GameSpot
This article needs additional citations for verification. (February 2023) |
Type of site | Video game journalism |
---|---|
Founded | May 1, 1996 |
Headquarters | |
Owner | Fandom, Inc.[1] |
Founder(s) |
|
URL | gamespot |
Registration | Optional (free and paid) |
Launched | January 13, 1996[2] |
Current status | Active |
GameSpot is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition to the information produced by GameSpot staff, the site also allows users to write their own reviews, blogs, and post on the site's forums. It has been owned by Fandom, Inc. since October 2022.[3]
In 2004, GameSpot won "Best Gaming Website" as chosen by the viewers in
History
In January 1996, Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein quit their positions at
In October 2005, GameSpot adopted a new design similar to that of TV.com, now considered a sister site to GameSpot.[12]
GameSpot ran a few different paid subscriptions from 2006 to 2013, but is no longer running those.[13][14][15]
A new layout change was adopted in October 2013.[16]
In October 2022,
International history
GameSpot UK (United Kingdom) was started in October 1997 and operated until mid-2002, offering content that was oriented for the British market that often differed from that of the U.S. site. During this period, GameSpot UK won the 1999 PPAi (Periodical Publishers Association interactive) award for best website,
In a similar fashion, GameSpot AU (Australia) existed on a local scale in the late 1990s with Australian-produced reviews. It ceased in 2003. When a local version of the main CNET portal, CNET.com.au was launched in 2003, GameSpot AU content was folded into CNET.com.au. The site was fully re-launched in mid-2006, with a specialized forum, local reviews, special features, local pricings in Australian dollars, Australian release dates, and more local news.[citation needed]
Gerstmann dismissal
Jeff Gerstmann, editorial director of the site, was fired on November 28, 2007 as a result of pressure from Eidos Interactive, a major advertiser; Eidos objected to the 6/10 review that Gerstmann had given Kane & Lynch: Dead Men, a game they were heavily advertising on GameSpot at the time.[23][24][25] Both GameSpot and parent company CNET initially stated that his dismissal was unrelated to the review.[26][27] However, in March 2012, the non-disclosure agreement that forced Gerstmann to withhold the details of his termination was nullified. Not long after, Giant Bomb (a site Gerstmann founded after leaving GameSpot) was being purchased by the same parent company as GameSpot, and that they moved their headquarters into the same building. As part of this announcement, Gerstmann revealed that the firing was indeed related to threats of Eidos pulling advertising revenue away from GameSpot as a result of Gerstmann's poor review score, which was confirmed by GameSpot's Jon Davison.[23][24]
Notable staff
- 2K Games. As of 2021, he was working for Supergiant Games as a writer and creative director.[28][29]
- Jeff Gerstmann – editorial director of the site, dismissed from GameSpot on November 28, 2007, for undisclosed reasons, after which he started Giant Bomb.[30] Following the announcement of the purchase of Giant Bomb by CBS Interactive on March 15, 2012, Jeff was allowed to reveal that he was dismissed by management as a result of publishers threatening to pull advertising revenue due to less-than-glowing review scores being awarded by GameSpot's editorial team.[31]
- Danny O'Dwyer – video presenter of GameSpot, founded crowdfunded game documentary company Noclip in 2016.[32]
- Chris Wanstrath – web developer of GameSpot who left in 2008 to start GitHub, which became the world’s largest host service for software code.[33] In 2018 he sold GitHub to Microsoft for $7.5 billion.[34]
Community features
GameSpot's forums were originally run by ZDNet, and later by
In addition to the message board system, GameSpot has expanded its community through the addition of features such as user blogs (formerly known as "journals")[35] and user video blogs. Users can track other users, thus allowing them to see updates for their favorite blogs. If both users track each other, they are listed on each other's friends list.
See also
References
- ^ Weprin, Alex (October 3, 2022). "TV Guide, Metacritic, GameSpot Acquired by Fandom in $55M Deal With Red Ventures". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
- ^ "GameSpot.com WHOIS, DNS, & Domain Info – DomainTools". WHOIS. 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
- ^ a b "Fandom Acquires Leading Entertainment & Gaming Brands Including…". Fandom. October 3, 2022. Retrieved 2022-10-03.
