The biggest news over the weekend was media titan IGN acquiring Humble Bundle in an undisclosed deal. Humble Bundle will continue to operate independently as a subsidiary of IGN, with no major staffing or business changes.
Humble Bundle is the digital distributor known for raising millions of dollars for various charities through their well-received pay-what-you-want bundles of video games and comics. It began in 2010 with indie games, and has since expanded into its own digital store, subscription service, and publishing division.
“We chose IGN because they really understand our vision, share our passion for games, and believe in our mission to promote awesome digital content while helping charity,” wrote Jeffrey Rosen, Co-founder and CEO of Humble Bundle in a blog post. “I can’t think of a better partner than IGN to help Humble Bundle continue our quest.”
Rosen added: “We will keep our own office, culture, and amazing team with IGN helping us further our plans. We will raise even more money for charity.”
According to Rosen, Humble Bundle has served over 10 million customers and raised $106 million for charity.
Earlier this year Humble Bundle expanded into games publishing, called Presented by Humble Bundle. They revealed their first five games back in August: A Hat in Time, No Truce with the Furies, Staxel, Keyboard Sports, and Aegis Defenders. A Hat in Time recently launched on PC. The other titles are coming later this year or early 2018.
There has been concerns raised over how IGN will treat games published by Humble Bundle. In a statement to USGamer, IGN General Manager Mitch Galbraith said: “Editorial integrity is something we take very seriously at IGN, and I am confident that we will strike the right balance when it comes to our coverage of Humble Bundle and the games they sell. Our readers and customers have always come first – and that won’t change.”
