TouchArcade

TouchArcade (stylized as toucharcade) is a mobile games journalism website. It was launched in 2008 as a sister site of MacRumors by its founder Arnold Kim and Blake Patterson. TouchArcade also hosts a forum and a weekly podcast.^[1] Its operations were shut down in 2024.

TouchArcade

Logo used since January 2012
Type of site	Mobile video game website
Available in	English
Dissolved	September 16, 2024 (2024-09-16)
Country of origin	United States
Owner	TouchArcade.com, LLC
Founder(s)	Arnold Kim
Editor	Jared Nelson
URL	toucharcade.com
Commercial	Yes
Registration	Optional
Launched	March 12, 2008; 16 years ago (2008-03-12)
Current status	Dissolved

History

TouchArcade was launched in 2008 as a blog by MacRumors founder Arnold Kim and Blake Patterson.^[2][3] The spinoff site "(tracked) the new games available for the iPhone and iPod Touch".^[4] It also included articles, reviews and a forum.^[5] Eli Hodapp became editor-in-chief in 2009.^[6]

In 2012, TouchArcade released an iOS app which included mobile game listings.^[7][8] In June 2015, TouchArcade launched a Patreon for crowdfunded donations. Hodapp explained that mobile game journalism has been struggling as developers shifted towards in-app advertising, and that ad revenue for the website was plummeting.^[9][10] Hodapp stepped down from his position in 2019 to focus on his role as co-founder of GameClub,^[11] and Jared Nelson succeeded him as editor-in-chief.^[12]

On September 16, 2024, TouchArcade announced that it would be shutting down its operations while keeping the website online.^[13]

Reception

In 2009, CNET ranked TouchArcade sixth on its list of the top ten gaming blogs.^[2] Time named it one of The 50 Best Websites of 2011 and described its reviews as a "cogent, reliable guide" to the games in the App Store.^[5]

References

1. "Exciting Things Ahead for Mobile Gaming - Slide to Play". Slide to Play. Archived from the original on September 15, 2015. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
2. Dredge, Stuart (November 6, 2009). "Top ten gaming blogs". CNET. Archived from the original on March 27, 2014. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
3. Frommer, Dan (July 14, 2008). "Nephrologist To Mac Blogger: The Unlikely Career Path Of MacRumors' Arnold Kim". Business Insider. Archived from the original on December 26, 2015. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
4. Stelter, Brian (July 21, 2008). "My Son, the Blogger: An M.D. Trades Medicine for Apple Rumors". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 22, 2008. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
5. McCracken, Harry (August 16, 2011). "Touch Arcade". Time. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
6. Hodapp, Eli (March 5, 2019). "We're losing the history of the App Store | Opinion". Gamesindustry.biz. Archived from the original on March 5, 2019. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
7. Scott, Jeff (May 8, 2012). "TouchArcade App Now Available". 148Apps. Archived from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
8. Herbert, Chris (May 8, 2012). "Review: TouchArcade for iPhone". MacStories. Archived from the original on May 10, 2012. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
9. Dredge, Stuart (June 24, 2015). "TouchArcade Patreon raises wider issues of online journalism economics". The Guardian. Archived from the original on July 3, 2015. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
10. Rossignol, Joe (June 24, 2015). "App Store's Emphasis on Chart Positioning Squeezing Out Developers and Media Publications". MacRumors. Archived from the original on August 28, 2023. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
11. Gallagher, William (March 6, 2019). "Old iPad and iPhone games left behind by march of iOS could come back to life". AppleInsider. Archived from the original on August 28, 2023. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
12. Totilo, Stephen (January 7, 2022). "The future of mobile gaming". Axios. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
13. Nelson, Jared (September 16, 2024). "TouchArcade is Shutting Down". TouchArcade. Archived from the original on September 16, 2024. Retrieved September 16, 2024.

External links

• Official website