"IGN Entertainment, the online gaming content site and largely offline games retailer GameStop are integrating their online media and retail offerings, in an effort to target video gamers from discovery to purchase. The partnership is an unusual effort, given content and retail are not often so explicitly combined. As part of the deal, said the companies: * IGN will be creating branded media advertising products on GameStop.com, and will its sales representative online. Consumer advertisers will be able to buy branded ads on the retail site. * IGN content will appear on GameStop.com, with all kinds of cross-linking, and there will be copious buttons for e-commerce on IGN.com * GameStop will be buying its ads on IGN.com. * The traffic of both GameStop and IGN will be combined. Currently, GameStop has 7.2 million monthly uniques worldwide and IGN’s video game content has 28.9 million.
IGN, which is profitable, has been pushing hard to grow its branded advertising recently, as well as its traffic. And, over the summer, it introduced IGN Social, adding social elements, such as gamers talking with each other, to its content offerings."
To me this all feels a little strange. I don't always love the idea of every company merging with one another. Overall, it just makes me happier to be a Giant Bomb member.
CUE ONSLAUGHT OF IGN HATE POSTS!
EDIT: I should mention that I actually really like IGN and don't get the hate. Some of the editorial staff like Greg Miller, Daemon, Ryan Clements, Colin Moriarty, the dearly departed Craig Harris, etc. are really great to read and I love the podcasts. I just assume any post about IGN will be met with tons of hate.
Everyone's favorite game retail store to hate combines with everyone's least favorite game review site? Well, at least everyone can direct all their hate at one giant target now. Maybe there's a two-meter exhaust vent we could find and blow the whole thing up.
@benjaebe: When you say "everyone" you mean all the people who read LOTS of reviews and post on message boards about video games. So about 5% of people who buy video games?
The general public goes to Gamestop without guilt, and doesn't really care when the guy behind the counter pushes used games and preorders for crappy games on them. And they may t have heard of IGN, but definitely don't have a negative opinion associated with the company. Business-wise, this is a big win for IGN (dunno how much it helps Gamestop).
But yeah, message boards (like this one) will be spewing hate while the companies rake it in.
Now gamestop can pressure IGN into giving poorly recieved games a higher mark so they (in theory) sell better, so thats Gamestop and every major publisher now, I'm predicting a wall of tens next year
What is more concerning to me is the influence of a retailer over the ad dollars on a review site. What happens when Gamestop wants to push a middling game? Does IGN boost up the score a bit? Are we going to see more reviews that end with, "Despite its flaws, this game is worth a purchase for anyone who enjoys games with shooting and health bars!"
If you think about it, part of the reason GB exists was a similar situation...
@buft: To be fair to Gamestop, Game Informer is actually a pretty decent mag nowadays (except for the crappy paper stock), and while scores seem sometimes a tad inflated they're not any different than most other outlets. I'm sure they'll continue to keep distance between the business folks and editorial staff, at least when it comes to reviews.
" @benjaebe: When you say "everyone" you mean all the people who read LOTS of reviews and post on message boards about video games. So about 5% of people who buy video games?
The general public goes to Gamestop without guilt, and doesn't really care when the guy behind the counter pushes used games and preorders for crappy games on them. And they may t have heard of IGN, but definitely don't have a negative opinion associated with the company. Business-wise, this is a big win for IGN (dunno how much it helps Gamestop). But yeah, message boards (like this one) will be spewing hate while the companies rake it in. "
It was a general statement. Don't get me wrong - I visit my college's local GameStop fairly regularly to get in on preorder deals, pick up used games and all that fun stuff. I still listen to some IGN podcasts every once in awhile and don't have any problem with the site. Still, take a look at any video game forum and you'll see a lot of flak directed at both of them. This just makes it easier.
I like a large majority of the IGN editorial staff, and don't really understand the hate. However, the marketing department make some questionable choices. I won't forgive them for having my entire screen fill up with bananas last time I visited the Wii page.
" I like a large majority of the IGN editorial staff, and don't really understand the hate. However, the marketing department make some questionable choices. I won't forgive them for having my entire screen fill up with bananas last time I visited the Wii page. "
Getting creative with ways to make the website pay. Can't really fault them for that. Not as if IGN is some indie selling out either, they have always been corporate to the core.
