BGFG announces acquisition of N4G

BGFG (By Gamers, For Gamers) today announces the acquisition of N4G.com - as well as the entertainment partner site, Filmwatch.com, the anime-focused AnimeShinbun.com, and the tech website Techspy.com

The deal, which also includes the websites’ social channels across Facebook, Twitter and more, further expand BGFG’s presence in gaming and technology, as well as giving the company a strong foothold in the growing entertainment sector.

First and foremost, the team at BGFG will work closely with the existing N4G community manager, Christopher Goodno, his team of moderators and the community, to help improve the site and make it even more enjoyable and intuitive - putting the community first.

This will include numerous UX fixes, performance tweaks, improved personalisation and more with the aim of creating the premier community for gamers to get their news.

Andrew Kirkcaldy, CEO at BGFG, said: "When the opportunity came up to buy N4G, we couldn’t say no. This has long been a fantastic, thriving community and we are confident we can work closely with the great team in place there to help fully realise its potential.”

N4G co-founder, Vegard Aure, said: "We started N4G over 15 years ago with one simple goal, to create the most up-to-date news portal for gamers.

“For almost two decades the site has been the home to one of the most vibrant and active online gaming communities, and we look forward to seeing the N4G community continue to thrive as part of the BGFG family going forward.”

N4G Community manager Christopher added: "I look forward to this new partnership as we have discussed efforts to improve the user experience and the site's ability to ensure that you are getting the news you want to see and are encouraged to discuss games with those who love them as much as we do."

Official Press Release at https://www.bgfg.co.uk/news...

[LordoftheCritics]

Good news?

[Retroman]

I bet "Nothing " will change if so
Bring back the 5 Bubbles.

[Ri0tSquad]

Ahh, yes. I agree. Bring back the bubble system. It increased engagement.

[Godmars290]

@Ri0tSquad:
It does?

Even as you lose them for s**tposts and trolling?

[Sonic1881]

I agree. There are a lot of trolls on here

[TheEnigma313]

Bubble system needed work. I lost bubbles just because someone didn't agree

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

I don't know about that idea, sometimes people would lose bubbles just because they didn't agree, especially when we talk about divisive topics or just have opinions that split the community into two.

[blackbeld]

Agreed! Please bring back the bubble system.

[Christopher]

We know there are going to be a lot of questions. Please feel free to ask them here or PM me directly. It has already been expressed to the new team of owners that you lot are a people of action and not words.

[darthv72]

The question on everyone's mind right now....

will there be a return of the open zone?

[Christopher]

It will be one of my items of mention as a good number of the community did enjoy it. Other than that, I can't say. There are a lot of features previously discussed in long-off blogs from the community that are being rewritten and submitted to the new team currently.

[VenomUK]

I’ve been on N4G since the PS3/360 bubbles days. I love it because you get breaking news fast and as it’s from many different websites you hear different voices without the over-restrictive editorial narrative of one media outlet. Also, the N4G community. It’s a mix of different people from different backgrounds and I like that we can get together to talk, troll and enjoy our love of games. I wish N4G the best in this new chapter and I hope it retains the best bits of what makes it unique and feel like home.

[Rocketisleague]

I've been here since...jesus..2006? 2007? Ps3's E3 reveal and the ****storm that followed it. I miss my 1 bubble, 1 comment. No chance to defend from trolls, because I was also a troll. God the memories. Fair play being bought Christopher and co, well deserved

[TheMART]

Bring back the Open Zone and the 5 bubbles, yeah!

[SullysCigar]

I hope you like your new boss! ;op

[343_Guilty_Spark]

Will you have others to help you moderate?

[Christopher]

The goal is to reduce the need for moderation, not just pile more people onto the problem.

[Lavitz1989]

The site already has lots of wannabe mods like Maximus Prime. Don't need more moderators.

