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NWR Interactive => TalkBack => Topic started by: Jonnyboy117 on September 08, 2005, 05:21:35 AM

Title: News Corp Announces Purchase of IGN
Post by: Jonnyboy117 on September 08, 2005, 05:21:35 AM

Nintendo WiFi Connection is brought to you by GameSpy, Rupert Murdoch, and the letter Q.

In the latest gaming media acquisition, the Associated Press is reporting that News Corp intends to purchase IGN Entertainment for $650 million.  Last year, IGN swallowed GameSpy Networks, and Nintendo recently announced that the upcoming Nintendo WiFi Connection service will use technology from IGN's GameSpy division, similar to the GameSpy matching service for online PC games.    

News Corp is a media conglomerate run by Australian businessman Rupert Murdoch, who has openly expressed an interest in entering the video game industry.  News Corp already owns Fox Interactive, a game division known for such titles as No One Lives Forever.  Fox Interactive currently licenses all of its games over to Vivendi Universal Games, which publishes them under its own labels such as Sierra Entertainment.  Some of these games have been released on Nintendo systems, including games based on The Simpsons and Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series.    

This deal will probably not directly affect the relationship between Nintendo and GameSpy, but we'll let you know if it anything changes.    

Thanks to Josh Hogan for the tip!

Title: RE: News Corp Announces Purchase of IGN
Post by: Artimus on September 08, 2005, 06:31:17 AM

I don't like this one bit. We know very well what Murdoch is like and I would not put it past corporate pressuring a few of those reviews. So much for the free press.

But that's why we have sites like PGC. I just wish Nintendo wasn't teaming up with GameSpy...

Title: RE: News Corp Announces Purchase of IGN
Post by: stevey on September 08, 2005, 06:45:25 AM

"I don't like this one bit."

this isn't really new there already purchase myspace. news corp thinks there going to be another dot com boom ha ha ha =P sucker but with online video game.

Title: RE: News Corp Announces Purchase of IGN
Post by: Arbok on September 08, 2005, 07:01:19 AM

Well, at least it will be interesting, in a morbid sense, to see what kind of a agenda they try to push with this, or if they simply ignore this branch of the company altogether.

Still, it's yet another mark against getting your news from IGN.

Title: RE: News Corp Announces Purchase of IGN
Post by: Artimus on September 08, 2005, 07:03:23 AM

The main problem is that they'll be under the same branch as the games division! At least when companies like Time Warner (Warner Bros.) own magazines like Etertainment Weekly, they're under different sections!

Title: RE: News Corp Announces Purchase of IGN
Post by: Ian Sane on September 08, 2005, 07:26:35 AM

Well I think we can all agree that any review for a Fox Interactive game is going to be complete bullsh!t.  IGN and Gamespy have had some arguable credibility problems before but now they pretty much have none.  A game company owning a review site is just too much of a conflict of interest.  Aside from inflating scores for Fox Interactive games they might also be encouraged to lower the scores for games that are seen as direct competition.  If Fox Interactive releases a skateboard game IGN might show bias against Tony Hawk for example.

Title: RE:News Corp Announces Purchase of IGN
Post by: Nephilim on September 08, 2005, 07:39:40 AM

They have been buying out tons of aussie sites of late, with news that they also want to take over ABC asia (free to air station that reports new independantly thu asia, even in parts of japan).
I think the world is doomed

Title: RE: News Corp Announces Purchase of IGN
Post by: TMW on September 08, 2005, 07:46:46 AM

"Fox Interactive: We decide, you buy."  

Title: RE:News Corp Announces Purchase of IGN
Post by: nolimit19 on September 08, 2005, 07:56:45 AM

hahahha...murdoch is taking over...i love it.

Title: RE:News Corp Announces Purchase of IGN
Post by: wandering on September 08, 2005, 10:10:38 AM

This will affect more than just game reviews: IGN also owns rottentomatoes. And of course ign has their own film channel.

Scary.

Let's just hope that Nintendo's Revolution doesn't involve beaming images directly into your brain....because then MURDOCH WOULD OFFICIALLY CONTROL YOUR BRAIN.

[edit: spelling]  

Title: RE: News Corp Announces Purchase of IGN
Post by: mkeyes on September 08, 2005, 10:18:42 AM

Fox Interactive Games for all intents and purposes is basically a part of Vivendi Universal considering that they publish and distribute games and Fox Interactive Games is considered to be one of their developers inside VU Games. You can read more here:
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/news.php?aid=1360

Title: RE: News Corp Announces Purchase of IGN
Post by: King of Twitch on September 08, 2005, 10:57:56 AM

It's like Nintendo publishing Nintendo Power X10

Title: RE: News Corp Announces Purchase of IGN
Post by: KDR_11k on September 08, 2005, 11:15:05 AM

If Fox Games produces crap and GSI/IGN cover it up they're going to lose their readership within two weeks. It's one thing to claim a mediocre game is good or a good game is great but it's another thing to portray an awful game as great.

Meh, at least we can now officially say "IGN's reviews are Fair and Balanced TM".

Title: RE: News Corp Announces Purchase of IGN
Post by: Artimus on September 08, 2005, 11:45:12 AM

Anyone else find it hilarious that FOX News, home of game-bashing shows like The O'Reily Factor, is part of a corporation that makes them?

Title: RE: News Corp Announces Purchase of IGN
Post by: NinGurl69 *huggles on September 08, 2005, 01:32:10 PM

Everything-Nintendo: 7.9 sry

Title: RE:News Corp Announces Purchase of IGN
Post by: BlackNMild2k1 on September 08, 2005, 02:12:27 PM

ooops..... I think I dropped my pen

Title: RE: News Corp Announces Purchase of IGN
Post by: UncleBob on September 08, 2005, 05:01:00 PM

I wonder what the odds of Fox working with Nintendo on some games based on Fox-owned properties now...

Or perhaps Fox studios working with Nintendo on making Movies/Cartoons on Nintendo games...  

Title: RE: News Corp Announces Purchase of IGN
Post by: Jonnyboy117 on September 08, 2005, 07:44:48 PM

UncleBob, this is not a direct business deal between Fox and Nintendo, and in fact Vivendi Universal Games already has exclusive rights to publish games based on most Fox properties, so the odds for what you propose are virtually zero.

Title: RE: News Corp Announces Purchase of IGN
Post by: UncleBob on September 09, 2005, 04:24:58 AM

Well, darn...

Title: RE: News Corp Announces Purchase of IGN
Post by: Nephilim on September 09, 2005, 05:30:38 AM

sbs news reported shared dropped today after annoucing taking over a company involved in games
hehe

Title: RE: News Corp Announces Purchase of IGN
Post by: NinGurl69 *huggles on September 09, 2005, 11:36:15 AM

Umm, pwned.  =D

Title: RE: News Corp Announces Purchase of IGN
Post by: KDR_11k on September 10, 2005, 01:28:43 AM

Literally.