Video game creators can now take advantage of a premium subscription from MobyGames that lets them claim their credited works and personalize their digital portfolios. The platform plans a full-scale launch of this service later in the year.
New Portfolio Tools and Verification Arrive
MobyGames, a prominent database in the gaming world, has presented its latest subscription product, MobyGames Professional. The beta opened in June, and the 1.0 version is set for release this autumn. With this update, developers listed in a game’s official credits can apply for verification through a dedicated authentication procedure, allowing them to add those works to their profiles. Besides authentication, the feature offers creators the ability to design tailored personal portfolio pages on the platform.
During Gamescom, product manager Reece Denzel shared that the beta launch met with enthusiastic feedback. According to Denzel, “thousands of developers” have started using the new features to claim their credits and create publicly visible profiles since the service became available. Denzel remarked that engagement levels from users have been “great.”
How Claims and Verification Work
Explaining the verification system, Denzel highlighted the importance of authentication for maintaining the accuracy of the database. Developers are required to pass a manual, human-led identity check before a claim is approved. Despite successful verification, contributors are not allowed to edit the factual details of their existing game credits. Denzel clarified, “There’s two parts to that. One is making sure that people are who they say they are, and that’s a human-driven verification process that we run in the background. When it comes to making sure that credit history is reflected appropriately, the actual way that we do credits and credit verifications has not changed: It’s not changed since Atari has been involved, it’s not changed in a long time, and we have no plans to change that process.” Since Atari acquired MobyGames in March 2022, these longstanding verification practices have stayed unchanged.
Verified profiles can be updated by developers with select personal information, which appears as verified content. However, this system does not allow users to add themselves to a project if they were left out of that game’s credits altogether.
Industry Background: Credit Omission Issues
Credit recognition has long stirred debate in the industry, and MobyGames Professional enters the market amid this tension. Notably, original team members were not included in the Donkey Kong Country Returns HD credits. In 2023, ex-Retro Studios developer Zoid Kirsch used social media to express frustration about the way individuals on the original Metroid Prime were not named in Metroid Prime Remastered. Likewise, translators working on Nintendo’s larger franchises have complained of being left out of the credits in “almost every big title.”
This new professional subscription is designed to provide game makers the opportunity to highlight their authenticated achievements, offering an alternative to counteract the industry’s frequent crediting oversights.
Price, Trial Period, and Launch Timing
Subscribers to MobyGames Professional pay $14.99 per month, with an option to reduce the monthly cost to $11.99 for those who opt for the annual payment plan. The service includes a 45-day free trial period, as detailed on their official site.
With its complete launch approaching, MobyGames is pitching the Professional tier as a valuable resource for developers, helping them assert and promote their career accomplishments in an industry where credit attribution is often inconsistent.