Gamer Network Limited (formerly Eurogamer Network Limited) is a British
mass media
Mass media refers to a diverse array of media technologies that reach a large audience via mass communication. The technologies through which this communication takes place include a variety of outlets.
Broadcast media transmit informatio ...
company based in
Brighton. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and
Nick Loman, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to
video game journalism and other video game businesses. Its flagship website, ''
Eurogamer
''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 and owned by alongside formed company Gamer Network. Its editor-in-chief is Martin Robinson.
Since 2008, it is known for the formerly eponymous games trade fair EGX ...
'', was launched alongside the company. In February 2018, Gamer Network was acquired by
ReedPop
RELX plc (pronounced "Rel-ex") is a British multinational information and analytics company headquartered in London, England. Its businesses provide scientific, technical and medical information and analytics; legal information and analytics; ...
.
Gamer Network also organises the
EGX trade fair.
History
Gamer Network was founded under the name Eurogamer Network in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman.
It was formed alongside the opening of its flagship website, ''
Eurogamer
''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 and owned by alongside formed company Gamer Network. Its editor-in-chief is Martin Robinson.
Since 2008, it is known for the formerly eponymous games trade fair EGX ...
'', which itself launched on 4 September 1999.
Nick Loman left the business in 2004 to pursue a career in medicine and "competitive
BBQ".
In February 2011, Eurogamer Network acquired American publishing house Hammersuit, alongside its IndustryGamers.com and Modojo.com websites. On 1 March 2013, in line with the international expansion, Eurogamer Network announced that it had changed its name to Gamer Network.
As part of the rebranding, Eurogamer Events was renamed Gamer Events, while Hammersuit also adopted the Gamer Network name.
In October, Simon Maxwell was promoted from group publishing director to
chief operating officer
A chief operating officer or chief operations officer, also called a COO, is one of the highest-ranking executive positions in an organization, composing part of the " C-suite". The COO is usually the second-in-command at the firm, especially if t ...
.
On 26 February 2018, it was announced that
ReedPop
RELX plc (pronounced "Rel-ex") is a British multinational information and analytics company headquartered in London, England. Its businesses provide scientific, technical and medical information and analytics; legal information and analytics; ...
, the
division of
Reed Exhibitions
RELX plc (pronounced "Rel-ex") is a British multinational information and analytics company headquartered in London, England. Its businesses provide scientific, technical and medical information and analytics; legal information and analytics; ...
that organises video game exhibitions like
PAX, had acquired Gamer Network.
While Rupert Loman remained Gamer Network's
chief executive officer
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especial ...
, Maxwell became the company's
managing director
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especiall ...
and a
vice-president for ReedPop's UK operations.
Loman left the company in February 2020.
ReedPop implemented a number of layoffs across many of the Gamer Network sites in September 2020. In November 2020, the remaining ''USgamer'' staff, which had been reduced from nine to four after the earlier layoffs, reported that ReedPop was shuttering the site by the end of the year.
Owned brands
Editorial websites
* ' – A
board game
Board games are tabletop games that typically use . These pieces are moved or placed on a pre-marked board (playing surface) and often include elements of table, card, role-playing, and miniatures games as well.
Many board games feature a ...
-centric website and
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...
channel launched by Gamer Network in August 2019. Its
editor-in-chief
An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies.
The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...
is Matt Jarvis.
* ''
Eurogamer
''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 and owned by alongside formed company Gamer Network. Its editor-in-chief is Martin Robinson.
Since 2008, it is known for the formerly eponymous games trade fair EGX ...
'' – Gamer Network's flagship website for video game news; launched in 1999 alongside the company.
The Eurogamer brand is licensed to 8 regional sub-outlets, which report in their region's language. Its editor-in-chief is Martin Robinson.
* ''GamesIndustry.biz'' – A website focused on the business aspects of the
video game industry
The video game industry encompasses the Video game development, development, marketing, and Video game monetization, monetization of video games. The industry (economics), industry encompasses dozens of job disciplines and thousands of jobs wor ...
; launched under Eurogamer Network in 2002. Its editor-in-chief is James Batchelor.
* ''
Outside Xbox'' – A
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...
channel focusing on
Xbox
Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by th ...
game news; launched in 2012 by Eurogamer Network and Andy Farrant, Mike Channell and Jane Douglas, three editors of other Xbox-focused outlets.
*''
Outside Xtra'' - A
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...
channel focusing on multi-platform (non-Xbox) news such as
PlayStation
is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a di ...
,
Nintendo,
VR and
PC; launched in 2016 by Outside Xbox and Ellen Rose and Luke Westaway, Writer and Presenter of Xbox On and Senior Editor at CNET respectively.
* ''
Rock Paper Shotgun
''Rock Paper Shotgun'' (also rendered ''Rock, Paper, Shotgun''; short ''RPS'') is a UK-based website for reporting on video games, primarily for PC. Originally launched on 13 July 2007 as an independent site, ''Rock Paper Shotgun'' was acquir ...
