular news.

@Maulok
I was with you up until the horrible analogy at the end.

@Maulok Actually, according to Metacritic;

"On average, Game Informer grades 0.6 points higher than other critics on games."

So basically, they're pretty spot on as far as game reviews, versus everyone else.

IGN is marked as 5 points below the average score for games.

This is out of 3,000 and 7,000 reviews respectively.

I thought Gamestop had been using Gamespot's editorial content (reviews, etc.) I guess that's over?

one more reason to not do business with either of them :)

@logicplay Because they merged? Seems like a random reason.

@jynxycat

random?...like it popped into my head for no apparent reason? I just said this is another reason not to, for me at least

BEYOND?!

wtf no.!!! this is like watching Jay Leno then Conan on NBC. noOoOoOo

"you'll never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy" - Obi-Wan Kenobi

Nice!

One of my favorite websites teaming up with my favorite place to purchase used games. I look forward to seeing what beautiful things are born from this marriage.

@Ezio Auditore da Firenze

I'm with you Ezio. even though it seem like we are the only ones happy about this. As long this doesn't muck up my gameinformer subscription I'm completely down with this.

@Ezio Auditore da Firenze

*Man* I hope that's sarcasm. If not, I'm stripping you of your Assassin rank personally and forcing you to learn everything all over again until you get it right.

only thing that changes are the spam are out of the comments section and into the website itself. hurray :- |

If the company that is reviewing games has a direct partnership with someone trying to sell them, I don't know how fair you can consider their reviews. They now directly may have a financial stake in a game doing better.

Even if they do not compromise their current reviews, the perception of this may not be good.

@rchapoteau

They may start making hints in their reviews like "A good game, but not worth the full price. Better to buy it used."

We already know these guys are on the take though ever since the Kayne and Lynch "Gertramangate" of Gamespot debacle. All this is doing is adding more credence to it.

@rchapoteau
Well, the same can be said of Game Informer, which is wholly owned by Gamestop. Make of that what you will.

@gatotsu911 As I mentioned before, Game Informer is nearly marked dead on against the average score on Metacritic, for video games. They rank games .6 points higher than the reviewer average.

I'd say that's pretty good.

@rchapoteau Only idiots think that they haven't always. Ever since N64.com got bought and became IGN64.com they've been taking cash and advertising for higher review scores. The site has been unreliable ever since, and in recent years has become joke to anyone with a brain.

Joystiq > pretty much any other game site > IGN

@rchapoteau

IGN already has some kind of partnership with Xbox Live, they're all over the Xbox menu things.

No doubt about it, IGN is the best placed site right now. I haven't thought well of their reviews for years, but to be honest the only reviews I give any stock to are Yahtzee's, Giant Bomb's, and the aggregate Metacritic average. ( since the average always smooths out the crazy outliers)

If somehow you had any lingering notions about the state of journalistic integrity at IGN, cast them aside, now.

Actually.. I'm sure Google gets more traffic than those two combined.

@xTetheredWingsX No... duh? -_-

@jynxycat Just commenting on Joystiq's claim that they would have more traffic than anyone.

"GameStop has 7.2 million monthly unique visitors which will be added to IGN's 28.9 million, resulting in a post-rollup total of more than anyone else."

@xTetheredWingsX

Obviously they meant more than every other gaming site. How did you do on the SAT's reading comprehension section?

@Liquidfingers
Glenn Beck fan spotted.

When sellouts, horrible game reviews, and obscene used game sales come together the possibilities are ENDLESS!

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IGN and GameStop forge partnership, combine traffic, learn the power of sharing

Reader Comments (97)

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 11:24AM A Sandwich said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 11:32AM ShadowXIII said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 12:06PM Drakkenfyre said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 2:28PM Enosoma said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 4:54PM Marco le Polo said

Posted: Dec 7th 2010 1:27PM SSUK said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 11:26AM Enosoma said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 12:11PM JIAGPOS said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 1:58PM MrVee PSN Vampah said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 2:00PM MrVee PSN Vampah said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 2:30PM JonahStein said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 4:18PM EvoHelix said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 6:12PM Invigilator said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 11:29AM Arsenic13 said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 11:37AM Liquidfingers said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 12:15PM SisypheanLife said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 4:05PM Duke said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 6:15PM Invigilator said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 11:30AM bloodlinejake said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 11:33AM Jovrick said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 11:36AM Drew327 said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 12:11PM JIAGPOS said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 1:30PM Jovrick said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 11:34AM Maulok said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 12:30PM gatotsu911 said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 12:32PM jynxycat said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 11:35AM creid8 said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 11:36AM logicplay said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 12:33PM jynxycat said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 10:33PM logicplay said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 11:37AM MarkHawk said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 11:38AM EDZiLLUH said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 11:39AM acefondu said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 11:40AM Ezio Auditore da Firenze said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 12:13PM Grey said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 5:49PM ShadowXIII said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 11:44AM PedoJokerBear said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 11:45AM rchapoteau said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 11:51AM acefondu said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 12:28PM gatotsu911 said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 12:34PM jynxycat said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 1:13PM jsx92 said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 6:17PM Invigilator said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 11:48AM acceptablerisk said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 11:49AM xTetheredWingsX said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 12:34PM jynxycat said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 12:47PM xTetheredWingsX said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 1:03PM A Sandwich said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 11:52AM Zorque said

Posted: Dec 6th 2010 11:55AM sammo21 said

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