GameSpot

Lore & Background

GameSpot was founded on May 1, 1996, by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady, and Jon Epstein under their newly established company, SpotMedia Communications. SpotMedia had been formed months earlier in January 1996, after the founders left their roles at IDG. The site's initial launch emphasized news, previews, and reviews primarily for personal computer games. SpotMedia launched a companion site, VideoGameSpot, on December 1, 1996, dedicated to console and arcade titles. On January 6, 1997, SpotMedia announced a partnership with Ziff Davis, valued at $20 million. By February 1997, Ziff Davis's financial infusion enabled GameSpot to grow to 45 employees. VideoGameSpot, then renamed VideoGames.com, was merged into GameSpot. On May 11, 1998, Ziff Davis's cable channel ZDTV launched, and a program by GameSpot premiered as GameSpot TV on July 4. In February 1999, PC Magazine named GameSpot one of the hundred best websites. Following the acquisition of ZDNet by CNET Networks, announced on July 19, 2000, GameSpot came under the ownership of CNET. In December 2000, The New York Times declared GameSpot and Gamecenter the 'Time and Newsweek of gaming sites'. In February 2001, GameSpot was spared from a redundancy reduction effort by CNET which shuttered Gamecenter. In October 2005, GameSpot adopted a new design similar to that of TV.com. GameSpot ran paid subscriptions from 2006 to 2013. In June 2008, GameSpot's parent company CNET was acquired by CBS Corporation, and GameSpot was managed by the CBS Interactive division. CNET was sold to Red Ventures in October 2020. Two years later, Fandom acquired GameSpot, along with Metacritic, TV Guide, GameFAQs, Giant Bomb, Cord Cutters News, and Comic Vine from Red Ventures. In January 2023, 40-50 employees were affected by layoffs. More layoffs took place in January 2024.

In Their Own Story

The screen flickers with sepia-toned pixel art as a critic navigates the final levels of the puzzle-platformer. Time rewinds and fractures around the protagonist, Tim, while the clock on the wall ticks backward in sync with the gameplay mechanics being analyzed for publication. The atmosphere is quiet, focused entirely on the intricate design choices that would soon define an era of gaming.

Reader's Guide

GameSpot employs a 1-10 scoring system for reviews, which evolved from a categorical breakdown to a unified overall score introduced in 2007 with half-point increments. By 2013, the scale shifted to integer values only, categorizing scores as Masterpiece (10), Superb (9), Great (8), Good (7), Fair (6), Mediocre (5), Poor (4), Bad (3), Terrible (2), or Abysmal (1).

Did You Know?

• In 2004, GameSpot won 'Best Gaming Website' as chosen by the viewers in Spike TV's second Video Game Award Show.
• GameSpot has won Webby Awards several times.
• The domain GameSpot.com attracted at least 60 million visitors annually by October 2008 according to a Compete.com study.
• GameSpot UK won the 1999 PPAi award for best website.
• Jeff Gerstmann, editorial director of GameSpot, was fired on November 28, 2007, due to pressure from Eidos Interactive over his 6/10 review of Kane & Lynch: Dead Men.