Gametrailers, a site that was once the internet’s go-to place for…game trailers, today announced that after 13 years it is ceasing operations.
After 13 years, GameTrailers is closing down today. Thank you for your continued support over the years. It has been an adventure.
— GameTrailers (@GameTrailers) February 9, 2016
This is Brandon Jones, founder and boss of the site:
Today is the last day of GameTrailers. I wish it wasn’t so. I love all of our fans like family. Thank you for letting me do this job.
— Brandon Jones (@GameTrailersVO) February 9, 2016
In the mid-’00s, as video game marketing moved on from magazine previews to flashy video trailers, Gametrailers (and to a lesser extent 1UP’s in-house competitor Gamevideos) were the gaming community’s best resource for clips of video games.
Of course, in the years since, things have changed dramatically. YouTube emerged as the internet’s primary resource for all videos, including game trailers, while other companies like Twitch have pioneered a whole new way for gamers to watch stuff online.
In 2014, Defy Media purchased Gametrailers and laid a number of employees off.
While it’s easy to point to the site’s demise as something to be expected, given its competition and current place in the market, anyone around today who used to stay glued to the site during E3 (or around the time of game reveals) for its exclusive clips will be sad to see it go.
Comments
23 responses to “Video Game Website GameTrailers Closes After 13 Years”
Nooooooo!!!
But Final Bosman D: *weeps*
This is quite the shock.
Bit more angry about this at the minute, rather than sad. What I want to say isn’t entirely helpful.
But what I will say that site was a damn good place about games. I really enjoyed the retrospectives.
It’ll always be the place where I discovered Hey Ash Watcha Playin’ first and foremost though.
This is wretched.
Ah man…I really liked the guys who did this. Their reviews were always insightful and entertaining. What a shame. 🙁
I always thought they are the best people in the business. These guys were all producing the best and most thoughtful content out of everybody.
I can’t believe this is happening!
Sad news, but I’ll admit, I don’t think I’ve been there for a couple of years. Used to be my go-to place for trailers and video reviews and coverage of things like e3 or other press conferences. These days though with those conferences streaming through Twitch or Youtube and with the proliferation of things like Lets Play videos, I guess it kind of doesn’t have a niche anymore 🙁
I totally forgot gametrailers was a thing. Used to go there so much in highschool, especially over the E3 period.
I used this site many years ago, probably during the GameCube era. I remember digging through the code to get the video URL’s to download the things.
Haven’t been there in years, surprised it was still a thing.
Major bummer. Favourite games website (sorry Kotaku). Love Ben Moore’s passion and knowledge especially.
Used to go there a lot for bonus round. When they canned that I had no interest going back.
thats a shame 🙁 really loved their retrospects, especially the prince of persia one they did before the two thrones came out.
Kinda knew something was up when the issues started with their app though
Nooooooooooooo!!
Personally, I used to go to GameTrailers primarily with Gamespot and IGN being the second.
Main reason I stopped going to GameTrailers was the insane amount of Ads. The ads were often repeated.
I loved their screwattack top 10 videos especially after E3, but when the ads starting getting hammered in. I called it quits.
At least make the ads skippable after 5 seconds or make them relevant to me.
It was always a 30 second Ads and I couldn’t take it anymore
I enjoyed Pach Attack. Was really all i visited for. Sadly it got canned 🙁
I used to watch their Xbox 360 app regularly (and religiously throughout E3) their top tens, Final Bosman, Annoyed Gamer, that Michael Pachter show and Bonus Round were regular shows for me.
Over the years they cut those shows in order to cut costs and I found other things to watch.
I feel sad that’s it’s going but the individuals who worked there were all way more talented than the formats they were left it – I’m sure they will all find success in whatever they do next
Holy shit that’s terrible! They had some of the best review on the internet!
Damn you, YouTube! *shakes fist*
Although I guess there’s no reason the guys who were running this site can’t go and set themselves up as a YouTube channel? Carry on, then.
They do have a youtube channel
Well, there you go. Makes you wonder why they kept the website going this long.
I’m going to miss Brandon Jones’ voice 🙁
I used to use the site all the time, until they did that horrid redesign a few years back then i stopped using it. after the redesign they then started dropping their original content and lost a lot of their staff. so not much of a loss really.
I’d be a lot sadder about this if I had kept visiting it beyond 2009. It’s where I first saw Monty Oum’s Haloid, and discovered Screwattack and AVGN.
GT was my go to site until youtube became a thing.
Yeah, if I remember correctly they used to do coverage of world cyber games as well as have AVGN. It’s sad seeing all these things I used to love go goodbye