- ^ "Spike TV Announces Winners of 'Video Game Awards 2004'". The Futon Critic (Press release). Archived from the original on 2023-04-21. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
- ^ "Site Profile for GameSpot.com". SiteAnalytics.Compete.com. Archived from the original on 2008-10-19. Retrieved 2008-05-18.
- ^ "D.I.C.E. Awards by Video Game Details". Interactive.org. Archived from the original on 2018-06-05. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
- ^ Grabowicz, Paul. "Course Number: Ba278". Berkeley.edu. University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
- ^ a b c Farnady, Kate (February 6, 1997). "Research Dream Job: Online Gaming Zine". Wired. Archived from the original on 2020-01-02. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
- PC Magazine. 18 (3): 114.
- ^ Olafson, Peter (December 7, 2000). "Basics; Sites Keep Up with Games and Gamers". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2018-05-23. Retrieved 2018-05-27.
- ^ GameSpot Staff (November 2, 2005). "GameSpot Redesign: Frequently Asked Questions". Archived from the original on 2013-10-18. Retrieved 2006-09-29.
- CBS Interactive. Archivedfrom the original on 2018-01-15. Retrieved 2018-01-14.
- CBS Interactive. Archived from the originalon 2007-03-21. Retrieved 2007-04-03.
- CBS Interactive. Archivedfrom the original on 2013-02-06. Retrieved 2013-01-22.
- ^ "Swipe Up Game". Expoodle.com. Retrieved 2021-09-29.
- ^ Gach, Ethan (2023-01-19). "Layoffs Hit GameSpot, Giant Bomb Just Months After Fandom Buys Them". Kotaku. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
- ^ Sinclair, Brendan (2024-01-31). "GameSpot lays off portion of staff". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
- ^ "GameSpot UK Winner, PPAi Awards 1999". UKAOP.com. Archived from the original on 2007-09-26. Retrieved 2006-10-07.
- ^ "GameSpot UK Short Listed, PPAi Awards 2001". UKAOP.com. Archived from the original on 2007-09-26. Retrieved 2006-10-07.
- ^ "GameSpot UK: Computer Games News, Reviews, Demos, and Strategy Guides". GameSpot UK. ZDNET. Archived from the original on 2000-08-15. Retrieved 2023-02-14.
Some of the material on this site also appears in our sister print magazine
- ^ Foster, Lisa (April 24, 2006). "GameSpot UK Launches". MCVUK.com. Archived from the original on 2007-06-11. Retrieved 2006-11-01.
- ^ a b Gerstmann, Jeff (March 15, 2012). "Exciting News From Your Friends At Giant Bomb". Giant Bomb. Archived from the original on July 20, 2018. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
- ^ a b Plunkett, Luke (March 15, 2012). "Yes, a Games Writer was Fired Over Review Scores". Kotaku. Archived from the original on April 9, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
- ISSN 2561-7397.
- CBS Interactive. Archivedfrom the original on 2008-07-25. Retrieved 2007-12-24.
- ^ Faylor, Chris (November 30, 2007). "CNET Denies 'External Pressure' Caused Gerstmann Termination". Shacknews. Archived from the original on 2008-05-15. Retrieved 2007-12-24.
- ^ Kasavin, Greg (January 19, 2007). "To Live and Die in L.A." Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-05-17.
- ^ "Supergiant Games". SuperGiantGames.com. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
- ^ "Jeff Gerstmann - Virtual Fools". VirtualFools.com. Archived from the original on 2008-03-14. Retrieved 2008-04-15.
- CBS Interactive. Archivedfrom the original on 2013-03-08. Retrieved 2018-01-14.
- CBS Interactive. December 31, 2013. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
- ^ Jr, Tom Huddleston (2018-06-04). "How this 33-year-old college dropout co-founded GitHub, which just sold to Microsoft for $7.5 billion". CNBC. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
- ^ "Microsoft finalizes its $7.5 billion GitHub acquisition". ZDNET. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
- CBS Interactive. Archived from the originalon 2005-08-14. Retrieved 2007-06-22.
External links
- Official website
- GameSpot UK (archived)
- GameSpot Belgium (archived)
- GameSpot France (archived)
- GameSpot Germany (archived)