Xfire Acquired By Former IGE Execs, Neglects To Keep People Who Made Xfire

Posted on August 2, 2010 by Scott Jennings| 38 Comments

Message that was sent globally to all logged-in Xfire users this afternoon (courtesy Geldonyetich in the comments on an earlier story):

Xfire was bought by new owners today. Most of the team that has built Xfire over the last six years is leaving. We enjoyed working for you for the last 127 releases and wish we could stay to create the next 127. Good bye, good luck, and game on. — The Xfire Team

Message that was on the Xfire web site shortly afterward:

That would presumably be Chris Kirmse, founder and lead engineer behind Xfire.

After a while, that notice was finally replaced with news on the new owners, namely Titan Platform, soon to rename itself Xfire. Titan’s team includes several IGE veterans, including John Maffei, who stewarded the ZAM media network’s divorce from IGE, Dave Christensen, who was with SOE briefly after his IGE tenure (a move which I yelled about incoherently) and Brock Pierce, IGE’s founder, who threatened to sue me until I posted a picture of a kitten.

TechCrunch, unlike the rest of us, actually committed acts of journalism and talked to some of the folks involved.

We’ve just confirmed with Titan Gaming CEO John Maffei that they have acquired Xfire – the deal was signed just a couple of hours ago – but have not been able to pin down the exact purchase price.

Given the timing, it looks like Chris Kirmse and whomever walked out the door with him waited until the deal was signed and then publically did everything but tell his userbase to go install Raptr now — which would lead one to think that this was not the happiest of acquisitions. In any event, one suspects that Maffei is far happier to talk to a website covering new media acquisitions than gaming journalists who might actually ask about prior experiences.

So, yeah, this is going to be AWESOME!

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  • http://twitter.com/rasputinaxp John Lyden

    Say hello and goodbye to your personal data!

  • Jeff

    Ugh, what a crappy way to go. I feel for them, I really do. While not related to gaming at all, the hotel I have worked for, for almost three years now, was just taken over by the bank last week. Everyone is on pins and needles waiting to see what happens.
     
    I don’t pretend to be a business pro, but why would you buy a company and then fire everyone that made it successful, thus making you wish to acquire it, in the first place?

  • http://geldonsgaming.blogspot.com geldonyetich

    I almost immediately uninstalled XFire.  It’s self-updating software, and I don’t look forward to seeing what their benevolent new overlords have in store for the user-base.

  • http://www.facebook.com/UnionCarbide Tim Smith

    Looks like it’s back up.
    I’ve pretty much switched to Raptr anyway (not VM), it’ll import your hours played from xfire’s site.

  • Vetarnias

    I’m also wondering who bought Xfire, since Chris does not name them.  At first I thought it was MTV Networks, but no, they’ve owned Xfire since 2006; and the website obviously hasn’t been updated, since it still has the MTV logo at the bottom.
    I never used Xfire, first because I was worried about this information being sold, and second because I didn’t think my gaming habits were anyone’s business.  After this, I’m glad I never installed it.

  • http://geldonsgaming.blogspot.com geldonyetich

    Tim Smith: Raptr

    Thanks for the heads up on this. It’d be funny if it turned out it was these guys that bought out XFire. 

  • ericfate

    http://titanplatform.com/about
    I believe these are the new overlords.

  • Scott Jennings

    With Brock Pierce on the board of directors? Oh, this will end well.

  • Irenor

    Tim Smith: Looks like it’s back up. I’ve pretty much switched to Raptr anyway (not VM), it’ll import your hours played from xfire’s site.

     

    I was actually thinking about taking a look at Raptr. Or maybe just stick with Steam. A company that “throws out” the very team that made xFire what it is today is, in my opinion, quite stupid. I can’t trust them at all. So yeah, how’s Raptr by the way? Heard it was good but really haven’t heard of many people use it.

