The gaming property satellite has been successful rather immoderate turmoil of late. Tencent conscionable gutted Fanbyte, G4TV just fired a clump of its staff, and Future Publishing conscionable fto spell a swathe of writers and editors, contempt making hundreds of millions of dollars past year. So it’s with possibly immoderate trepidation we study the quality that Fandom, the wiki hosting company, has conscionable bought behemoths including GameSpot, Metacritic, and Giant Bomb.

In a woody reported by Variety to beryllium worthy astir $50 million, the merchantability sees Fandom—originally founded by Wikipedia’s Jimmy Wales—becoming a superior subordinate successful the satellite of games media, stacking connected apical of its already precise established wiki-based business. However, if that fig is correct, it suggests a colossal autumn successful worth from the past merchantability of this postulation of outlets successful 2020, erstwhile Red Ventures purchased the entirety of CNET from ViacomCBS for $500 million.

The afloat database of publications announced arsenic being acquired by Fandom from Red Ventures contiguous contains galore well-known names: GameSpot, Metacritic, TV Guide, GameFAQs, Giant Bomb, Cord Cutters News, and Comic Vine. Previously owned by CNET and past CBS successful the past decade, the sites person changed hands plentifulness of times implicit the years. Now everyone progressive is getting acceptable for yet different rebranding, this clip to the astonishment sanction of Fandom.

Fandom, which I ideate similar maine you inactive deliberation of arsenic Wikia, is the tract you extremity up connected erstwhile trying to find retired details astir a forgotten TV episode, oregon the sanction of that 1 satellite from that Star Wars caller you work arsenic a child. In much caller years, it has been moving curated quality and blogs, and present appears to beryllium launching satellite domination. In 2018 Fandom bought Screen Junkies and past twelvemonth snapped up video crippled steadfast Focus Multimedia—and with it Fanatical, the authorized cardinal reseller that utilized to beryllium known arsenic Bundle Stars.

However, nary of this compares to today’s tremendous announcement. “Gaming is 1 of our largest audiences astatine Fandom,” said Fandom erstwhile Kotaku reached retired for comment. “We person 115 cardinal gaming fans crossed 17 cardinal pages of contented and much than 100,000 gaming communities connected our platform. So the summation of GameSpot and the different gaming sites volition assistance america ace service gaming fans adjacent much profoundly successful summation to the room of gaming notation contented we presently have.”

We asked whether determination mightiness beryllium occupation losses oregon mergers successful airy of the acquisition, but Fandom did not respond to those questions.

CNET was primitively bought by ViacomCBS for $1.8 cardinal successful 2008, and past sold connected to Red Ventures for considerably little successful 2020, astatine $500 million. While today’s acquisition by Fandom doesn’t see the CNET sanction and each their related websites, $50 cardinal for specified large players arsenic Metacritic, TV Guide, and GameSpot seems incredibly low. It could, of course, beryllium the lawsuit that Variety is simply incorrect astir this figure, as different places are reporting the fig is “undisclosed.”