MobyGames

MobyGames is a commercial website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes nearly 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] The site is supported by banner ads and a small number of people paying to become patrons.[2] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It is currently owned by Atari SA.

MobyGames
Logo since March 2014
Screenshot
Frontpage as of April 2012
Type of site
Gaming
Available inEnglish
OwnerAtari SA
URLmobygames.com
CommercialYes
RegistrationOptional
LaunchedJanuary 30, 1999 (1999-01-30)
Current statusOnline

Content

Prior to being merged into the database, changes go through a leisurely verification process by volunteer "approvers".[3] There is a published standard for game information and copyediting.[4] The most commonly used sources are video game packaging and title and credit screens.

Registered users can rate and review any game. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists which can generate a list of games available for trade with other users. The site has an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own subforum.

History
Logo used until March 11, 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999 by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, then joined by David Berk 18 months later, three friends since high school.[5] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about electronic games with a larger audience.

The database began with games for MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows, since those were the systems the founders were familiar with. After two years, contemporary consoles such as the PlayStation, were added. Older systems were added later. Support for arcade games was added in January 2014 and mainframe computer games in June 2017.[6]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[7] This was announced to the community post factum and a few major contributors left in protest, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercially owned website.

On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San-Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[8] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel.[9]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million through to the end of March 2022.[10] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[11][12]

References
Wikidata has the property:
  1. "MobyGames Stats". MobyGames. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  2. "MobyGames Patrons". MobyGames.
  3. "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". MobyGames.com. Blue Flame Labs. March 30, 2014. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
  4. "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". MobyGames.com. Blue Flame Labs. January 6, 2016. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
  5. "20 Years of MobyGames". Oldskooler Ramblings. February 28, 2019. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
  6. "New(ish!) on MobyGames - the Mainframe platform". MobyGames.com. Blue Flame Labs. June 18, 2017. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  7. "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. July 2, 2011.
  8. Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". Polygon. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
  9. Wawro, Alex (December 31, 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
  10. "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames".
  11. "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  12. "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million". VGC. March 9, 2022. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
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