  • Vetarnias

    Can we even say that they were “thrown out”? It’s unlikely the Xfire team would have quit, true, but maybe they did, to avoid being involved with the new ownership. Maybe that explains Chris Kirmse’s unwillingness to disclose the identity of the new buyer. But, as I said, it’s unlikely.

    Assuming they were pushed out, why? Could it be that whoever owns it intends on running it with a skeleton crew, or perhaps on dismantling it altogether (if it’s competition, or if it’s just the assets they’re after)?

  • Angry Bob

    And Titan is all about “skill games” using real world money. I’m sure whatever they’re going to do it’ll be classy and mostly legally greyish.

  • Hank

    So long X Fire, It was a nice 6 years. I guess it’s time to break up.  I didn’t mind your weird ass update schedule, or all those times you downloaded WoW patches two days after the Blizzard updater did.  I even used you for frequent screen shots.  I could almost forgive the week that you ran crazy, making my CPU over heat everything you were on.  I just don’t like your new pimp, and honestly I can’t guarantee that he won’t give you a digital herpes update in order to root my computer.  So long.  I left a few bucks on the night stand. Yes it is cold out there and no I don’t have any spare clothes. Now get the fuck out.

  • http://twitter.com/Scahrossar Belsameth

    What Hank said.
    Just installed Raptr…
    Hopefully that’ll end better :)

  • http://www.mud.co.uk/richard Richard Bartle

    See, this is what happens when you store your release count as a signed 8-bit integer. Come release number 128, the whole system crashes.
     
    Richard

  • http://unsubject.wordpress.com UnSubject

    The major problem with all these platforms is how they make revenue. Everyone tries advertising, but that is still hard to get working at an optimal level (which is why organisations like Facebook use it, but are moving more towards apps and market research operations to generate revenue).
    Looking for info, there was this article back from 2006 (http://www.startup-review.com/blog/xfire-case-study-successfully-changing-product-direction.php) but obviously it is dated.
    I’d suspect that the new owners would be looking to leverage that player base for more than just ad revenue. After all, a history of titles played could be a fantastic direct marketing tool (and not necessarily an ominous one, if you consider how Amazon uses their member history to recommend products). Implementation is the key, of course.
    There would also be companies willing to pay money for the full dataset of Xfire players – they’d love to be able to determine exactly how (say) FPS players play various titles, meaning they could customise the play experience to certain segments (“hmm, 15% of all FPS players are female AND they play for only 45 minute session… should we make a game for that group specifically?”).

  • http://unsubject.wordpress.com UnSubject

    Alternatively, this was the easiest way into a social network set-up and no-one has really thought about practical next steps.

  • bonedead

    Well it seems it is finally time to uninstall my xfire.  sad sad times

  • Otis

    Richard Bartle: See, this is what happens when you store your release count as a signed 8-bit integer. Come release number 128, the whole system crashes.   Richard

     

    +1

  • http://beafraid.com hellfire

    Tim Smith: Looks like it’s back up. I’ve pretty much switched to Raptr anyway (not VM), it’ll import your hours played from xfire’s site.

     

    Really? Awesome. I’ve been using XFire pretty much since the beginning and have really been digging the newly-stable video capture stuff. For a while in STO I was also “broadcasting” my gameplay. XFire WAS “owned” by MTV networks, I thought?

  • Stormwaltz

    Well, this is an excellent reason for me to try Raptr. So far it seems like a combination of Xfire and GamerDNA.

  • JuJutsu

    Richard Bartle:
    See, this is what happens when you store your release count as a signed 8-bit integer. Come release number 128, the whole system crashes.
     
    Richard

     
    You never fail to amaze me :)

  • http://wowpanda.blogspot.com/ wowpanda

    Ahh that sucks.  Years ago I was the victim in a mass layoff when the company I worked for changed owners.  That said, most of us might have jumped to conclusions too soon.  In another company I also worked for, when they change management, the manger left and the engineers followed him and quit (not laid off).  So it is possible that they quit.
     
