GameSpy: Difference between revisions

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| Official Website =gamespy.com

| Logo =GameSpy.svg

}}'''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/http://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=http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=207033&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1721900&highlight= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160411143602/http://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>

}}'''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/http://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=http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=207033&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1721900&highlight= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160411143602/http://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]]}}</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}}</ref>

*Market control: Initially the primary game hosting service for many games.

*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==

@@ Line 7: / Line 7: @@
 | Official Website =gamespy.com
 | Logo =GameSpy.svg
-}}'''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/http://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=http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=207033&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1721900&highlight= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160411143602/http://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>
+}}'''GameSpy''' was a company founded by Mark Sufas in 1995. It provided multiplayer middleware<!-- We should have something that explains what middleware is... -JamesTDG --> 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/http://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=http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=207033&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1721900&highlight= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160411143602/http://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]]}}</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}}</ref>
-*Market control: Initially the primary game hosting service for many games.
+*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==