Eurogamer

Last updated

Eurogamer
Official Eurogamer logo.svg
Type of business Subsidiary
Type of site
Video game journalism
Headquarters
United Kingdom
Founder(s) John Bye, Patrick Stokes, Rupert Loman
EditorTom Phillips
Industry Video game industry
Parent Gamer Network
URL eurogamer.net
CommercialYes
RegistrationOptional
Launched4 September 1999;24 years ago (1999-09-04)

Eurogamer is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 alongside parent company Gamer Network.

Contents

In 2008, it started in the formerly eponymous trade fair EGX (Eurogamer Expo until 2013) organised by its parent company. [1] [2] From 2013 to 2020, sister site USGamer ran independently under its parent company.

History

Eurogamer Expo 2009 Eurogamer Expo 2009.jpg
Eurogamer Expo 2009
Kristan Reed served as Eurogamer's editor from 2002 to 2008. Kristan Reed.jpg
Kristan Reed served as Eurogamer's editor from 2002 to 2008.
Tom Bramwell edited Eurogamer from 2008 to 2014. Tom Bramwell 2006.jpg
Tom Bramwell edited Eurogamer from 2008 to 2014.

Eurogamer (initially stylised as EuroGamer) was launched on 4 September 1999 under company Eurogamer Network. The founding team included John "Gestalt" Bye, the webmaster for the PlanetQuake website and a writer for British magazine PC Gaming World ; Patrick "Ghandi" Stokes, a contributor for the website Warzone; and Rupert "rauper" Loman, who had organised the EuroQuake esports event for the game Quake . [3] Eurogamer hosts content from media outlet Digital Foundry since 2007, which was founded by games journalist Richard Leadbetter in 2004. [4]

In February 2015, Eurogamer dropped its ten-point scale for review scores instead highlight some games the reviewer felt particularly strongly with labels such as 'Essential', 'Recommended' or 'Avoid'. The change was driven by doubt about the score system's usefulness and its desire to be delisted from review aggregator Metacritic because of its "unhealthy influence" on the games industry. [5] [6] In May 2023, Eurogamer returned to scoring reviews, opting for a five-point scale due to them being "universally understood, simple to take in at a glance, and easily shared." [7]

In February 2018, Eurogamer's parent company, Gamer Network, was acquired by Reed Exhibitions, [8] a division of RELX. In September 2021, the community forum for Eurogamer closed, with the site recommending other platforms such as Discord instead. [9] In the same month, Eurogamer also launched a supporter program, offering readers an ad-free experience and access to paywalled content. [10]

Editors

In January 2008, Tom Bramwell overtook the role of editor-in-chief from Kristan Reed, remaining in that role until he resigned in November 2014. [11] [12] Afterwards Oli Welsh served as editor for Eurogamer, [13] followed by Martin Robinson, [14] with Tom Phillips now being the current Editor. [15]

Regional websites

Eurogamer has several regional publications:

Former

Reception

Euorgamer has won several trade awards, including:

Related Research Articles

<i>Quake III Arena</i> 1999 video game

Quake III Arena is a 1999 multiplayer-focused first-person shooter developed by id Software. The third installment of the Quake series, Arena differs from previous games by excluding a story-based single-player mode and focusing primarily on multiplayer gameplay. The single-player mode is played against computer-controlled bots. It features music composed by Sonic Mayhem and Front Line Assembly founder Bill Leeb.

<i>Quake 4</i> 2005 video game

Quake 4 is a 2005 military science fiction first-person shooter video game developed by Raven Software and published by Activision. It is the fourth title in the Quake series, after the multiplayer Quake III Arena, and a sequel to Quake II. Raven Software collaborated with id Software, who supervised the development of the game as well as provided the id Tech 4 engine upon which it was built. The game has an increased emphasis on single-player gameplay compared to previous installments; its multiplayer mode does not support playable bots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GameSpy</span> American video game company

GameSpy was an American provider of online multiplayer and matchmaking middleware for video games founded in 1999 by Mark Surfas. After the release of a multiplayer server browser for the game, QSpy, Surfas licensed the software under the GameSpy brand to other video game publishers through a newly established company, GameSpy Industries, which also incorporated his Planet Network of video game news and information websites, and GameSpy.com.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gabe Newell</span> American businessman (born 1962)

Gabe Logan Newell, nicknamed Gaben, is an American businessman and the president of the video game company Valve.