    Also, even if the new owners decided to lay off, you can’t assume it is totally their fault.  The original owners could be running out of money, and instead of lay off, the decided to sell.

  • Pingback: MMO Golden Age, death of Xfire, and a LoL Blog-o-Sphere champion? « Hardcore Casual

  • Guy

    I was going to suggest maybe everyone left because they got fat acquisition cheques, but given Techcrunch’s comments about the buying company’s finances, that doesn’t seem extremely likely.

  • Athryn

    I’ve been using Raptr for a while, as a multi-protocol IM replacement for Pidgin. (also not VM!) I don’t think I ever really used my Xfire account, but I went and deleted all my info out of it anyway.

  • http://www.poesies.com Cedia

    Nooooo!  I’ve been using Xfire for years now, and I always thought the team was a dedicated one.
    *sigh*  Looks like I’ll be on the Raptr boat as well.  I hate changing all this crap, but I would rather support the original team because they’ve done a good job.  :(

  • http://geldonsgaming.blogspot.com geldonyetich

    Former gold farmers – it had to be gold farmers.  If they had been bought out by the Third Reich, it’d have been a lesser evil in my mind.

  • http://twitter.com/Scahrossar Belsameth

    Actually, a post on their twitter leads me to believe they actually did get fired, and not just left…
     
    [quote]

    Thanks all. It has been a fun run at Xfire. Most people are being forced to move on, but I am sure good things are still to come…bye!
    [/quote]

    Source: http://twitter.com/xfiregaming

  • http://twitter.com/Scahrossar Belsameth

    Gah! the [quote] tags don’t work:( Also, gifv edit button…

  • http://geldonsgaming.blogspot.com geldonyetich

    Gotta use the “quote” button next to the comment here in order for it to work, even if you did have the right tag (which you didn’t – standard HTML blockquotes go here).
     
    Yeah, I kinda picked up they were shown the door by the general “wish we could stay to create the next 127” and “I personally am sad I was only able to do 127 releases” hints.

  • isildur

    You had me at ‘Brock Pierce’.

  • Diamonds

    Scott Jennings: With Brock Pierce on the board of directors? Oh, this will end well.

     

    Did they take him down from the listing? I don’t see him there.

  • http://goamsy.blogspot.com Ritchian

    And suddenly I am ever so happy that I never really got into using Xfire.  I think I installed it a couple years ago and haven’t opened the program since.
     
    At least the fallout ought to be interesting to watch.

  • http://beafraid.com hellfire

    Up until recently when I started recording vids/broadcasting I never cared at all for the “social” part of X-Fire. I was using it exclusively to track my personal playing habits. I like knowing how much time I’ve invested into games and browsing that list once and a while reminds me to break out an old favorite.
     
    Raptr certainly made it easy to switch, although I’d prefer a boot-to-chat and/or boot minimized mode similar to how X-Fire works. Raptr auto-added some of my cross-app friends automagically as well, so GG.

  • http://geekragequit.blogspot.com ScytheNoire

    Within a year the Xfire user base should be gone. Internet peeps, especially gamers, are a fickle bunch.

  • silvertemplar

    Thanks for the headsup on raptr  , the integration from raptr to various gaming segments is amazing [Xbox live/PSN/Steam/WoW/Xfire itself <----- ]  . You can import your entire Xfire gaming history into Raptr and drop Xfire just like that, almost too easy :)

  • http://beafraid.com hellfire

    I made a snarky comment about the “transition” on Twitter earlier in the week and received the following response: “We have retained key members of the Xfire staff and plan to continue to grow from there.”
     
    Their definition of key and my definition of key are clearly not the same. For whatever that’s worth…

  • mer

    I also uninstalled xfire, pity they have my data up till now but I can avoid giving them any more data or information. They may not be bad folks, but firing pretty much everyone when they took over is a bad sign from a users point of view, also i dont like supporting jerks