--R

Being sued right now, please help me find a lawyer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,675
This is a post that I've known was coming for quite some time, but that doesn't make it any easier to write. After more than 16 years TouchArcade will be closing its doors and shutting down operations. There may be an additional post here or there in the coming weeks as we try to honor any previously agreed to obligations, and a proper farewell post is in the works too, but as of now our normal daily operations have ceased. The reason we're shutting down probably isn't a surprising one: Money.

Many of you who have followed TouchArcade for a long time are well aware that we've had financial troubles for many years now, and to be frank I think it's a miracle that we've been able to last as long as we have. The truth of the matter is that a website like ours just doesn't make money anymore. To our own detriment we've resisted things like obnoxious in-your-face advertising, egregious clickbait headlines, or ethically questionable sponsorships, which sadly are the types of things that actually still make money in the internet of today.

TouchArcade is Shutting Down – TouchArcade

This is a post that I've known was coming for quite some time, but that doesn't make it any easier to write. After more than 16 years TouchArcade will be closing its doors and shutting down operations.

Terrible news.
 

CloseTalker

Member
Oct 25, 2017
34,294
Big loss, there are precious few outlets who provide meaningful coverage of the mobile gaming space. Hope everyone there lands on their feet
 

ghibli99

Member
Oct 27, 2017
19,020
Really sad to hear. When games were in their golden era on iOS, I was on TA almost daily.
Yep, same. Sadly, I barely ever play games on my phone in recent years. Occasionally check things out on Netflix, or I go back for a quick Super Hexagon fix. F2P domination on mobile means there just isn't a whole lot out there for someone like me anymore.
 

Polk

Avenger
Oct 26, 2017
5,017
Touch Arcade and Pocket gamer were my goto sites for PocketPC and early years of iOS.
 

Bear

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,359
I never really understood how a mobile-first gaming site really existed in the first place given how cheap and low risk most mobile games are, but TA had some great coverage that was useful to me for years early on.
 

Polk

Avenger
Oct 26, 2017
5,017
I never really understood how a mobile-first gaming site really existed in the first place given how cheap and low risk most mobile games are, but TA had some great coverage that was useful to me for years early on.
Discoverability is huge problem. Having dedicated service to showcase good and meaningful titles can somehow migate that.
 

Beamerball

Member
Jan 16, 2018
1,438
Man, I always loved TA. Was huge for me especially when I was an iOS-exclusive gamer back in the early 2010 days
 
Jul 1, 2020
9,186
I never really understood how a mobile-first gaming site really existed in the first place given how cheap and low risk most mobile games are, but TA had some great coverage that was useful to me for years early on.
I think if the paid games market on mobile still existed in any meaningful way then maybe those games would be advertised on sites like TouchArcade but everything is free to play predatory nonsense that is advertised in other ways instead.
 

lori

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,471
This was actually a good outlet and I didn't even play mobile games that much. What a shame.
 

Neoxon

Spotlighting Black Excellence - Diversity Analyst
Member
Oct 25, 2017
88,444
Houston, TX
I usually check in for their reviews, a shame to see them go. Hopefully everyone involved land jobs elsewhere soon.
 

ErrorJustin

Member
Oct 28, 2017
2,603
My first fulltime job was as a mobile games editor so TA will always hold a special place in my heart. Sad to see it go. There are probably very few who remember this, but waaay back in 2005-2010 there were actually several pretty good dedicated mobile sites. Slidetoplay, Modojo, Toucharcade among them. TA just ended up winning out amongst that competition.

I'm surprised they never sold to a bigger media company in mobile's heydey - the brand must have been worth millions to someone like Future or IGN during mobile's peak.
 
Oct 25, 2017
11,752
shame. i remember frequently visiting this site way back when the app store was just starting when i got my iphone 3g picked up a lot of cool gems way back then.
 

OldBritBloke

Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,297
Really sad news. I was a regular way back in the iPod Touch days and they led me to some excellent games.
 
Oct 27, 2017
2,039
When I got the first iPhone many moons ago this site was integral and critical to my iPhone gaming. It truly was a gem and will be missed.
 

neoak

Member
Oct 25, 2017
16,073
Have they considered Patreon?
Did you read the article?

Edit: ah, I only saw your first post, apologies

Edit 2:

The support from our Patreon has far and away been the biggest contributor to TouchArcade continuing to exist since we launched it in June of 2015, almost a decade ago. Our thoughts are to pivot the Patreon contributions towards keeping the podcast going, and perhaps occasional posts or special features written by the staff here. Perhaps a random "SwitchArcade" or a review about a particularly high-profile mobile game launch. Maybe we could even squeeze in a Game of the Year for this year? It's just a nugget of an idea right now, but it would be pretty cool to see TouchArcade be able to live on even in that small way.
 

Aaron D.

Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,636
Oh man, that's sad.

They were a major avenue for discovery on the mobile side.

Good luck & good vibes to all affected parties!
 

lopzter

Member
Jan 13, 2020
34
Sad news, don't think I ever received their email to verify my account when I tried to create one, but I've regularly visited the site for their iOS and Switch content. Only site I liked that focused in premium Mobile gaming, which is a space that still brings a lot of innovation and creativity to the medium.
 

jefjay

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,187
I'm probably part of the problem as I haven't visited TA in at least a few years. But yeah, back in the day they were my go to site. Especially during the period when iPhone was my most played device. So impressive they lasted this long! But sad to hear.
 

srtrestre

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
19,139
Bummer. I used to visit this site a lot back when iPhone gaming was taking off. It was a great resource during those first few years when developers were trying to figure the platform out. Unfortunately mobile gaming eventually became what it is now so I lost all interest in it, and so I stopped visiting the site.
 

firehawk12

Member
Oct 25, 2017
26,064
I think it's a sign that mobile gaming has kind of died. TA was a site I visted a lot 10 years ago but I haven't played a new mobile game release since then.
 

werezompire

Zeboyd Games
Verified
Oct 26, 2017
12,524
One of the best sites around for Switch and mobile coverage. I hope the entire team finds work elsewhere quickly.
 

ManNR

Member
Feb 13, 2019
3,147
I relied heavily on TouchArcade reviews back during the brief golden age of mobile games.

Sad to see them go. Also, 16 years is crazy.
 

lazerface66

Member
Jan 9, 2018
611
Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Fuck. Early on when i bought my first ipod touch i would browse that site almost every single night. I remember how excited i was to play the mobile versions of the gta trilogy or how big angry birds used to be. Its such a shame it's shutting down. Hope the guys get hired soon.
 

Mechaplum

Enlightened
Member
Oct 26, 2017
19,675
JP
I stopped visiting when the novelty of trying out games on my iPad fell off.

Still a sad thing to hear though.
 

Zippedpinhead

Fallen Guardian
Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,227
Absolute shame, I think I discovered my absolute favorite (and of course now long defunct) mobile game "dungeon raid" through them.


Now Mobile is so full of FTP or season pass games. I play them sure, but the experiences just are not the same