[deleted]

Congrats to you guys. I hope you guys will fight to keep N4G from losing its identity. For better or for worse, N4G provides a unique service in bringing many gaming news sources into one convenient place. The comment section can get rowdy, a lot of clickbait articles pass through, and the spambots keep trying to tear down the walls like the Walking Dead....... but I love this place. It's been my preferred source of gaming news for over 10 years now. I hope this acquisition will help combat the aforementioned issues, while not dumbing down this nice system of conglomerated news sources. I'm hopeful for this, and most importantly I hope N4G gains ground as the #1 place for gamers to get their daily gaming news. Let's take this to the next level, without selling out, alright? ;) Cheers! 🥳

[shinoff2183]

Otterx

You'll get a rowdy crowd almost everywhere on the internet. It's not to bad here like some places I've seen.

Same as you though I've been coming here for years upon years and it's the best news spot.

[crazyCoconuts]

@christopher are you staying on in the same capacity?

[Stanjara]

Been here since the beginning, since bubbles.

Congrats and I hope that you guys don't change much.

Business as usual.

[derek]

What was the purchase price? Are they looking to alter how this website operates substantially?

[LOGICWINS]

Congrats Christopher! Going forward, please consider requiring everyone who clicks the disagree button to leave a reply that substantiates "why" they disagreed with you. This promotes conversation, which should be purpose of the comments section.

[-Foxtrot]

Or you could just get rid of the disagrees

Most of the time they might agree but they have a personal vendetta toward you as a person so they’ll just hit the disagree button

Also hopefully it will reduce people reply with off topic comments about you as a user than why you are wrong

[Gamingsince1981]

@foxtrot

No one likes that youtube removed the dislike button why would anyone want that here ? If peoples feelings get hurt by a thumbs down maybe the internet or people in general aren't the best thing for them. People disagree , people agree, hiding one for feelings is a stupid idea.

[-Foxtrot]

I think YouTubes videos compared to this sites comments are a little different

[shinoff2183]

Logic wins

I'd be down for that. You want to disagree tell me why atleast.

Foxtrot

As you just found out lol

[Nacho_Z]

I think it'd be a good idea if it was publicly visible who had agreed/disagreed with a comment. If anything it would be helpful regarding toxicity and agendas.

[-Foxtrot]

Will there be a little N4G verification check we can show off :’)

I kid

But do you think there will be a return to competition prizes and the like? The one you did a while back at Christmas with the pictures was good.

[Christopher]

We're debating the price of red tiks with the Stephen King of N4G. Please wait.

[shinoff2183]

I can't remember the open zone. Although for years I've came here but didnt always post

[shinoff2183]

It is the best news site out there for games. Nothing compares because how it's set up. A forum would be dope. I can't remember if there was one before or not.

[victorMaje]

Congrats!
I remember the bubble days, one can only imagine what it takes to manage our good, bad & fan days :)

Any hints you can give us on possible changes/plans?

Here’s to many other years of N4G.

[thorstein]

Will we get back bubbles?

[piroh]

Will there be an option to select 2-3 platform channel news? For example, right now i can select only one platform channel news, what if i wanna sort XSX, PS5 and Switch news since i really dont care about PC. Thx

[ActualEngineer]

1. Hire me.
2. Rebuild the site in React as a web-app.
3. Make a proper comment section since most people come here for the comments.
4. Make the comment section function like reddit comments.
5. Use a machine learning algorithm to properly curate the news feed, instead of posting news that noone ever watches.
6. Make a mobile app for n4g.
7. Planning to do anything with the garbage user management page and profile?!

[RedDevils]

Go on fiverr mate.

[nix]

Will you guys finally give us options to manage cookies like many major sites are required to do?

[Babadook7]

Congrats Christopher

[MaximusPrime_]

Will this fix ongoing problem with spam submissions? Time will tell

[Relientk77]

Not just gaming developers and publishers being bought, gaming websites too. Crazy times we live in.

[SullysCigar]

Lol let's just hope it doesn't transpire Phil Spencer already bought up BGFG!

[Gamingsince1981]

I wouldn't actually be surprised. That way MS can make sure only news seen as positive to xbox will ever be shown lol.

[onisama]

Isn't now that this site every ps news is seen as positive and bad new covered but somehow any xbox news is bad.... I remember the posts and comment section when sony news of increasing prices for consloe and games also pricing remasters at 70$.... Only few articles with cute headlines and supported by fans on comment.... Also sony paying to keep games out of gamepass was ignored here.... But just 1 dev say something about gamepass its like "the end of the world is coming" and it go viral

The website is blue themed for a reason

[RedDevils]

Will this Gamepass exclusive?

