Initial press reactions to Impire drew comparisons with Bullfrog Productions's Dungeon Keeper, a real-time strategy game released in 1997 that received widespread critical acclaim. Alongside Dungeon Keeper, Impire similarly grants the player command over a subterranean empire, with the ability to construct buildings, recruit monsters, and engage minions in combat.[5]
Setting
Within the fictional universe of Impire, the player assumes the persona of Baʿal-Abaddon, a primordial evil summoned from Tartarus and imprisoned in the physical form of a demonic imp, initially forced to serve the incompetent sorcerer Oscar van Fairweather. During the course of Impire, Baal-Abaddon escapes van Fairweather's control and attempts to reconstruct his ancient, nefarious empire under the continent of Ardania.[6]
Development
Shortly after announcing the project on July 26, 2012, Yves Bordeleau, the Studio Director of Cyanide Montreal indicated that Impire was in 'pre-pre-alpha' during his presentation to GameSpot staff. Throughout Bordeleau's demonstration, he frequently referenced the 'scenarios' in the single-player and co-operative campaign setting of Impire, suggesting that the structure of the game is predominantly mission-based.[7]
↑GameSpot (July 27, 2012). "Impire - Demo". Google. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NwFJ0NbChc. Retrieved July 28, 2012. "The main character needs to evolve to regain power over... well, to gain control of Ardania. Basically, he's been summoned by Oscar, and he's been reduced to that little size of an imp, and he wants to regain his power to become the Lord of Ardania. That's his motive, but right now, in that particular scenario, we want to help... help out Oscar van Fairweather, which is the one that summoned you to get the Dust of Broken Hearts, a thing specific to that scenario."
MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.
Features
Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]
Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.
History
Logo used until March 2014
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.[6][7] 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.[5] 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.[5]
In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025}
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).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]
On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] 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.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]
In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]
See also
IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions