Fandom acquires Metacritic, GameSpot, TV Information and different leisure manufacturers in deal price round $55M • TechCrunch

Leisure platform Fandom introduced immediately its acquisition of seven leisure and gaming manufacturers from media firm Pink Ventures, together with on-line publications Comedian Vine, Wire Cutters Information, GameFAQs, GameSpot, Big Bomb, Metacritic, and TV Information.

Whereas the financials of the deal weren’t disclosed within the official announcement, Fandom instructed TechCrunch that the deal value someplace within the mid-fifties– so round $55 million.

Based in 2004 by Wikipedia’s co-founder Jimmy Wales and entrepreneur Angela Beesley, Fandom immediately provides a wiki internet hosting service and fan platform offering 40 million pages of content material and 250,000 wiki communities to tell and entertain followers about their favourite video video games, motion pictures, and TV collection.

At the moment’s announcement is notable because it enormously expands Fandom’s choices to now embody critiques, rankings and information.

“We’re thrilled so as to add these highly effective, authoritative manufacturers into the Fandom platform, which can broaden our enterprise capabilities and supply immersive content material for our companions, advertisers and followers. The trusted insights, rankings and content material they supply will make us a one-stop store for followers throughout their leisure and gaming journey,” stated Perkins Miller, CEO of Fandom, in a press release. Miller had turn into CEO in February 2019, as the corporate rebranded from its former identify, Wikia, and commenced to replace its core platform know-how.

Buying the seven manufacturers can even assist to broaden Fandom’s gamer viewers, which is considered one of its largest with 115 million online game followers, 17 million pages of content material, and 100,000 gaming communities, per Fandom’s 2022 State of Gaming report.

Additionally, the possession of those digital belongings will assist Fandom improve its month-to-month person base to 350 million, making it the 14^th ad-supported website within the U.S. The addition of month-to-month customers retains the corporate on observe to succeed in its objective of turning into the No. 1 fan platform on the earth.

With a latest slowdown in promoting, the acquisition couldn’t have come at a greater time. The corporate famous in its announcement that the deal permits Fandom to “super-serve” its promoting companions in addition to assist energy its information platform and gaming e-commerce enterprise.

“Along with creating distinctive fan experiences, these platforms will add to our FanDNA information providing, giving us sentiment and intent indicators that may assist enhance the buyer expertise in addition to make our commerce and promoting companies extra impactful,” Miller added.

Fandom’s take care of Pink Ventures joins varied different purchases not too long ago made by the corporate, such because the 2021 acquisition of Focus Multimedia Ltd., the guardian firm of Fanatical, an e-commerce retailer that sells video video games, eBooks, and software program.

In 2019, the corporate purchased Curse Media, a community of gaming websites, from Twitch.

On-line film journal, ScreenJunkies, was bought by Fandom in 2018.