[NealGamby]

How about y’all stop banning accounts because some users say things that don’t align with your moderators personal politics? I know that has happened in the past and there’s not a dang thing they can do about it because no dares question mods judgement.

[Gamingsince1981]

Well technically you aren't even allowed to discuss moderation or mods. For ......reasons ill let you decide what they are...

[cl1983]

When it's the subject of the story it's allowed. The number of times that's the case is extremely seldom.

Please keep in mind that doesn't mean we'll discuss you what Jimmy did to get a restrictions, just as we wouldn't tell Jimmy if you did something to warrant one.

Those are matters between the specific user and the mod staff.

[coolbeans]

I mean... is this meant to be a woke accusation? B/c I'm perfectly capable of disagreeing with certain social/political takes and never felt like that'd lose my mod duties. I'm interested for those types of examples, but I'm willing to predict most have extra baggage connected to them.

[massterchef]

Would be nice to have my 15 year old account activated since it was shut down "checks notes" yes for no reason whatsoever.

[CantThinkOfAUsername]

Are we finally getting a more robust comment section where you can reply more than two comments deep?

[Gamingsince1981]

Yeah that's the only idea I have seen so far that would be better for this site, only being able to reply to a reply is very limiting.

[Rebel_Scum]

And/or be able to @ a user.

[gangsta_red]

Will this mean there will be a monopoly of the aggregated news sites?

[thesoftware730]

Wow 4 sites in one swoop huh, almost like buying a publisher huh?

Yeah, we need to report this to the FTC and get it blocked!

Hopefully, this will help Christopher be a better mod, and understand that he should remain impartial in his position as a mod.

[SurgicalMenace]

Just because he's a mod doesn't mean that his opinions, biases, or otherwise should be curved. If any of us don't like how things are handled, we have a few options: deal with it, get over it, leave, or start our own platform. The later, of course, will also be populated by individuals who won't like the way we choose to do things either. At its core, N4G is a place where we can all agree, disagree, debate, and still collectively enjoy gaming. What else is there?

[shinoff2183]

Not even in the same league. Nice try software

[thesoftware730]

Shinoff,

It's not about leagues, it's about principals. It's about not being hypocritical. it's about business.

The money, scale/size are irrelevant, the practice is the same.
If someone sell illegal drugs, but one person sells more drugs, they are still drug dealers, the principal of it being wrong does not change.
If someone is a murderer, but one person killed more people, the principle of murder being wrong does not change.

Not sticking to a principle and changing stances because you like something makes people hypocrites. It's about ethics, beliefs, and morals, people have to learn to stick with them, not only when it benefits their needs and habits.

[Flawlessmic]

@software

Man your relentless, like get over it.

Your finding the biggest technicalitiesand stupid comparisons to other things that are totally different to try and make what Ms is doing ok.

Just say sucks to be you and buy an xbox if your gonna miss the games that much atleast most could respect the honestly I mean he'll that's exactly what I did bought an xbox lol

Ur constant defence and crappy comparisons are tiresome at this point

[thesoftware730]

Flawlessmic,

I get it, your response shows the frustration of someone who cannot properly debate or prove their side of what they are responding to. Your entire comment never addressed or refuted the legitimacy of my comment, instead, you decided to rant a bit and then attempt to speak for others about my comments being stupid and tiresome. You even attempted to tell me how to conform or go with what you think I should do to earn some kind of respect, which I am not seeking, thanks, but no thanks, brother, I am honestly speaking/typing, just not the way you want me to.

These are not technicalities, they are bottom lines/principles. The reality is that your and others' stances about this matter are the technicalities, Console preference, scale, size, possibilities, and money....those are the technicalities, while the bottom line and principles remain the same.

Once again, I own a PS5 and Xbox S/X, in fact, I own almost every major game system since the NES days, I am a gamer first. I can promise you and anyone on this site that I would not buy/ spend my hard earned $$ on something I did not like., that doesn't align with any kind of sense to me. My point in saying that is to say, I'm not speaking from a raving fan perspective, to be frank, I believe Nintendo is the best game company.

