TouchArcade

Last updated

TouchArcade
TouchArcade 2012 Logo.png
Logo used since January 2012
Type of site
Mobile video game website
Available inEnglish
Dissolved September 16, 2024 (2024-09-16)
Country of origin United States
OwnerTouchArcade.com, LLC
Founder(s) Arnold Kim
EditorJared Nelson
URL toucharcade.com OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
CommercialYes
RegistrationOptional
LaunchedMarch 12, 2008;16 years ago (2008-03-12)
Current statusDissolved

TouchArcade (stylized as toucharcade) is a mobile games journalism website. It was launched in 2008 as a sister site of MacRumors by its founder Arnold Kim and Blake Patterson. TouchArcade also hosts a forum and a weekly podcast. [1] Its operations were shut down in 2024.

Contents

History

TouchArcade was launched in 2008 as a blog by MacRumors founder Arnold Kim and Blake Patterson. [2] [3] The spinoff site "(tracked) the new games available for the iPhone and iPod Touch". [4] It also included articles, reviews and a forum. [5] Eli Hodapp became editor-in-chief in 2009. [6]

In 2012, TouchArcade released an iOS app which included mobile game listings. [7] [8] In June 2015, TouchArcade launched a Patreon for crowdfunded donations. Hodapp explained that mobile game journalism has been struggling as developers shifted towards in-app advertising, and that ad revenue for the website was plummeting. [9] [10] Hodapp stepped down from his position in 2019 to focus on his role as co-founder of GameClub, [11] and Jared Nelson succeeded him as editor-in-chief. [12]

On September 16, 2024, TouchArcade announced that it would be shutting down its operations while keeping the website online. [13]

Reception

In 2009, CNET ranked TouchArcade sixth on its list of the top ten gaming blogs. [2] Time named it one of The 50 Best Websites of 2011 and described its reviews as a "cogent, reliable guide" to the games in the App Store. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of iTunes</span> History of the iTunes application and e-commerce platform

The iTunes media platform was first released by Apple in 2001 as a simple music player for Mac computers. Over time, iTunes developed into a sophisticated multimedia content manager, hardware synchronization manager and e-commerce platform. iTunes was finally discontinued for new Mac computers in 2019, but is still available and supported for Macs running older operating systems and for Windows computers to ensure updated compatibility for syncing with new releases of iOS devices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MacRumors</span> News website focused on Apple, Inc.

MacRumors is an American website that reports and aggregates Apple Inc.- and Mac-related news, rumors, and information.

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

NaturalMotion Limited is a British video game development company with development offices in London, Brighton and Birmingham. Founded in November 2001 as a spin-out company from Oxford University, NaturalMotion specialises in creating animation technology for the game and film industries. In January 2014, NaturalMotion was acquired by Zynga for US$527 million.

iOS Mobile operating system by Apple

iOS is a mobile operating system developed by Apple exclusively for its devices. It was unveiled in January 2007 for the first-generation iPhone, which launched in June 2007. Major versions of iOS are released annually; the current stable version, iOS 18, was released to the public on September 16, 2024.

<i>Flight Control</i> (video game) 2009 video game

Flight Control is a time management video game for iOS, Wii, Nintendo DS, Android, and Windows Phone 7 developed by Firemint and first released for iOS on March 5, 2009. The app was a number one bestseller on the App Store in 19 countries simultaneously on April 6, 2009 and has sold over 3.8 million copies. The development and publishing of Flight Control on non-Apple mobile phones is being handled by Namco under license.

<i>Edge</i> (video game) 2008 video game

Edge is a puzzle-platform game developed by Mobigame for PC and iOS devices. The objective is to guide a rolling cube through maze-like levels and reach the goal. Originally released on the App Store in December 2008, it has been removed and re-added to the store multiple times due to a trademark dispute with Tim Langdell of Edge Games, concerning the use of the word "Edge" in the title. This had caused the game to be briefly released as Edge by Mobigame and Edgy, before ultimately returning to the App Store under its original name in January 2010. The game was released on multiple platforms including mobile phones, PlayStation Portable, Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Android, Wii U, and Nintendo 3DS. It was released on Steam in August 2011 by publisher Two Tribes.

Game Center is a service by Apple that allows users to play and challenge friends when playing online multiplayer social gaming network games. Games can share multiplayer functionality between the Mac and iOS versions of the app.

<i>Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor</i> 2009 video game

Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor is a 2009 side-scrolling action-puzzle video game for iOS and Android, developed and published by Tiger Style. The player takes control of a spider who comes to reside in to the deserted Bryce Manor and must spin webs to trap various types of insects, whilst simultaneously ascertaining what happened to the former residents of the manor. The game received critical acclaim and won multiple awards. Originally released in August, a Director's Cut update replaced the original version on the App Store in December. The update added ten levels, twenty-four Game Center achievements, new music, more story elements and an insect. A year after the game's initial release, a HD version was released for the iPad. In 2013, the game was also released for Android. A sequel, Spider: Rite of the Shrouded Moon, was released in August 2015 for iOS, Android, Windows, Mac and Linux.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simogo</span> Swedish video game developer

Simogo is a Swedish independent video game developer based in Malmö. The company was founded in 2010 and is best known for creating games for mobile devices, including Year Walk and Device 6. Its name comes from the name of its founders Simon (SIM), and Gordon (GO); the 'O' from the Swedish word "och" meaning "and".