" Now gamestop can pressure IGN into giving poorly recieved games a higher mark so they (in theory) sell better, so thats Gamestop and every major publisher now, I'm predicting a wall of tens next year "
So exactly as it was before? It's not like IGN is known for its journalistic integrity. Hell it seems like Arthur Gies bashes anything that's hard for a casual such as himself
@EndSarcasm: Yeah I feel the same way. Some of the writers there are really great and incredibly hard-working so I always appreciate the work they do. I always think the people who claim to hate IGN so much would probably work there in a heartbeat.
I've never had a problem with IGN, they are a great source for news. I don't have nearly as much respect for most of their staff's knowledge of the development and history of games, as the sages of Giantbomb. This is a little strange though. Anytime a journalism outlet partners with a retail outlet it is hard not to question the integrity of what they are writing. Good reviews from the most visited video game website equal better sales... Just sounds like there's a lot of room for some ethics issues.
I find this a little annoying, though I dont frequent IGN as much as I do Giant Bomb I do however listen to all their gaming podcasts and really enjoy the personalities. Since I have a certain sense of their tastes I can actually use their podcasts to help my decision on what games to get but if they are combining with a retail chain (and as such have a good reason to show that the things they are trying to sell are great) then it really stops wanting to listen to their opinions on games.
" I find this a little annoying, though I dont frequent IGN as much as I do Giant Bomb I do however listen to all their gaming podcasts and really enjoy the personalities. Since I have a certain sense of their tastes I can actually use their podcasts to help my decision on what games to get but if they are combining with a retail chain (and as such have a good reason to show that the things they are trying to sell are great) then it really stops wanting to listen to their opinions on games. "
The marketing department and editorial team are entirely separate areas of IGN. One does not influence the other. In fact there was an incident where a marketing guy tried to influence one of the editors' scores by threatening that he would be fired for giving it a low score. Instead of the editor being fired when he gave the game a low score, the marketing guy was fired for his behaviour.
" Now gamestop can pressure IGN into giving poorly recieved games a higher mark so they (in theory) sell better, so thats Gamestop and every major publisher now, I'm predicting a wall of tens next year "
So exactly as it was before? It's not like IGN is known for its journalistic integrity. Hell it seems like Arthur Gies bashes anything that's hard for a casual such as himself "
Yeah he's always bashing stuff like Ninja Gaiden. Oh wait....
I didn't find this all that amazing but the Transformers theme was playing in my head the whole time I was reading it. I don't hold anything that strongly against Gamestop or IGN.
" Now gamestop can pressure IGN into giving poorly recieved games a higher mark so they (in theory) sell better, so thats Gamestop and every major publisher now, I'm predicting a wall of tens next year "
So exactly as it was before? It's not like IGN is known for its journalistic integrity. Hell it seems like Arthur Gies bashes anything that's hard for a casual such as himself "
Certain games build reputations through early reviews, and basically force a point that no matter how much you hate a game you have to give it a good rating for being challenging. If you don't, you just don't know what you're doing. Why do you think GB never reviewed Demon's Souls?
I don't really care, IGN isn't really my number one source for gaming news or anything gaming in general. And Gamestop just sucks balls and I wouldn't really care if they burned to the ground.
I never gave a shit about IGN before, and I DEFINATELY don't give a shit about IGN now. They're representing ponytails, patchy goatee's, and the death of on shelf gaming products now.
" Everyone's favorite game retail store to hate combines with everyone's least favorite game review site? Well, at least everyone can direct all their hate at one giant target now. Maybe there's a two-meter exhaust vent we could find and blow the whole thing up. "
I thought everyone loved GameStop? I mean the only alternative is Wal-Mart, unless like DRM.
I still like IGN, and go to it regularly, but I don't like the sound of this. The first time IGN gives a game that GameStop has some pre-order bonus for (which is all games) a high score, trolls, er, people are going to complain.
" @ez123: He never said. It was mentioned on a podcast when a reader asked whether they'd ever been offered money for reviews. "
Well, without actual information, it's just a thing that a dude said on a podcast. It's hardly any evidence to support the claim that "t he marketing department and editorial team are entirely separate areas of IGN. One does not influence the other."
I wonder if people will have to show their pre order receipt before they are allowed to read previews of a game they are curious about. I see nothing but bad things coming from this move.
good more money for the two companies. i think this means that bad games might get higher score. it for be good for them from the people that don't play a lot of video games. there are going to be people that complaining about this i know of it. pretty crazy stuff.
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