History
MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[7][8] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[6] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[6]
In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[9] This was announced to the community post factum, and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[8] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.
On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[10] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[11] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[8]
On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[12] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[13][14][15] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[2] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[16]
In 2024, MobyGames introduced a paid "Pro" membership option, and removed some capabilities from free users, such as the ability to browse more than 6 pages on a game list.[17] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[18]
On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[19]
