GameDaily to become "flagship videogames brand" for AOL

Following the company's recent acquisition of GameDaily.com, AOL Games VP Ralph Rivera has told GamesIndustry.biz that the site is set to become AOL's "flagship videogames brand".

GameDaily, which was launched in 1995, was purchased by AOL earlier this week for an undisclosed figure. It's been confirmed that the editorial team will work with existing AOL staff to further expand the provider's interactive entertainment network, following the acquisition of Games.com earlier this year.

Rivera described GameDaily as "a brand which resonates with millions of videogame fans", telling GI.biz: "AOL aims to continue to expand its gaming community, and provide the best online service for everything games.

"With the recent purchase of Games.com and now GameDaily.com, we anticipate reaching an increasingly larger audience to AOL's gaming properties."

According to Rivera, GameDaily "will become the flagship videogames brand within the AOL Games network, and will be augmented with content and community features.

"We do plan to offer more original programming and a stronger editorial voice as we continue to grow our business," he continued.

"However, we will differentiate ourselves from other pure editorial sites by proactively reaching out to our community." Rivera added that AOL plans to create editorial content designed around the community's particular interests.

AOL already owns Weblogs Inc., a blog network that includes sites such as Joystiq, and the company's acquisition of GameDaily could be seen as another indication that larger media companies are increasingly focusing on the opportunities offered by the games market. Last year, News Corporation purchased IGN Entertainment in a deal worth an estimated US$650 million, and Viacom acquired GameTrailers before buying Xfire.com for US$102 million last April.