TouchArcade
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]
![]() Logo used since January 2012 | |
Type of site | Mobile video game website |
---|---|
Available in | English |
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 |
Current status | Active |
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]
Content
TouchArcade publishes news stories and reviews Monday through Friday about iOS and Android video games. A daily SwitchArcade feature covers releases and sales for the Nintendo Switch console. The site also produces a weekly podcast entitled The TouchArcade Show in which Jared Nelson and former editor-in-chief Eli Hodapp discuss top news stories of the week.[13] Registered users receive a monthly email newsletter of the best game releases of the past month, and the site has traditionally rolled up a "best of" feature for the end of the year. In 2022, TouchArcade began covering other portable platforms such as Steam Deck and Playdate.[14][15]
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
- "Exciting Things Ahead for Mobile Gaming - Slide to Play". Slide to Play.
- Dredge, Stuart (November 6, 2009). "Top ten gaming blogs". CNET. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
- Frommer, Dan (July 14, 2008). "Nephrologist To Mac Blogger: The Unlikely Career Path Of MacRumors' Arnold Kim". Business Insider. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
- Stelter, Brian (July 21, 2008). "My Son, the Blogger: An M.D. Trades Medicine for Apple Rumors". Retrieved May 11, 2023.
- McCracken, Harry (August 16, 2011). "Touch Arcade". Time. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
- Hodapp, Eli (March 5, 2019). "We're losing the history of the App Store | Opinion". Gamesindustry.biz. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
- Scott, Jeff (May 8, 2012). "TouchArcade App Now Available". 148Apps. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
- Herbert, Chris (May 8, 2012). "Review: TouchArcade for iPhone". MacStories. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
- Dredge, Stuart (June 24, 2015). "TouchArcade Patreon raises wider issues of online journalism economics". The Guardian. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
- Rossignol, Joe (June 24, 2015). "App Store's Emphasis on Chart Positioning Squeezing Out Developers and Media Publications". MacRumors. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
- Gallagher, William (March 6, 2019). "Old iPad and iPhone games left behind by march of iOS could come back to life". AppleInsider. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
- Totilo, Stephen (January 7, 2022). "The future of mobile gaming". Axios. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
- "Podcast - TouchArcade". TouchArcade.
- Jared Nelson (February 25, 2022). "Valve 'Steam Deck' Hardware Review – PC Gaming for Everybody, Now in the Palm of Your Hands". Retrieved December 29, 2022.
- Jared Nelson (April 19, 2022). "Playdate Hardware Review – An Amazingly Fun Little Device with One Huge Drawback". Retrieved December 29, 2022.