Eidos Interactive Limited was a British video game publisher based in Wimbledon, London. Its games series included Championship Manager (1992), Tomb Raider (1996) and Hitman (2000). Domark was founded by Mark Strachan and Dominic Wheatley in 1984. In 1995, it was acquired by software company Eidos. Ian Livingstone, who held a stake in Domark, became executive chairman of Eidos and held various roles including creative director. Eidos took over U.S. Gold in 1996, which included developer Core Design, and merged its operations including Domark, which created publishing subsidiary Eidos Interactive. The company acquired Crystal Dynamics in 1998, and owned numerous other assets. In 2005, parent Eidos was taken over by games publisher SCi. The combined company, SCi Entertainment Group, which was briefly renamed Eidos, was itself taken over by Square Enix in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sumo Digital</span> British video game developer

Sumo Digital Ltd. is a British video game developer based in Sheffield and the principal subsidiary of Sumo Group since 2017. The company was founded in 2003 by four former members of the management team of Infogrames Studios and, as of 2023, employs more than 1100 people in 16 studios. The developer's model has been described as work for hire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Splash Damage</span> British video game developer

Splash Damage Ltd. is a British video game developer specialising in multiplayer first-person shooter video games. The studio is best known as the creators of Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory and Enemy Territory: Quake Wars.

<i>Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis</i> 2006 table tennis simulation video game

Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis is a 2006 table tennis simulation video game developed by Rockstar San Diego and published by Rockstar Games. The game is a realistic simulation of the sport table tennis, with the main objective to make the opponent fail to hit the ball.

id Tech Series of video game engines

id Tech is a series of separate game engines designed and developed by id Software. Prior to the presentation of the id Tech 5-based game Rage in 2011, the engines lacked official designation and as such were simply referred to as the Doom and Quake engines, from the name of the main game series the engines had been developed for. "id Tech" has been released as free software under the GNU General Public License. id Tech versions 0 to 3 were released under GPL-2.0-or-later. id Tech versions 3.5 to 4.5 were released under GPL-3.0-or-later. id Tech 5 to 7 are proprietary, with id Tech 7 currently being the latest utilized engine.

<i>Wild Metal Country</i> 1999 video game

Wild Metal Country is an action video game developed by DMA Design. The game was published by Gremlin Interactive and released for Microsoft Windows in May 1999. A Dreamcast port, known as Wild Metal, was released in February 2000 by Rockstar Games, which later also re-released the Windows version.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eidos-Montréal</span> Canadian video game developer

Eidos Interactive Corporation is a Canadian video game developer based in Montreal and part of Embracer Group. The studio was founded by Stéphane D'Astous in 2007 under SCi Entertainment. It became part of Square Enix Europe in 2009 and CDE Entertainment in 2022.

<i>Joe Danger</i> 2010 video game

Joe Danger is a side-scrolling video game incorporating elements of racing and platform games, and is the first game developed by Hello Games. The player controls the eponymous daredevil and navigates time-limited courses, aiming to complete enough objectives to continue to further rounds. Joe Danger is presented in a lighthearted way, with emphasis on stunts and maintaining speed.

<i>VG247</i> Video game blog

VG247 is a video game blog published in the United Kingdom, founded in February 2008 by industry veteran Patrick Garratt. Its current Editor-in-Chief is Dom Peppiatt. In 2009, CNET ranked it as the third best gaming blog in the world.

<i>Grand Theft Auto V</i> 2013 video game

Grand Theft Auto V is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the seventh main entry in the Grand Theft Auto series, following 2008's Grand Theft Auto IV, and the fifteenth instalment overall. Set within the fictional state of San Andreas, based on Southern California, the single-player story follows three protagonists—retired bank robber Michael De Santa, street gangster Franklin Clinton, and drug dealer and gunrunner Trevor Philips—and their attempts to commit heists while under pressure from a corrupt government agency and powerful criminals. The open world design lets players freely roam San Andreas's open countryside and the fictional city of Los Santos, based on Los Angeles.

<i>Little Deviants</i> 2011 video game

Little Deviants, known in Japan as Sawari Makuru! (サワリ・マ・ク〜ル!), is a minigame compilation, developed by Bigbig Studios for the PlayStation Vita. The game was released on 17 December 2011 in Japan, 15 February 2012 in North America, 22 February 2012 in Europe, and 23 February 2012 in Australia as a launch title for the PlayStation Vita. Little Deviants is composed of 30 minigames that make use of the Vita's front multitouch touchscreen, rear multitouch touchpad, Sixaxis motion controls, and augmented reality capabilities, along with traditional controls. Little Deviants is Bigbig's last game since Sony Computer Entertainment announced the studio's closure on 10 January 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gamer Network</span> British digital media company

