Fandom (website)

Fandom, a dynamic media conglomerate, was founded in October two thousand four by Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales and Angela Beesley Starling. The company operates as a for-profit entity, distinguishing itself from the nonprofit Wikimedia Foundation. Backed by TPG, a private equity firm, Fandom has established itself as a leading platform for hosting wiki pages enriched with social media features across a variety of topics, including video games, movies, books, and television series.

In addition to its wiki platform, Fandom owns several prominent entertainment outlets such as GameSpot and TV Guide, as well as multimedia databases like GameFAQs, Metacritic, and ComicVine. The company also operates online retailers, including Fanatical, further diversifying its portfolio and revenue streams.

Utilizing MediaWiki, the same open-source software that powers Wikipedia, Fandom has become a significant player in the digital landscape. As of October two thousand twenty-three, it ranks as the fiftieth most visited website globally, with a notable twenty-five point seventy-nine percent of its traffic originating from the United States, followed by seven point seventy-six percent from Russia. This surge in popularity began in the early twenty-twenties, showcasing Fandom's growing influence in the realm of pop culture and gaming.

Fandom's business model relies on advertising and the sale of content, publishing most user-generated text under copyleft licenses. The company also runs an editorial project that delivers the latest news in pop culture and gaming, further engaging its vast community of users.