Gamer Network Limited (formerly Eurogamer Network Limited) is a British digital media company based in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and

Nick Loman Nicholas James Loman (born February 1979) is the co-founder of the Gamer Network with his brother Rupert, which they started under the name Eurogamer Network in 1999. Nick left the business in 2004 to pursue a career in medicine. Loman studied ...

, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to

video game journalism Video game journalism (also called games journalism or video game criticism) is a specialized branch of journalism that covers various aspects of video games, including game reviews, industry news, and player culture, typically following a core ...

and other video game businesses. Its flagship website, ''

Eurogamer ''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 alongside parent company Gamer Network. In 2008, it started in the formerly eponymous trade fair EGX (Eurogamer Expo until 2013) organised by its parent company. Fr ...

'', was launched alongside the company. It began hosting the video game trade show EGX in 2008.

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; ...

acquired Gamer Network in 2018 and sold it to

IGN Entertainment ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

in 2024.

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, ''

'', 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 (COO), also called chief operations officer, is an executive in charge of the daily operations of an organization (i.e. personnel, resources, and logistics). COOs are usually second-in-command immediately after the C ...

. On 26 February 2018, it was announced that

, 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 pop culture conventions such as PAX, had acquired Gamer Network. While Rupert Loman remained Gamer Network's

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

, Maxwell became the company's

managing director A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

and a

vice-president A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

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. In November 2023, ReedPop announced its intent to sell Gamer Network with its editorial brands, though excluding its events business.

was announced as the buyer in May 2024, and it immediately implemented layoffs of some editorial staff at ''GamesIndustry.biz'' and ''

Rock Paper Shotgun ''Rock Paper Shotgun'' is a British video game journalism website. It was launched in July 2007 to focus on PC game, PC games and was acquired by Gamer Network, a network of sites led by ''Eurogamer'', in May 2017. History ''Rock Paper S ...

''. Following the takeover, ''Dicebreaker'' cancelled their Tabletop Creators Summit at MCM Comic Con. In an overview on the state of tabletop gaming journalism, Chase Carter of ''Rascal News'' highlighted that "the other professional website that fostered amateur talent, ''Dicebreaker'', seems to be poised on the edge of collapse". Carter, who formerly freelanced for ''Dicebreaker'', commented that nothing has been published since the May 21 sale of the Gamer Network and the outlet's "ultimate fate remains unknown at time of writing" in June 2024. Later that month, the ''Dicebreaker'' staff reported that they were made redundant.

List of brands

Owned

* ''

'' – Gamer Network's flagship website for video game news; launched in 1999 alongside the company. The Eurogamer brand is licensed to six regional sub-outlets, which report in their region's languages. Its editor-in-chief is Tom Phillips. * ''GamesIndustry.biz'' – A website focused on the business aspects of the

video game industry The video game industry is the tertiary industry, tertiary and quaternary industry, quaternary sectors of the entertainment industry that specialize in the video game development, development, marketing, distribution (marketing), distribution, ...

; launched on Eurogamer in 2002. Its editor-in-chief is James Batchelor. * '' Outside Xbox'' and ''Outside Xtra'' –

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

channels focusing on

Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand that consists of four main home video game console lines, as well as application software, applications (games), the streaming media, streaming service Xbox Cloud Gaming, and online services such as the Xbox networ ...

and non-Xbox game news; the former launched in 2012 by Andy Farrant, Mike Channell and Jane Douglas, three editors of other Xbox-focused outlets, and the latter launched in 2016 by Outside Xbox, Ellen Rose, and Luke Westaway, writer and presenter of Xbox On, and Senior Editor at CNET, respectively. * ''

'' – A website focused on

personal computer A personal computer, commonly referred to as PC or computer, is a computer designed for individual use. It is typically used for tasks such as Word processor, word processing, web browser, internet browsing, email, multimedia playback, and PC ...

game news launched in 2007 by

Kieron Gillen Kieron Michael Gillen (; born 30 September 1975) is a British comic book writer and former video game and music journalist. In comics, Gillen is known for his creator-owned series such as '' Once & Future'' (2019–2022), '' Die'' (2018–202 ...

, 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'' – A video game news site formed in 2008 in a partnership between Eurogamer Network and Patrick Garratt. Its editor-in-chief is Dom Peppiatt.

