1UP snapped up by new owner

Video games website 1UP has been acquired by UGO Entertainment – a unit of the giant Hearst Corporation.

UGO also picked up associated properties including GameVideos.com, MyCheats.com and GameTab.com.

The deal is structured as an asset purchase between UGO Entertainment and the Ziff Davis Games Group.

Since we started UGO 11 years ago, we have served the gamer community and built a world-class online publishing platform,” said J Moses, CEO of UGO Entertainment.

The acquisition of 1UP, with its authentic voice, tenured editorial personalities and bustling user community, allows us to expand our base of quality content and represents a major step forward in UGO’s mission to become the leader in the games space.”

We are extremely excited to join the UGO team,” said Sam Kennedy, editorial director and creator of 1UP.

Relying on UGO’s publishing platform will allow us to focus on what we do best—creating great content and ‘owning the conversation’ among gamers through our unique, authentic and definitive voice and community.”

Ken Bronfin, president of Hearst Interactive Media commented: In this difficult marketplace and at a time, when many companies are scaling back their businesses, UGO Entertainment continues to grow and expand its position in the games space. We remain dedicated to supporting UGO’s growth in this key category.”