USAGov

2026-03-25T15:31:58Z

Ran: Added website link

{{StubNotice}}
{{CompanyCargo
|Description=
|Founded=
|Industry=Consumer Rights
|Logo=
|ParentCompany=
|Type=Interagency Government
|Website=https://www.usa.gov/
}}
[[wikipedia:USAGov|'''USAGov''']] is a program within the U.S. General Services Administration's Technology Transformation Services. USAGov manages USA.gov, the official website of the U.S. government. The bilingual, interagency website is legislatively mandated through Section 204 of the E-Government Act of 2002.<ref>[https://www.usa.gov/mission-history "USAGov - about"] - usa.gov - accessed 2025-02-03 ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260220231238/https://www.usa.gov/mission-history Archived])</ref>

USA.gov publishes information for consumers interested in making complaints.<ref>[https://www.usa.gov/consumer-complaints "USAGov - complaints"] - usa.gov - accessed 2025-02-03 ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260113050303/https://www.usa.gov/consumer-complaints Archived])</ref> These include categories such as:

*Consumer products and services
*Bank, credit, and securities
*Housing
*Travel
*Complaints against the government

USA.gov provides a web-search tool to redirect the user to the webpages of consumer-protection offices in each of the U.S. states and territories.<ref>[https://www.usa.gov/state-consumer "USAGov - state offices"] - usa.gov - accessed 2025-02-03 ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260219071854/https://www.usa.gov/state-consumer Archived])</ref>

==References==

<references />

[[Category:Regulatory agencies and public support bodies]]

GameSpy

2026-03-25T15:27:07Z

Ran: Added website link

{{StubNotice}}
{{CompanyCargo
|Description=Now defunct American company that hosted multiplayer servers and matchmaking systems for video games.
|Founded=1999
|Industry=Video Games, Information Technology
|Logo=GameSpy.svg
|ParentCompany=IGN Entertainment
|Type=Subsidiary
|Website=http://www.gamespy.com
}}
'''GameSpy''' was a company founded by Mark Sufas in 1995. It provided multiplayer middleware for video game publishers, documented to be used by over 800 games. GameSpy was merged with the gaming magazine IGN in 2004,<ref>{{Cite news |date=Mar 4, 2004 |title=IGN/GameSpy Merger Creates One of the Internet's Largest Game and Entertainment-Focused Companies |url=https://corp.ign.com/press/press/2004/igngamespy-merger-creates-one-of-the-internets-largest-game-and-entertainment-focused-companies |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180102223614/https://corp.ign.com/press/2004/igngamespy-merger-creates-one-of-the-internets-largest-game-and-entertainment-focused-companies |archive-date=Jan 2, 2018 |access-date=Jul 8, 2025 |work=IGN}}</ref> while its 'GameSpy Industries' division, which handled all of its multiplayer services, was purchased from IGN by Glu Mobile in 2012.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Potter |first=Seth |date=Aug 2, 2012 |title=Glu Acquires GameSpy Technology to Expand Connected, Cross-platform Mobile Leadership |url=https://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=207033&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1721900&highlight= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160411143602/https://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=207033&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1721900&highlight= |archive-date=Apr 11, 2016 |access-date=Jul 8, 2025 |work=[[Glu Mobile]]}}</ref>

==Consumer-impact summary==

*User freedom: Games affected by GameSpy<nowiki/>'s shutdown require some modification of the software to regain functionality.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=u/Stevoisiak |date=Apr 7, 2014 |title=List of games affected by GameSpy shutdown |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/22fz75/list_of_games_affected_by_gamespy_shutdown/ |access-date=Jul 8, 2025 |website=[[Reddit]] |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20230601012724/https://old.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/22fz75/list_of_games_affected_by_gamespy_shutdown/ |archive-date=1 Jun 2023}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Battlefield 2142 Reclamation instructions |url=https://battlefield2142.co/help/ |access-date=Jul 8, 2025 |website=Battlefield 2142 Reclamation |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251206123227/https://www.battlefield2142.co/help/ |archive-date=6 Dec 2025}}</ref>
*User privacy: Unknown; defunct in 2014.<nowiki/>
*Business model: Founded as a middleware<nowiki/> distributor, eventually hosted game servers and was a gaming news publication.
*Market control: Initially the primary game hosting service for many games; zero market control after shutdown in 2014.<ref name=":0" />

==Incidents==
This is a list of all consumer-protection incidents this company is involved in. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{FULLPAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].
===Shutdown===
{{Main|GameSpy server shutdown}}
On May 31st, 2014, Glu Mobile, the owner of GameSpy's software division (GameSpy Industries), shut down GameSpy's services,<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Futter |first=Mike |date=Apr 3, 2014 |title=Glu Shutting Down Gamespy Service, Affecting A Reported 800 Developers And Publishers |url=https://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2014/04/03/glu-shutting-down-gamespy-service-affecting-a-reported-800-developers-and-publishers.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407072627/https://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2014/04/03/glu-shutting-down-gamespy-service-affecting-a-reported-800-developers-and-publishers.aspx |archive-date=Apr 7, 2014 |access-date=Jul 8, 2025 |work=Game Informer}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> affecting popular titles such as ''Battlefield 2142'',<ref name=":2" /> ''Halo Combat Evolved'', and ''Saints Row 2'', which lost all multiplayer functionality.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GameSpy |url=https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/GameSpy |access-date=Jul 8, 2025 |website=PC Gaming Wiki |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251021003948/https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/GameSpy |archive-date=21 Oct 2025}}</ref> Some games were left unplayable due to digital rights management reliance on GameSpy servers.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Williams |first=Byrn |date=Mar 9, 2010 |title=Ubisoft's DRM Servers Attacked Again |url=https://pc.gamespy.com/pc/assassins-creed-2/1075803p1.html |access-date=Jul 8, 2025 |work=[[GameSpy]] |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260219115008/http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/assassins-creed-2/1075803p1.html |archive-date=19 Feb 2026}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Burns |first=Chris |date=Apr 4, 2014 |title=GAMESPY SHUTS DOWN MAY 31: WILL YOUR GAME BE AFFECTED? |url=https://www.slashgear.com/gamespy-shuts-down-may-31-will-your-game-be-affected-04323788/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140717091309/https://www.slashgear.com/gamespy-shuts-down-may-31-will-your-game-be-affected-04323788/ |archive-date=Jul 17, 2014 |access-date=Jul 8, 2025 |website=Slashgear}}</ref>

In the aftermath of the incident, projects such as OpenSpy were created to restore functionality to these damaged games, such as ''Battlefield 2142''.<ref name=":2" />

==Products==
{{Incomplete section}}

==See also==
{{Placeholder box|Link to relevant theme articles or companies with similar incidents.}}

==References==
{{reflist}}



[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]

Consumer Rights Wiki - User contributions [en]

USAGov

GameSpy