Wikihosting company Fandom acquires Metacritic, GameSpot and GameFAQs

Wikihosting and media company Fandom is acquiring several major gaming brands from its former owner, Red Ventures. Among others, Metacritic, GameSpot, GameFAQs, TV Guide, Giant Bomb and Comic Vine are now part of Fandom. No acquisition price has been disclosed.

The takeover of the gaming platforms and other entertainment community-related websites should “increase engagement,” says Fandom in the announcement of the deal. Together, the acquired platform would attract 46 million visitors per month, according to the new owner. “The trusted insights, ratings and content that [de overgenomen partijen] should make us a one-stop shop for fans of entertainment and gaming.” It is not clear whether the websites will remain individually accessible or will eventually be bundled into one central platform.

Although no acquisition amount was communicated, Report variety based on anonymous data subjects that Fandom has paid about 51 million euros for the companies. The former owner Red Ventures bought CNET Media Group and with it Metacritic, GameSpot and ZDNet in 2020 for about 510 million euros. In 2018, Fandom took over Screenjunkies.

Fandom is originally a wiki hosting company that claims to manage more than 250,000 individual wikis consisting of a total of 40 million pages. Most wikis are about entertainment products, including games, movies, and anime.