Video Gaming Sites IGN, GameSpy to Merge

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on December 4, 2003 - 6:37am.

San Francisco -- IGN Entertainment, a provider of online video game news, reviews and other gaming content, announced on Thursday that it will merge with GameSpy, a fellow provider of video gaming information as well as online gaming support services. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Combined, the two networks attract more than 22 million unique visitors per month, according to comScore data; they also count a combined 194,000 active paying subscribers and have registered over 26 million users. "For the gamer, this merger will provide the broadest array of information, services and content choices. For game publishers and advertisers, it creates a platform with the widest reach and the deepest set of marketing tools to target gamers and young men in general," said GameSpy founder and chairman Mark Surfas. IGN CEO Mark Jung will serve as chief executive of the new company, while Surfas will become chief strategy officer. The two sites will retain their individual identities, and the merger is expected to close in the first half of 2004.
http://corp.ign.com/articles/444/444318p1.html
http://makeashorterlink.com/?N208128B6
http://www.gamespy.com