Relentless? nope, I post way less than a lot of others on here, and not in many threads, and 9 out of 10 times, they are the ones pitching the same exact redirect, and you choose to ignore that, probably because it falls in line with your feelings. I try to present my comments as proper arguments or comparisons that further my bottom line, something I think I can back up or prove, the fundamental of debate, not out of emotions, bias or to insult.

If you don't like my form of debate, comments, or argument, you do not have to read or respond to it...I see 100s of comments I don't agree with one here, but I leave them be.

[generic-user-name]

When everyone* browses we all win.

*Sony fans will no longer be allowed to browse.

[Jin_Sakai]

“Phil Spencer says game companies must ‘turn away from dividing players”

Buys a Major 3rd part company Bethesda and keeps Starfield and ES6 off PlayStation and divides players. This guy just says anything he wants and expects everyone to listen.

[JEECE]

Can I still complain about crossgen releases?

[Stanjara]

Oh, long time no see traveler.

[bunt-custardly]

Will there be any policy changes with regards to the types of submissions being permitted on N4G? If so, when can we see a revised guidance section?

[Christopher]

Any changes like this will be reported as they are made.

[phoenixwing]

New overlords ahead. Wondering if they'll keep the status quo when it comes to submission of articles.

[MadLad]

Being people are just throwing out ideas for if they switch up the site.

The voting system should go away, and people shouldn't be afraid of cursing, as long as it isn't a direct attack on other users.

Saw about the purchase this morning. Was waiting to see if it would be brought up on here.

[S2Killinit]

The voting system is great. That way people dont have to respond to every troll. Also, trolls get a reputation without the need to censure anyone.

[MadLad]

Nobody is a troll to someone if they're sharing your same views.
In turn, you're instantly a troll to many if you do happen to have different views within a bubble of people who share the same views.

That easily allows for a system of people telling you you're wrong because you're not following the majority.
That doesn't do anything to actually improve civil discourse between the people who frequent this site. It just says I'm right and you're wrong, without even having to offer an articulated reasoning for your point of view.

I'm sure it's a very welcomed mentality to have if you are part of the bubble you chose to put yourself in though. People do like being told they're always right.

[Gamingsince1981]

Yes but the trolls don't like seeing the disagrees being way higher than the agrees so they want that to go away. Then they try to pretend it's because of bias not because they are blatant fanboy trolls. I mean look at the comments by Thesoftware730 up above and gangstared. That's stirring the pot but nothing done about it, then they pretend they are the ones getting the bad treatment.

[MadLad]

@gamingsince1981

Maybe some posters just want them to be justified.

I know. Asking a whole lot there.

[S2Killinit]

So you are concerned that the individual who the majority believe is a troll, may feel discouraged from commenting. I think that is a fair outcome. The majority is having to tolerate whatever the troll has to say, at least everyone can disagree or agree with his comments without having to engage him.

I 100% disagree that a “troll” is anyone that one disagrees with, that is not what makes a troll, we actually have trolls, and of different types.

Currently we have trolls that rush to articles to be the first comment to derail the discussions. The voting system allows the readers to avoid/ignore those individuals or care less for what they have to say. It is a great system because the alternative is to censor (and who decides?) or give trolls free reign (and it will spread like wildfire).

[crazyCoconuts]

Voting is just shorthand for a bunch of replies that just say "agreed/I disagrees". Otherwise we'd have to wade through all of that just to see how others think about a comment

[MadLad]

Personally, I'm here for conversation. Actual points had.
If someone has a giant amount of agrees/disagrees, I'm actually interested in people explaining why that is.
It creates more conversation. Maybe some will change their mind.
Having a little number next to their comment doesn't tell me that.

[crazyCoconuts]

Disagree

[coolbeans]

-"and people shouldn't be afraid of cursing, as long as it isn't a direct attack on other users."

Although it's been indirect & subtle, we've eased off that restriction. Although it's still kinda hazy territory for usernames & whatnot.

[Petebloodyonion]

Let's hope this move help improve N4G and help reduce the toxicity while providing a better environment.

[MadLad]

It's exactly why I think they need to get rid of the voting system.
It just gives people the opportunity to review bomb someone without even identifying what the issue actually was.

