In a Voltron-esque move that no one expected–especially the staff of Game Informer–the WSJ is reporting that IGN and Gamestop have formed a juggernaut partnership.
Combining retail and editorial content, the questionable merger is going to be a hot topic for quite a while. The details of the crossover are as follows, according to the WSJ:
* IGN will be creating branded media advertising products on GameStop.com, and will be its sales representative online. Consumer advertisers will be able to buy branded ads on the retail site.
* IGN content will appear on GameStop.com, with all kinds of cross-linking, and there will be copious buttons for e-commerce on IGN.com.
* GameStop will be buying its ads on IGN.com.
* The traffic of both GameStop and IGN will be combined. Currently, GameStop has 7.2 million monthly uniques worldwide and IGN’s videogame content has 28.9 million.
I was just thinking about how I will enjoy watching GameStop and all their used games crumble as digital downloads become the norm. This move definitely buys them a preemptive lifeline. Well-played corporate douches… well-played.
So what happens to Game Informer, the GameStop-owned magazine with over five million monthly readers?
Either way, dark times are ahead for our industry. Not that IGN was the last bastion of journalistic integrity to begin with, but now they’re fueling the fires of used game sales which hurt everyone but GameStop. Et tu, Chobot?
[Source: Wall Street Journal]
