IGN

IGN is a leading video gaming and entertainment media website.

IGN is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. Its headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former editor-in-chief, Peer Schneider. The IGN website was created by the media entrepreneur Chris Anderson and launched on September 29, 1996. IGN features articles on games, films, anime, television, comics, technology, and other media. Originally a network of desktop websites, IGN is also distributed on mobile platforms, console programs available on the Xbox and PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, PC, Mobile, FireTV, Roku, and via YouTube, Twitch, Hulu, and Snapchat.

Quick Facts

Subject: IGN (gaming media outlet)
Role: Reviewer and cultural amplifier of Journey
Game covered: Journey (thatgamecompany)
Creative director of journey: Jenova Chen
Platform at launch: PlayStation 3
Release year: 2012
Genre: Adventure; Emotional experience

Lore & Background

IGN was created in September 1996 as the Imagine Games Network. It was founded by publishing executive Jonathan Simpson-Bint and began as five individual websites within Imagine Media: N64.com (later renamed ign64.com), PSXPower, Saturnworld, Next-Generation.com and Ultra Game Players Online. In 1998, the network launched a new homepage that consolidated the individual sites as system channels under the IGN brand. In February 1999, PC Magazine named IGN one of the hundred-best websites. In September 1999, the spun-out company changed its name to Snowball.com. Snowball held an IPO in 2000, but shed most of its other properties during the dot-com bubble. IGN prevailed and adopted the name IGN Entertainment on May 10, 2002. In September 2005, IGN was acquired by News Corporation for $650 million. On February 4, 2013, News Corp. sold IGN Entertainment to Ziff Davis.

Reader's Guide

It describes IGN's scoring systems: originally a 0.1 to 10.0 scale, changed to a 20-point scale on August 3, 2010, then to a 100-point scale on September 13, 2012 (though decimals were retained), and finally reverted to a 10-point scale in January 2020. IGN also introduced a re-review policy in early 2014 for games that receive significant updates.