How many times do you see people with a dozen downvotes, or more, yet not a single person actually responding to that comment and at least explaining why they disagree.

This is a place for conversation. There's multiple ways they can change the current system to actually improve on that and lessen the toxicity this site breeds.

[SurgicalMenace]

I have seen that pattern but have never really given any thought to it. Perhaps not do away with it but alter it in a way that is more constructive in its application.

[Petebloodyonion]

I actually don't mind the voting system since it basically serves no purpose aside from showing how many ppl read or follows you just to spam the Agree/disagree button.

But if I had to suggest an improvement, it would be forcing the user to select the "why" for an agree or disagree button (informative, well said, funny, hard to read, bad taste, flaming, etc).

[MadLad]

@surgical

I thought about it, but the only real option I've come up with is requiring a comment to to give a vote, and people will just say anything to abuse the system.
I just find what we have in place being detrimental to actual civil discourse. Something this site really does need.

[SurgicalMenace]

You're most likely not wrong....

[Christopher]

***It's exactly why I think they need to get rid of the voting system.***

I see two sides to this.

One side wants people to debate everything.

The other side wants to have an opinion without having to engage in a debate that might just extend the conversation where they don't or they just aren't as confrontational.

What if we allowed users to hide the vote results so that if they don't like it they can just hide it?

[shinoff2183]

Madlad

Someone above pointed out you shouldn't be able to disagree without commenting why. Good point. That's fair.

[MikeMbz8]

It's not really a "voting system" no one is voting for a comment they are agreeing or disagreeing with it and they should have the right and ability to do that without entering into a conversation that will most likely end up in an argument and go nowhere anyway. If people are getting dozens of disagrees there's probably a good reason for it. The system should definitely stay.

[S2Killinit]

I think we should have voting kept exactly as it is.

We should also have a system that shuffles the comments so that the trolls dont get to rush to articles to be the first comment and derail conversations. That way all sorts of comments get to be the top comment, thus encouraging conversation and allowing all manner of opinions to get exposure.

The voting system allows people to see the track record of individuals and find out if their comment is something that can be relied upon as a legitimate opinion. It has worked great in getting rid of trolling without having to police comments and banning or censuring individuals. Everyone is free to say what they want, but the consequences are their own.

[dumahim]

This would be my #1, followed closely behind with changing the approval process. Right now too much crap gets allowed through, probably by people who think it'll be funny to see the reactions it gets out of people.

[SurgicalMenace]

In any capacity, congratulations, as we all know, we have to do what it takes to prevail out here. Hopefully, this brings you all closer to whatever goals are set for your platform. Prosperity is an occasion that is best celebrated by those who are familiar with its company.

[Garethvk]

It will be interesting to see what comes. I know a few movie/Entertainment sites who sold to corporations and were told nothing will radically change and you will still be in the day to day. That was quickly followed by sweeping changes for the worse and people being pushed out and reduced to figureheads. While some improvements are welcome I do not want to see the community upended for corporate goals.

[dumahim]

Along with a much greater push for ads on the page.

[Sgt_Slaughter]

Rooster Teeth in a nutshell

[Hofstaderman]

As long as they keep the old guard on. I have been visiting N4G since 2007 and the site is pinned on all of my device browsers.

[taurul]

Congrats I think! 👏
N4G is my go to and only site for gaming news gathered in one single place. I think i visit the site more than 20 times a day everyday for the past 10 years. I don't even first go to sites like IGN, Gamespot etc. I first came here and after go there.
I just hope nothing will change as the site looks really good and easy to use. 😁
Keep it up team!

[Muigi]

Tis a new era for N4G.

[UncertainCategory]

But here's the real question.. Will the EU or FTC approve this acquisition?

[CDbiggen]

Hope they work on speeding up submissions so that articles posted are actually news and not announcements that happened days ago + give all the platforms the same attention in approving articles relating to them.

[MADGameR]

RIP N4G as an independent domain. I've been on this site since 2005. 2005 was the beginning of Youtube.

[Orchard]

Huge news. Hopefully things don't change too drastically. But huge congratulations to the entire team at N4G, being acquired is reflective of a job well done.

p.s. I look forward to Christophers deposition at the FTC, EU & CMA!

