The 1up.com front page on December 31, 2008 |
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| URL | 1UP.com |
|---|---|
| Slogan | Where gamers call home |
| Commercial? | Yes |
| Type of site | Video game website |
| Registration | Optional |
| Owner | News Corporation |
| Created by | Ziff Davis |
| Launched | 2003 |
| Current status | Active |
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment,[1] a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009.[2]
Launched in 2003, 1UP.com provides its own original features, news stories, game reviews, and video interviews; it also expands on articles in EGM and features comprehensive PC-focused content (an extension of the previously published Games for Windows: The Official Magazine). Unlike older gaming sites such as GameSpot, IGN and GameSpy, 1UP.com was built from the beginning to be a community-focused social networking site for gamers. For example, their cheats-focused arm, MyCheats.com, is set up so that members of the community can contribute to the construction of game guides. Gamers, editors and game developers can all have profiles, blogs, and friends lists on the site, which are integrated into the editorial content (previews/reviews).
1UP.com hosts special week-long "online cover stories" (examples include Soulcalibur III, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, and Virtua Fighter 5) that present each day a new in-depth feature story, interview with the developers, game screenshot gallery, game video footage, and/or video of the game studio and creators.
Contents |
1UP.com has produced a variety of audio and video podcasts, many of which air weekly. The long-running 1UP Yours was the network's flagship internet radio show, featuring topical discussions among several editors from the 1UP network, as well as personal gaming experiences and current news items. Though many guests circulated throughout episodes, the show was hosted by Garnett Lee, Shane Bettenhausen, and David Ellis every week that the cast members were available. New episodes of the show were made available every Friday. It was accompanied by the weekly video podcast The 1UP Show, which presented previews and reviews of games, coverage on video game events, discussions on gaming culture, and interviews with game designers. Former hosts included Jane Pinckard, John Davison, Luke Smith, Mark MacDonald and Bryan Intihar.
However, since the UGO acquisition in January 2009, many of these podcasts/shows were suspended, or in some cases, ended. Garnett Lee created a second "iteration" of 1UP Yours, called Listen UP, that featured a similar, but slightly more tight-focused, format to the original 1UP Yours, which ran from January 2009-October 2009, ending with Lee's departure to work with GameFly. Despite the dismantling of the podcasts and shows, many ex-1UP staff have since gone on to create their own unrelated gaming shows, podcasts, and websites, such as The Geekbox (with Ryan Scott), Eat-Sleep-Game and their Rebel FM podcast (with Anthony Gallegos), and Area 5 TV with their weekly video podcast, "CO-OP" (with ex-1UP Staff Ryan O'Donnell, Matt Chandronait, Jason Bertrand, Jay Frechette, Rob Bowen, and Cesar Quintero).
In late October 2009, a new "flagship" podcast was created by David Ellis (previously a member on Listen UP), called 4 Guys 1UP (a title humorously considered for Listen UP at one point).
Current audio podcasts include Games, Dammit!, The Oddcast (previously Good Grief), Retronauts Live and 8-4 Play. Current video podcasts include 1UP's Game Night and The Daily 1UPDate.
Previous podcasts included Listen UP, 1UP Yours, 1UP FM (previously known as EGM Live), Legendary Thread, GFW Radio/LAN Party, radiOPM, Review Crew, The 1UP Show, Broken Pixels, Sound Test, At1up, Active Time Babble and In This Thread.