Welcome to IGN30: A Note From Peer

IGN is celebrating its 30th Anniversary connected September 29, 2026. Before it was aboriginal rebranded IGN64, our archetypal site, N64.com launched the aforesaid time the Nintendo 64 came retired successful the US backmost successful 1996.

While we didn’t recovered the company, IGN Entertainment, until February 1999, IGN’s archetypal nonfiction – a quality communicative astir Howard Lincoln commenting connected the determination to driblet the N64’s motorboat terms from $249 to $199 – is dated September 23, 1996 and published a fewer days earlier IGN’s archetypal tract launch: N64.com.

A Celebration of 3D Gaming

IGN's communicative began with the advent of 3D console gaming and the tendency to spell beyond the monthly magazines with agelong pb times and stock regular contented astir N64, PlayStation, and Saturn for our favourite pasttime. Content preservation wasn’t a large happening successful the ‘90s, but galore of the archetypal articles are inactive online, on with prelaunch harm power similar “Why is the tract truthful slow?”, aboriginal examples of communicative formats that present predominate the net (like text-and-image-only unboxings), and previews of games that would ne'er spot the airy of day. Other contented is mislaid to the ages, victims of media server migrations gone wrong, oregon idiosyncratic not confirming with the contented squad that yes, we would similar to support the articles written connected Saturnworld.com aft merging them each into the caller site, IGN.com, successful 1999.

The tract yet got faster, but Robotech: Crystal Dreams ne'er came out.

Spun retired from steadfast Imagine Media, IGN.com combined existing gaming contented from a fewer formerly standalone websites, specified arsenic IGN64 and PSXPower, the movies and manner tract The DEN (Daily Entertainment Network), and GameSages, a gaming assemblage with codes and tips. From there, we expanded IGN with caller channels, caller formats, experimented with caller platforms, and yet got to wherever we are today: a contented marque covering the things you emotion that you tin find wherever you similar to bent out. I’ll spare you the firm rah-rah with scope and follower numbers, but we’ll ne'er hide to beryllium thankful for the galore fans that ticker and work our contented and usage our tools each day.

Want to cognize what IGN looked similar successful the precise beginning? Check retired the IGN30 homepage gallery:“

Though 1 of gaming’s biggest players, Nintendo, is astir arsenic aged arsenic Hollywood, video games were inactive a comparatively young creation signifier erstwhile IGN archetypal arrived connected the scene. Sticking with the illustration of 1889’s hippest playing paper institution turned video crippled giant, we witnessed the emergence and autumn and emergence of Nintendo, SEGA doing what nintendidn’t and making games for each platforms, FPS dev royalty Steam and Epic making fortunes by gathering stores and making engines, and a small comic publication institution rising from bankruptcy to go 1 of the biggest players successful entertainment. The heroes we erstwhile lone work astir are present the characters we ticker and play as. In a glorious full-circle, the heroes we played arsenic are present greeting america astatine taxable parks and packing seats successful movie theaters.

Party Like It's 1996

Creating contented for YouTube, podcasts platforms, and societal media has ensured that IGN has continued to turn implicit the years adjacent arsenic the mode radical browse the “internet” has fundamentally changed. Those of you who person visited america via bureau tours, hung retired astatine IGN Live successful LA, oregon tuned successful to our podcasts hopefully encountered that aforesaid tiny squad tone that we consciousness whenever we get unneurotic to program a caller event, video, article, strategy guide, oregon map.

Lots of enactment goes into publishing IGN each time – and I’m conscionable arsenic thankful for the contributions from unit members contiguous and past – but alternatively of making this day solemnisation wholly astir us, we’ll beryllium rolling retired tons of amusive pieces of contented that observe the past 30 years of games and amusement passim 2026.

If you’re funny successful traveling down representation lane with us, IGN’s recently crafted editorial lead, Justin Davis, is sharing what we’ve got successful store each twelvemonth agelong for IGN30. Check that nonfiction retired here: Why Now is the Most Exciting Time for IGN.

If you’re not sick of maine yet, instrumentality a look astatine my occasional retro gaming column, Forgotten Gems, oregon articulation Daemon, Sam, Justin, and maine for a peculiar video occurrence of IGN Game Scoop arsenic we unfastened immoderate dusty boxes with gaming artifacts successful IGN’s retention space, close present and now:

Thanks for sticking with us! I anticipation you bask our lookbacks passim 2026 -- and spot you successful 2046 for IGN50! (In space.)

Peer Schneider is 1 of the founders of IGN Entertainment, the institution that runs IGN. After 2 decades of heading up editorial, helium created a tools and crippled assistance radical a fewer years agone and oversees the adjacent procreation of contented publishing via IGN Guides, Maxroll, Map Genie, HowLongtoBeat, and more.