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GameSpy And IGN To Merge

Posted by simoniker on from the eye-gee-spy dept.

Bagels writes "'I had a big company, and he had a big company, and now we have a very big company.' This very appropriate Simpsons quote begins IGN's announcement regarding its imminent merger with GameSpy Industries, their former rival. GameSpy has its own announcement about this, as well. The official press release claims the companies' two websites will remain separate entities, and those websites will retain their original feel; the merger is mainly to pool the financial (and likely informational) resources of the two companies. The merger will be completed in the first half of 2004 - SpyGN, anyone?"

5 of 78 comments (clear)

  1. ehhhh by acxr+is+wasted · · Score: 3, Interesting

    This combination offers tremendous synergies as GameSpy and IGN have very complementary strengths

    What is it about business deals that reduces everything to verbal sludge?

    The quality of IGN's articles is far beyond that of Gamespy's... Hopefully the Gamespy editorial staff gets downsized in the process, and thus forever freeing games.slashdot.org from stupid Gamespy filler articles.

    --
    "Come on, let's go drink till we can't feel feelings anymore."
    1. Re:ehhhh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      If IGNs are really better than GameSpy's, then the new company will be in a sad state of affairs. I read IGNs reviews(generally for a laugh), and other reviews, then either rent (if I'm still not sure) or buy the game that I want. More often than not, IGNs articles are about... twenty-five percent lies. I'm not sure if it's because people send them a review copy, then change the game, or if they're reviewing betas, or if they're doing it intentionally, or if it's just incomeptnace (I can imagine someone playing a game for 5 to 30 minutes and then making assumptions about later gameplay which turns out to be false).

      Either way, I very rarely trust what I see on IGN. They are EA whores. I like EAs stuff, but IGN is compleatly biased and polluted.

  2. Where's the benefit to us? by BortQ · · Score: 4, Interesting
    In any big merger like this I can't help but feel disappointed. We go from a state of having two independent sources to having only one.

    I'm sure that some staff will be let go to reduce costs and eliminate duplication. But the duplication is what users like. Two differing views are better than one.

    --

    A Multiplayer Strategy Game for Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux
    1. Re:Where's the benefit to us? by BortQ · · Score: 2, Interesting
      Yeah sure, both brands will remain separate entities. Then they will start to share content. Maybe the message boards will be merged. Eventually what's the point of having both of them around?

      It's quite common to lie at the outset of a merger. Saying that no jobs will be lost or some such. It puts a good spin on the move. Then after the deal is done they can do whatever they want. And they will do what's the most cost-effective.

      Hopefully they will keep the best from both and make a good site.

      --

      A Multiplayer Strategy Game for Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux
  3. Re:Thank god. by CasulPoster · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Nope, they're staying as two different sites. Now they'll just have a more coordinated strategy for selling you things.