MobyGames

MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.<ref> Template:Cite web</ref> The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.<ref> Template:Cite web</ref> A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite news</ref>

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

File:MobyGames.png

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref> Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.<ref name=":1" /> In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.<ref name=":1" />

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This was announced to the community post factumTemplate:Citation needed, and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.<ref name=":2" /> A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.Template:Citation needed

On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,<ref name="gamasutra">Template:Cite web</ref> and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.<ref name=":2" />

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.<ref name=":0" /> This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

See also

• IGDBTemplate:Sndgame database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

External links

• Template:Official website