Rumor mill about Thotbot, Cosmos and IGE

[Bolty]

Yes, it's good to have sites out there with info like this since we know Blizzard sure as hell isn't going to actually give out game information, but the way Allakhazam is trying to promote itself first through spamming and now through mud-slinging, they definitely won't be getting visits from me.
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But understand that this is the standard of gaming sites, now. The "industry" of gaming fan-sites, while not exactly huge, has still become an industry. Gone are the days of the mom-and-pop fansites. In terms of such sites, the Lurker Lounge is a dinosaur - an example of how it used to be but isn't seen so much anymore.

The new industry is a set of highly competitive fansites run by companies that form aggregrate networks. While you may not have heard of them, if you dig around a bunch you'll find that most fansites are now owned or sponsored by a group of companies (around 10 major ones). Gamespy, with its "planet" sites, is probably the most famous, but there are many more.

Spamming and mud-slinging will become more common. Ad revenue drives the sites - they MUST get visitors to make cash to justify their existence. In a way, while this seems "evil" to some, it's actually a good thing for the end user - we get fansites that go crazy trying to outdo each other by being the best info and entertainment source. We never had anything like Thottbot for Diablo 1 - imagine how much easier that would have made Jarulf's job! :) The collaborative atmosphere that used to surround fansites, however, is long gone. We used to have that back in the Diablo 1 days, but about the only fansite that collaborates now is the Amazon Basin - and that's a guild site, a slightly different beast.

Old school fansites, like this one here, need to find a "niche" that they do well. We can't possibly compete when we're a hobby-driven website made up of all volunteer work, so we don't try. Want information? Use Thottbot. Want strategy? Come here. At least, that's the plan. :)

-Bolty