What IGDB.com does

IGDB.com (Internet Game Database) is a community-driven video game database platform operated by Twitch Interactive, Inc., a subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc. Founded in 2015 in Gothenburg, Sweden and acquired by Twitch circa 2014 per company history (the firmographic founding date is 2015), the platform serves two principal customer segments: individual gamers seeking to discover, rate, review, and track games across hundreds of platforms, and game developers, publishers, and third-party application builders who consume the IGDB API for metadata, cover art, and ratings. Core technology comprises a comprehensive video game metadata database, a REST API, a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for AI agent integration, a weighted rating system (IGDB PopScore) that combines average scores with vote counts, and supporting products including IGDB TV (trailers and curated channels), Advanced Search, a Release Timeline, and Karma Hunters (a gamified community contribution program with user verification).

The business model combines tiered developer API subscriptions (pricing not publicly disclosed) with third-party advertising on the consumer-facing site, distributed globally via direct web access and Twitch OAuth login. Distribution is structurally advantaged by Twitch/Amazon ownership, which provides OAuth-based authentication, ecosystem visibility, and operational resources, though IGDB itself operates with a lean 1-10 employee footprint and no publicly disclosed funding rounds since 2018. Strategic emphasis is on ecosystem buildout — community contributions, developer integrations, and emerging AI-agent access via MCP — rather than aggressive standalone monetization, positioning IGDB as a data and discovery layer within Twitch's broader gaming ecosystem rather than an independent revenue-generating venture.

Name

IGDB.com

Legal name

IGDB.com (operated by Twitch Interactive, Inc.)

Website

https://igdb.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

IGDB.com is a community-driven video game database operated by Twitch (Amazon) that lets gamers discover, rate, and track titles across 100+ platforms, and provides a developer API plus MCP server for programmatic and AI-agent access to game metadata.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Video Game Database and Metadata API

NAICS

Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Game Streaming Aggregators & Hubs (Multi-service launchers, catalogs) (MPAFAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cloud Gaming Storefronts & Channels (MPAFACAF)

Keywords

• Video game database
• Game metadata API
• Game discovery platform
• Developer API access
• Community game ratings

Headquarters

HQ city

Gothenburg

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Developer API Subscriptions: Tiered API access for developers and businesses requiring programmatic access to game database
2. Advertising: Site displays third-party marketing content through cookies and embedded videos; IGDB states they do not use cookies for their own advertising

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

IGDB.com operates the largest community-driven video game database, enabling users to discover, rate, review, and track games across hundreds of platforms spanning decades of gaming history. The platform monetizes through tiered developer API subscriptions for programmatic access to game metadata, and through advertising displayed on the consumer-facing site. It is operated by Twitch Interactive, Inc., a subsidiary of Amazon.

Product overview

IGDB.com is a unified video games database platform operated by Twitch, offering a comprehensive ecosystem of tools for game discovery, tracking, and community contribution. The core platform provides searchable game listings with ratings and reviews, while supplementary products include IGDB TV for trailer streaming, the IGDB API for developer access, an MCP Server for AI integration, and community features like Karma Hunters for contributor rewards. The platform covers gaming platforms from vintage systems to modern consoles and uses a weighted rating system to rank games in its Top 100 listings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IGDB.com Platform

Quantifiable outcome

• More accurate Top 100 lists through weighted rating system

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• TwitchflagshipOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerIGDB is operated by Twitch, Amazon-owned streaming platform. Login is integrated via Twitch OAuth, and IGDB is part of the Twitch product ecosystem.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• RAWG: Video game discovery platform and database offering ratings, reviews, and a public API for developers. Closely mirrors IGDB's core discovery + API + community model, making it one of the strongest direct competitors.
• Backloggd: Community-driven gaming tracking and rating platform with rich per-game metadata and user reviews. Comparable to IGDB in its user-generated ratings, reviews, and tracking focus for individual gamers.
• Giant Bomb: Editorial and community-driven gaming wiki and database for game information, videos, and reviews. Historically a direct peer to IGDB for game discovery and cataloging, though it operates a more editorial content model.
• MobyGames: Long-standing crowdsourced video game database covering games, platforms, companies, and credits across gaming history. Directly comparable to IGDB as a structured, community-edited catalog of games with metadata made available to developers and researchers.
• HowLongToBeat: Database of video game completion times contributed by community members, with discovery and tracking features for gamers. Overlaps with IGDB's catalog + community contribution model, though focused on playtime rather than full metadata.

Broad incumbents

• GameFAQs: Long-running consumer gaming information destination with FAQs, reviews, and message boards. Overlaps with IGDB's gamer-facing discovery and information use cases, but operates as part of a broader gaming media portfolio.
• Twitch (parent platform): Operates IGDB as part of its gaming ecosystem and provides OAuth login, distribution, and integration surface. Most directly relevant as the distribution and identity layer that shapes IGDB's market reach and strategic positioning.
• IMDb: Amazon-owned entertainment database for film, TV, and games with community ratings, reviews, and metadata. Sister property within the Amazon family, demonstrating how IGDB could be positioned as the games-focused arm of a wider entertainment data franchise.
• Metacritic: Aggregator of professional game reviews and critic scores with ranking features. Comparable to IGDB's Top 100 / weighted rating use cases for consumers comparing games by aggregated quality.

Emerging players

• OpenCritic: Critic-aggregator and review platform for video games with ranking and discovery features. Solves a similar discovery-and-rating use case as IGDB's weighted rankings, but with a critic-first rather than community-first model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/igdbcom
• GitHubgithub.com/twitchtv/igdb-contribution-guidelines/wiki
• Facebookfacebook.com/igdbcom

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about IGDB.com