<i>Blek</i> 2013 puzzle video game

Blek is a 2013 puzzle video game for iOS and Android by kunabi brother, a team of brothers Denis and Davor Mikan. The player draws a snakelike black line that recurs in pattern and velocity across the screen to remove colored dots and avoid black dots. It is minimalist in design, features excerpts of Erin Gee, and takes inspiration from Golan Levin, the Bauhaus, and Japanese calligraphy. The brothers designed the game as a touchscreen adaptation of the Snake concept and worked on the game for over six months. It was released in December 2013 for iPad, and was later released for other iOS devices and Android.

iPhone OS 1 2007 mobile operating system

iPhone OS 1 is the first major release of iOS, Apple's mobile operating system. It was succeeded by iPhone OS 2 on July 11, 2008.

<i>Dream of Pixels</i> 2012 video game

Dream of Pixels is a 2012 puzzle game developed by the Slovenian studio Dawn of Play. It was released in November 2012 for iOS, with a subsequent version published by Noodlecake Studios for Android in October 2013. The game was positively received.

<i>Hitman: Sniper</i> 2015 video game

Hitman: Sniper is a 2015 mobile shooting gallery video game in the Hitman series by Square Enix Montréal. As the series' mainstay protagonist Agent 47, the player looks through a first-person sniper scope vision on their touchscreen device to assassinate several powerful figures who have assembled at a lakeside compound without alerting their associates. The player uses the environment to find creative ways to kill these targets, sometimes prompted by secondary objectives. Through mission progression, the player unlocks more powerful weapons and new weapon abilities.

<i>Godville</i> 2007 video game

Godville is a mobile and desktop browser zero-player role-playing video game developed by Mikhail Platov and Dmitry Kosinov. It was released as a Russian website in 2007 and as a mobile game in English on July 18, 2010. In the game, the player controls a character known as the god, who interacts with a character called the hero. The hero progresses in the video game without interaction with the player's god character. Reception to the game was positive, with the focus on its gameplay.

<i>Survivalcraft</i> Sandbox video game

Survivalcraft is a 2011 open sandbox video game developed by Marcin Igor Kalicinski under the brand Candy Rufus Games. Following early test versions, it was released on 16 November 2011 for the Windows Phone, and is also available for Android, iOS, and Microsoft Windows. The game is set on a deserted island in an open world, where the player collects resources and items that can be made into survival tools. The game has six different game modes: Survival, Challenging, Cruel, Harmless, Adventure, and Creative. The first four involve the player gathering necessary resources to stay alive. The Creative mode gives the player unlimited items and health, and the Adventure mode is used for quest and parkour maps.

Apple Arcade is a video game subscription service offered by Apple. It is available through a dedicated tab of the App Store on devices running iOS 13, VisionOS, tvOS 13, iPadOS 13, and macOS Catalina or later. The service launched on September 19, 2019.

iPod Touch (1st generation) Mobile device made by Apple Inc.

The first-generation iPod Touch, is a multi-touch mobile device designed and marketed by Apple Inc. with a touchscreen-based user interface. The first device of the iPod Touch series, it was unveiled and released at Apple's media event on September 5, 2007. It is compatible with up to iPhone OS 3.1.3 which was released on February 2, 2010.

<i>Super QuickHook</i> 2010 2D platforming game

Super QuickHook is a 2010 mobile 2D platform game developed and published by Rocketcat Games. The game released on June 17, 2010, for iOS devices, with an Android port releasing later on July 23, 2015. The game is a spiritual successor to 2009's Hook Champ, and follows its playing characters traversing two-dimensional levels, primarily using a grappling hook.

Catan was a turn-based strategy video game based on Klaus Teuber's The Settlers of Catan, developed by Exozet Games and published by United Soft Media for iOS in 2009-2010, for Android in 2011, and for Windows Mobile in 2013.

References

  1. "Exciting Things Ahead for Mobile Gaming - Slide to Play". Slide to Play. Archived from the original on September 15, 2015. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
  2. 1 2 Dredge, Stuart (November 6, 2009). "Top ten gaming blogs". CNET. Archived from the original on March 27, 2014. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  3. Frommer, Dan (July 14, 2008). "Nephrologist To Mac Blogger: The Unlikely Career Path Of MacRumors' Arnold Kim". Business Insider . Archived from the original on December 26, 2015. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  4. Stelter, Brian (July 21, 2008). "My Son, the Blogger: An M.D. Trades Medicine for Apple Rumors" . The New York Times . Archived from the original on July 22, 2008. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  5. 1 2 McCracken, Harry (August 16, 2011). "Touch Arcade". Time . Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  6. Hodapp, Eli (March 5, 2019). "We're losing the history of the App Store | Opinion". Gamesindustry.biz. Archived from the original on March 5, 2019. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  7. Scott, Jeff (May 8, 2012). "TouchArcade App Now Available". 148Apps. Archived from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  8. Herbert, Chris (May 8, 2012). "Review: TouchArcade for iPhone". MacStories. Archived from the original on May 10, 2012. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  9. Dredge, Stuart (June 24, 2015). "TouchArcade Patreon raises wider issues of online journalism economics". The Guardian . Archived from the original on July 3, 2015. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  10. Rossignol, Joe (June 24, 2015). "App Store's Emphasis on Chart Positioning Squeezing Out Developers and Media Publications". MacRumors . Archived from the original on August 28, 2023. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  11. Gallagher, William (March 6, 2019). "Old iPad and iPhone games left behind by march of iOS could come back to life". AppleInsider. Archived from the original on August 28, 2023. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  12. Totilo, Stephen (January 7, 2022). "The future of mobile gaming". Axios . Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  13. Nelson, Jared (September 16, 2024). "TouchArcade is Shutting Down". TouchArcade. Archived from the original on September 16, 2024. Retrieved September 16, 2024.