'' – A website focused on
personal computer
A personal computer (PC) is a multi-purpose microcomputer whose size, capabilities, and price make it feasible for individual use. Personal computers are intended to be operated directly by an end user, rather than by a computer expert or tech ...
game news launched in 2007 by Kieron Gillen, Alec Meer, John Walker and Jim Rossignol; partnered with Eurogamer Network in 2010 and acquired by it in 2017. Its editor-in-chief is Katharine Castle.
* ''
VG247
''VG247'' is a video game blog published in the United Kingdom, founded in February 2008 by industry veteran Patrick Garratt. In 2009, CNET ranked it as the third best gaming blog in the world.
History
Founded in collaboration on 1 February ...
'' – A video game news site formed in 2008 in a partnership between Eurogamer Network and Patrick Garratt. Its editor-in-chief is Tom Orry.
Other
* Jelly Deals – A website highlighting sales for video games; launched in 2016.
Former
* Gamer Creative – Gamer Network's in-house
creative agency; founded and headed by Josh Heaton.
* Gamer's Edition – A project that produces
merchandise
Merchandising is any practice which contributes to the sale of products to a retail consumer. At a retail in-store level, merchandising refers to displaying products that are for sale in a creative way that entices customers to purchase more ...
and
special edition
The terms special edition, limited edition, and variants such as deluxe edition, or collector's edition, are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as books, prints, ...
releases for video games; launched in 2013, its first projects were special editions for ''
Papers, Please
''Papers, Please'' is a puzzle simulation video game created by indie game developer Lucas Pope, developed and published through his production company, 3909 LLC. The game was released on August 8, 2013 for Microsoft Windows and OS X, for ...
'' and a compilation of ''
Hotline Miami'' and ''
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number''.
* ''Metabomb'' – A video game news website with emphasis on
esports; launched under Gamer Network in 2013.
* ''USgamer'' (''USG'') – A sister site to ''Eurogamer'' helmed by American staff; launched in 2013 and shut down in 2020.
Partnered websites
Editorial websites
* ''Nintendo Life'' – A website focused on news and reviews of
Nintendo products, including video games and software, owned and operated by Hookshot Media (formerly Nlife Media). It has sections covering the
Nintendo Switch
The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a tablet that can either be docked for use as a home console or used as a portable device, making it a ...
,
Wii U
The Wii U ( ) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo as the successor to the Wii. Released in late 2012, it is the first eighth-generation video game console and competed with Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4.
Th ...
,
Wii,
Nintendo 3DS
The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo. It was announced in March 2010 and unveiled at E3 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS. The system features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS video games. As an eighth-generati ...
,
Nintendo DSi
The is a dual-screen handheld game console released by Nintendo. The console launched in Japan on November 1, 2008, and worldwide beginning in April 2009. It is the third iteration of the Nintendo DS, and its primary market rival is Sony ...
,
WiiWare,
DSiWare and classic titles re-released through Nintendo's
Virtual Console
A virtual console (VC) – also known as a virtual terminal (VT) – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some Unix-like operating systems such as Linux, BSD, illumos, Un ...
games. It was founded in late 2005,
acquired the sites ''WiiWare World'' and ''Virtual Console Reviews'' in April 2009,
and partnered with Gamer Network (then Eurogamer Network) in 2011.
In 2015 the site expanded its YouTube channel to receive regular content.
* ''Push Square'' – A website focused in
PlayStation
is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a di ...
game news; launched in 2012 by ''Nintendo Life'' and Sammy Barker.
* ''Pure Xbox'' – A website focused in
Xbox
Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by th ...
game news; relaunched in 2020 by Nlife Media.
* ''Road to VR'' – A video game news website with emphasis on
virtual reality
Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), e ...
; launched by Ben Lang in 2011 and partnered with Gamer Network in 2017.
* ''Time Extension'' – A website focused on retrogaming; launched in 2022 by Hookshot Media.
* ''Video Games Chronicle'' (''VGC'') – A
spiritual successor
A spiritual successor (sometimes called a spiritual sequel) is a product or fictional work that is similar to, or directly inspired by, another previous work, but (unlike a traditional prequel or sequel) does not explicitly continue the product l ...
to magazine ''
Computer and Video Games
''Computer and Video Games'' (also known as ''CVG'', ''Computer & Video Games'', ''C&VG'', ''Computer + Video Games'', or ''C+VG'') was a UK-based video game magazine, published in its original form between 1981 and 2004. Its offshoot website ...
''; launched in partnership with Gamer Network in 2019 by a team led by Andy Robinson.
Other
*
Mod DB – A database website for
video game modifications; launched in 2002 and partnered with Gamer Network in 2015.
*
Indie DB
Mod DB is a website that focuses on general video game modding. It was founded in 2002 by Scott "INtense!" Reismanis. As of September 2015, the Mod DB site has received over 604 million views, has more than 12,500 modifications registered, and ...
– A sister site for Mod DB that covers
indie games
An indie game, short for independent video game, is a video game typically created by individuals or smaller development teams without the financial and technical support of a large game publisher, in contrast to most "AAA" (triple-A) games. ...
; launched by Mod DB in 2010 and partnered with Gamer Network alongside Mod DB in 2015.
References
External links
*
{{video game journalism
1999 establishments in England
2018 mergers and acquisitions
Companies based in Brighton
Video game companies of the United Kingdom