Gamer Network Limited is a British digital media 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, was launched alongside the company. It began hosting video game trade show EGX in 2008. In 2018, it was acquired by ReedPop, a division of RELX.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Nod</span> French video game developer

Don't Nod Entertainment SA is a French video game developer and publisher based in Paris. Founded in June 2008, it started development on Remember Me (2013). Because of its poor return on investment, Don't Nod entered "judicial reorganisation" in 2013. With the help of French agency funding, it developed Life Is Strange, whose successful release raised Don't Nod's industry status. It began third-party publishing with Gerda: A Flame in Winter in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EGX (expo)</span> Video game trade fair

EGX is a trade fair for video games organised by Gamer Network and held annually in the United Kingdom and Germany.

PCGamesN is a British online video game magazine focusing on PC gaming and hardware. It has a full-time team of over a dozen writers and is the oldest owned-and-operated site within publishing group Network N.

References

  1. Bowden, Mike (20 October 2008). "Loman on EE2008: "Our biggest inspiration is probably the Penny Arcade Expo"". VG247 . Archived from the original on 4 April 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  2. "This Is What Video Games Are: A Dispatch From A Crowded Gaming Expo". Kotaku Australia. 10 October 2013. Archived from the original on 6 September 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  3. "EuroGamer opens!". Eurogamer. 4 September 1999. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022.
  4. "About Us". Digital Foundry. Archived from the original on 7 August 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  5. Calvin, Alex (23 February 2015). "Why Eurogamer ditched review scores". MCV/Develop . Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  6. Welsh, Oli (10 February 2015). "Eurogamer has dropped review scores". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 16 May 2023.
  7. Phillips, Tom; Tapsell, Chris (10 May 2023). "Eurogamer reviews are changing". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 10 May 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  8. Frank, Allegra (26 February 2018). "PAX organizer acquires USgamer, Eurogamer and more". Polygon . Archived from the original on 17 June 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  9. Plunkett, Luke (16 September 2021). "Please Stop Closing Forums And Moving People To Discord". Kotaku . Archived from the original on 29 May 2023. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  10. Welsh, Oli (28 September 2021). "Support Eurogamer to view the site ad-free - and much more". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 7 August 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  11. Martin, Matt (14 January 2008). "Bramwell steps up to editor role at Eurogamer.net". GamesIndustry.biz . Archived from the original on 23 August 2022.
  12. Yin-Poole, Wesley (28 November 2014). "Eurogamer vs Tom Bramwell". Eurogamer.
  13. Eurogamer staff (17 August 2010). "The Eurogamer Staff". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 4 April 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  14. "Editor's blog: I'm leaving Eurogamer at the end of the year". Eurogamer.net. 26 November 2021. Archived from the original on 11 May 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  15. Phillips, Tom (28 April 2023). "Hello from Eurogamer's new editor-in-chief". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 29 April 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  16. Bramwell, Tom (4 August 2006). "Eurogamer.de announced". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 4 April 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  17. Bramwell, Tom (18 August 2008). "Eurogamer Benelux launches!". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 4 April 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  18. Gibson, Ellie (21 May 2008). "New Eurogamer Portugal site launches". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023.
  19. Loureiro, Jorge (1 March 2013). "Eurogamer Network é agora Gamer Network" [Eurogamer Network is now Gamer Network]. Eurogamer.pt (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 26 January 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  20. Gibson, Ellie (25 June 2009). "Eurogamer Denmark launches". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 30 June 2019. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
  21. Eurogamer staff (25 October 2007). "Eurogamer France launches!". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 4 April 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  22. "La fine di un bel viaggio". Eurogamer.it (in Italian). 4 November 2022. Archived from the original on 12 November 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  23. Göransson, Andréas (11 December 2016). "Eurogamer.se lägger ner – tack för att du läste" [Eurogamer.se closes – thank you for reading]. Eurogamer.se (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  24. "PC Zone heads roll call of winners at Games Media Awards". MCV. 15 October 2010. ISSN   1469-4832 . Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  25. "GMA 2011: Eurogamer takes Best Website award fifth year running". MCV. 27 October 2011. ISSN   1469-4832 . Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  26. "All the winners from the Games Media Brit List". MCV/Develop . 18 May 2018. ISSN   1469-4832. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  27. Taylor, Ivy (18 May 2018). "Eurogamer scoops multiple awards at first-ever Games Media Brit List". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  28. Wallace, Chris (13 May 2022). "Announcing the winners of the 2022 MCV/DEVELOP Awards!". MCV. ISSN   1469-4832 . Retrieved 2 November 2023.