Good-bye 1up, GameSpy and UGO

There's alot of people who want to hear me talk about the Playstation 4.  And while I do have some criticism directed at it, I have something else that caught my attention.  The shuttering of 1up, GameSpy and UGO, all apart of the same group that's with IGN(Which is also facing layoffs)

The move, according to a statement, is so that the publisher can focus on its two "flagship" brands, IGN and AskMen. It will no doubt be a sad shock to those who have frequented these sites for many years.

"Given the state of the market and the economy, it simply wasn't feasible to run multiple sites all focused on video game content," wrote IGN's Casey Lynch, the poor sod who has to relay the corporate message like it's a good thing, and take the heat from disappointed readers around the world.

"Layoffs and site closures *CENSORED* suck. It reminds us that this is indeed a business, and not just a fun past-time that kids tumble into an office to type about," he added.

"I choose to remember all the heart, soul, blood, sweat and beers that went into creating 1UP and GameSpy, and all the hard work, love, and devotion that those we say goodbye to today poured out for you and this industry while at IGN, 1UP, and GameSpy."

A tragic move by Ziff Davis.  Which means we'll be having less review sites to trust.  So, for the rest of this post, the final message of all 3 websites that will be no more.  1up, GameSpy, UGO, thanks for all those years we had.

1UP.com's final message

As of today, 1UP will be entering the sunset into which all former websites eventually must ride. This comes as huge disappointment for me -- not because I'm editor-in-chief of the site, but because I've been with it since the beginning. That's nearly 10 years of my life invested in this website through all its ups and downs... and ups... and dooooowwwwwns. 

It's been a fantastic (almost) 10 years. Even in its most frustrating and even dispiriting moments (there were some pretty dark times before IGN bought us in 2011), 1UP has always been fueled by the sincere enthusiasm of everyone writing for the site. Dozens upon dozens of people have moved through the various doors of our assorted offices, and each of them brought passion and talent to their work. I'm proud to have been a part of something so much larger than myself, and to help guide it as gracefully as possible to its slow halt since taking over the role left behind by my predecessors, Sam Kennedy and James Mielke. 

Read through the site's archives and you'll find some truly amazing content. In-depth interviews with legendary developers, insanely detailed explorations of the niche and obscure, brilliant coverage of the top news of the day. You'll find revolutionary video programs and trendsetting podcasts. Incisive reviews and comprehensive blogs. God, there's so much here we need to archive in case someone does pull the plug on the servers. 

But most of all, 1UP has always been fueled by passionate readers. No, you guys are more than readers -- you're participants. You've called in for podcasts, shaken our hands at trade shows and conventions, flagged us down on the street, berated us in comments, and chimed in to express your own take on the topics of the day. 1UP has played a huge role over the years in changing the perception and nature of the gaming press from broadcast to conversation. And the outpouring of memories and affection today on forums, on Twitter, and in our blogs has only served to reinforce the impact 1UP has had on countless people. You guys are awesome.

GameSpy.com's Final Message
GameSpy, as we know it, began in 1999. Today, 14 years later, it has reached the end of the road. We had a good run, and we want to sincerely thank all of you for reading and joining in discussions with us. It's been fantastic.

Just to be clear, we're not being shut down because PC gaming isn't a big, important, and growing thing -- because it is. That's not even debatable. It's not even because the GameSpy staff did a bad job of talking about it. Hell, from where I'm sitting we did an awesome job, particularly in covering the technical quality of PC versions of cross-platform games in our Port Authority features, reality-checking the hype of about-to-be-released big games with our Questions & Concerns series, delving into the nuances of MMORPGs, strategy, MOBAs, and simulations in our columns, regularly checking up on free-to-play games in Free Agent, calling out Microsoft's neglect of PC gamers, mocking Ubisoft's claims of a day-and-date PC release of Assassin's Creed 3, breaking the news on SimCity's lack of save/reload, and of course our amazingly bizarre The War Z interview.

Why is this closure happening, then? It's a business thing, and like most business things it's not easy to explain or understand unless you spend all day crunching numbers and paying bills. Which I don't. So here's the simple version that even I can comprehend: Ziff Davis wants to run an efficient, focused company, and managing several different sites that all cover videogames isn't exactly the model of efficiency. Even though GameSpy had its own unique voice that was separate and distinct from those of our sister sites, and there has always been value in that, it's hard to argue with that logic. Even if it does totally suck.

The silver lining is that the value of all of the voices and opinions of our staff and writers won't just go away. We'll still be out there talking and writing about the great things happening in the world of PC gaming, both at IGN and other places around the internet, because it's what we love to do. It's why we wanted to work at GameSpy in the first place. We hope you'll keep reading and watching and talking about PC games with us.

On that note, here's a list of the people -- and associated Twitter names -- who helped make GameSpy the fun and insightful PC gaming site it's been for the past year. I think you'll find there's more where that came from.

- Dan Stapleton, Editor in Chief

UGO.com's final message

Yo,
I've spent many years of my life trying to turn UGO.com into something entertaining for you guys. Hopefully you stopped by recently to watch one our funny videos. Or you found yourself debating one of our nerd culture lists, read a movie review or pondered the age old question "Who would win in a fight, a minotaur armed with a trident or a centaur armed with a crossbow." Could be you tried to win something off our homepage or you Googled "Hot Girls" and found a couple of pics you liked. I don't really care how you got here, just as long as you were entertained when you did.
Be excellent to each other,
Chris Radtke

Works Cited:
Spong
1UP
GameSpy
UGO