Wazap! is a vertical

search engine A search engine is a software system designed to carry out web searches. They search the World Wide Web in a systematic way for particular information specified in a textual web search query. The search results are generally presented in a ...

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

database and

social networking A social network is a social structure made up of a set of social actors (such as individuals or organizations), sets of dyadic ties, and other social interactions between actors. The social network perspective provides a set of methods for an ...

site to distribute gaming news, rankings, cheats, downloads and reviews owned and operated by East Beam Co. Ltd. of

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. As a vertical

, it indexes gaming sites and categorizes the information as news, reviews, cheats, downloads, previews and articles.

History

Wazap first launched in Japan in 2001 as a

community website A virtual community is a social network of individuals who connect through specific social media, potentially crossing geographical and political boundaries in order to pursue mutual interests or goals. Some of the most pervasive virtual communi ...

for

gamers A gamer is a proactive hobbyist who plays interactive games, especially video games, tabletop role-playing games, and skill-based card games, and who plays for usually long periods of time. Some gamers are competitive, meaning they routinely ...

. Initially a mix of gaming news and

user generated content User-generated content (UGC), alternatively known as user-created content (UCC), is any form of content, such as images, videos, text, testimonials, and audio, that has been posted by users on online platforms such as social media, discussion f ...

, Wazap was then redeveloped as a gaming search and information distribution site. Following initial success in Japan, Wazap was launched in other markets, beginning with Germany in 2004 under the auspices of Wazap AG. In November 2006, Wazap launched Wazap (CN) in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. The US version of Wazap launched in June 2007.Techcrunch: Wazap Coming To America
/ref> By 2008, however, Wazap had failed to gain traction outside of Japan, and its

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

, Chinese and

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

operations were closed down. As of October 2018, it continues to operate solely in Japan.

Executives

*Andreas Rührig: CEO & Co-founder *Timo Meyer: COO & Co-founder *Philip Gienandt: CFO *Alexander Piutti: CCO, & General Manager, Europe *Jeff Tang: General Manager, China *

Thom Kozik The surname Thom is of Scottish origin, from the city of Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Angus, and is a sept of the Clan MacThomas. Thom is also a first name variant of the abbreviation " Tom" of "Thomas" that holds the "h". People with the surname ...

: General Manager, U.S.

Awards

In 2007, Wazap AG (Germany) earned a 2007 Red Herring Award – European Division.Red Herring Europe 100 Winners - 2007
/ref> The Red Herring award is noted as a valuable tool in measuring companies that will serve as leaders of innovation in the field of technology.

References

{{reflist
Wazap JP
Online game databases Internet search engines Internet properties established in 2004