Former

* ''Dicebreaker'' – A

board game A board game is a type of tabletop game that involves small objects () that are placed and moved in particular ways on a specially designed patterned game board, potentially including other components, e.g. dice. The earliest known uses of the ...

and

tabletop role-playing game A tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG or TRPG), also known as a pen-and-paper role-playing game, is a kind of role-playing game (RPG) in which the participants describe their characters' actions through speech and sometimes movements. Participants d ...

news and reviews website and

channel launched in August 2019. ''Dicebreaker'' launched the Tabletop Awards in 2022 and the Tabletop Creators Summit in 2023. The site was closed without public comment and staff including editor-in-chief Matt Jarvis made redundant in June 2024 following the sale of the Gamer Network. * 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 Product (business), products ("merch" colloquially) to a retail consumer. At a retail in-store level, merchandising refers to displaying products that are for sale in a creative w ...

and

special edition The terms special edition, limited edition, and variants such as deluxe edition, collector's edition or expanded edition are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as b ...

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 ''Hotline Miami'' is a 2012 top-down shooter game developed by Dennaton Games and published by Devolver Digital. Set in Miami in 1989, the game follows an unnamed silent protagonist—dubbed Jacket by fans—as he commits massacres against the ...

'' and '' Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number''. * Jelly Deals – A website highlighting sales for video games; launched in 2016. * ''Metabomb'' – A video game news website with emphasis on

esports Esports (), short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, played individually or as teams. ...

; launched in 2013. * ''USgamer'' (''USG'') – Aimed at the United States, a sister site to ''Eurogamer''; launched in 2013 and shut down in 2020. After closure, the website's content was migrated to ''VG247''. * Cosplay Central – A website founded in 2020 and focused primarily on

Cosplay Cosplay, a blend word of "costume play", is an activity and performance art in which participants called cosplayers wear costumes and Fashion accessory, fashion accessories to represent a specific Character (arts), character. Cosplayers often i ...

. The website's content is now part of ''Popverse''.

Partnered

* ' – A website focused on news and reviews of

Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles. The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi ...

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 video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...

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. The W ...

Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America, and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, f ...

Nintendo 3DS The is a foldable dual-screen handheld game console produced by Nintendo. Announced in March 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS, the console was released originally on February 26, 2011 and went through various revisions in its lifetime, ...

Nintendo DSi The is a foldable 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 was ...

WiiWare WiiWare was a digital media entertainment service operated by Nintendo that allowed the download of games and applications developed for the Wii video game console. These games and applications could only be purchased and downloaded from the W ...

DSiWare This is a list of games and applications, collectively known as DSiWare, for the Nintendo DSi handheld game console, available for download via the DSi Shop and unplayable on earlier DS models. An update released for the Nintendo 3DS in June 20 ...

and classic titles re-released through Nintendo's

Virtual Console The Virtual Console was a line of downloadable retro video games for Nintendo's Wii and Wii U home video game consoles and the Nintendo 3DS family of handheld systems. The Virtual Console lineup consisted of titles originally released on pa ...

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. Its editor is Gavin Lane. *

Mod 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 ...

and Indie DB – A database website for video game modifications; launched in 2002 and partnered with Gamer Network in 2015. And sister site for Mod DB that covers

indie games An indie video game or indie game (short for independent video game) is a video game created by individuals or smaller development teams without the financial and technical support of a large Video game publisher, game publisher, in contrast to ...

; launched by Mod DB in 2010 and partnered with Gamer Network alongside Mod DB in 2015. * ' – A website focused in

PlayStation is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...

game news; launched in 2012 by ''Nintendo Life''. Its Editor is Sammy Barker. * ' – A website focused in

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 Simulation, simulated experience that employs 3D near-eye displays and pose tracking to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video gam ...

; launched by Ben Lang in 2011 and partnered with Gamer Network in 2017. * ' – A website focused on retrogaming; launched in 2022 by Hookshot Media. Its Editor-in-Chief is Damien McFerran. * ''

Video Games Chronicle ''Video Games Chronicle'' (''VGC'' is a British entertainment website covering video games published independently by 1981 Media. Led by editor-in-chief Andy Robinson, the team consists largely of former ''Computer and Video Games'' staff. Lau ...

'' (''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 product or work, but (unlike a traditional prequel or sequel) does not explicitly continue th ...

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'') is a British-based video game magazine, published in its original form between 1981 and 2004. Its offshoot web ...

''; launched in partnership with Gamer Network in 2019 by a team led by Andy Robinson. * Partnered video channels including Arekkz Gaming, Westie and FamilyGamerTV.

Reception

In October 2015, Gamer Network site ''VG247'' retracted their preview of '' Uncharted 4: A Thief's End'' and issued an apology after being contacted by the publisher that the game they had played was '' Uncharted 2: Among Thieves'' from the remastered ''Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection''.

References

External links

* {{video game journalism 1999 establishments in England 2018 mergers and acquisitions 2024 mergers and acquisitions British subsidiaries of foreign companies Companies based in Brighton Video game companies of the United Kingdom