[Christopher]

I plead the N4Gith.

[KnowTechie]

Congrats!

[RGB]

They wasn't interested in 11x2 then? :P

[Perez]

Grats on the New Owners, looking forward to seeing what you guys come up with. As Madlad said hoping for civil discourse but I personally kind of feel its not really practiced much these days everyone seems to have their opinion and that's the end of it. I live in hope though

[Notellin]

Fantastic community?

[The_Blue]

Will it stop the console war?

[coolbeans]

No one can stop the inevitable.

[rlow1]

Congrats to N4G for being acquired. I don’t really have anything constructive at this point. But I will say, that I’m hoping any changes that are made will be tested first before becoming a permanent feature. It will be interesting to see what changes if any, come out of all of this.

[vTuro24]

This is bigger news than Microsoft buying Activision-Blizzard! :O

[NEVMOR]

What happens to the N4G podcast?

[coolbeans]

A good question that I'm curious about as well.

[Tzuno]

oh boy!

[Crows90]

Congrats to NRG. My only question is if they plan and letting go the people at N4g and replace them? I certainly hope not.

[Knushwood Butt]

Just my 2 cents but if changes are being considered then I would request the submission guidelines are reviewed and made less ambiguous.

For example, 'Old', This needs to be defined. Let's say any article older than 14 days is considered old. That way it helps the submitter and anyone reviewing submissions. Without a clear value there, the approval process is open to abuse, and I've had submissions rejected for being 'old' when other submissions even older have been approved.

[Profchaos]

Congrats on building a community over the years been here since the early days myself and I hope everything's goes smoothly under new management so we can continue to be here.

[GoodGuy09]

I love this website....despite it's very pro playstation community lol. I've been using this website since man...maybe 2013? Hope this is good news? I don't want anything crazy happen is what I want to say.

[hotnickles]

A forum kinda deal on every game like the trophy sites would be dope. I don’t know how much of a pain that is but it would cool especially with all of the fighting games coming out and the deep mechanic discussion. I miss that tbh

[TheColbertinator]

Bring back the Open Zone XD

[Kaii]

"Last year, BGFG acquired the gaming website VideoGamer"
A website that looks like it gets zero visitors and its been up since 2004 o_O What exactly did they do to Improve the site since August 22

"Talal Musa, Head of Digital at BGFG, added: “Having read Videogamer for years, it’s an amazing opportunity to transform this brilliant brand back into the gaming powerhouse it once was."
https://www.youtube.com/wat...

lol

[GotGame818]

Maybe Sony only, will be over! Please, if you are a REAL gamer, you would budget and buy. Sony asking $100 dollars more than a PS5 for VR2 is ridiculous! Want it don't need it!°!

[gold_drake]

been on here forn4 years, and nothing rly ever changed ha

lets hope this will be it

[specialguest]

Oh boy. Who here still remember when the creation of "news4gamers" was a merge of separate gaming sites?

[gamerz]

Congratulations! Hope the fat stacks don't make you too lazy. ;)

[moongrim]

scary...

[Drakul]

OMG what Sony said about it? Did they cry? Will it change gaming globally in a bad way?

[EvertonFC]

Can I say "twit" or "numpty" now without a ban for bullying ?

[proudly_X]

Long overdue. The last revision to this site was several years ago.

It was already becoming redundant. I hope the new team can be very creative to say the least, especially when it comes to engagement in the comment section.

Find a way to mention/tag users and make the reply endless, instead of this mess we have been contending with for several years.

Congrats to the new buyers , I hope it’s not Microsoft 😂

[roadkillers]

I was one of the first members, give me praise!!

[coolbeans]

Hooray! Woohoo! Way to go!

[roadkillers]

Thank you, I certainly deserve it

[CPTN MITCHELL]

I been here since before the PS3 was announced for pre-order

[SegaSaturn669]

We should ask for a new moderation team. N4g is a cesspool.

[Gameseeker_Frampt]

I imagine the price was quite cheap considering N4G's sister sites are all dead and N4G barely cracks 70 pending stories these days (was regularly over 200 when I joined). Hopefully the site gets better moderators under the new ownership.