Gaming tech and performance gurus Digital Foundry go fully independent

Having carved out a name for itself with its in-depth analysis of videogame performance across PC, Mac, handhelds, and consoles, Digital Foundry has become something of a household name - among gamers, anyway. Now, it's beginning a new era as a fully independent brand after "amicably" leaving the IGN network of sites.

Last year, Digital Foundry became part of the IGN group following the acquisition of Gamer Network, which also included sites like Eurogamer and VG247. While not wholly owned by IGN's parent company Ziff Davis, it had taken on a 50% stake in Digital Foundry - the same stake Gamer Network previously had with the team. Now, Digital Foundry owner Richard Leadbetter has acquired the shares held by Ziff Davis, making it an independent venture. "I can very happily announce that we are fully independent, [it's] no longer the case that there's any kind of shareholding from a corporate entity at all," Leadbetter says in an announcement video.

Whether it's seeing how the best PC games fare on a Steam Deck or scrutinizing the frame rates of new releases on different home consoles, Digital Foundry has become a popular destination for those obsessed with videogame tech and performance.

However, Leadbetter says the team can now fully decide on what it wants to tackle and how. It seems that one main area Digital Foundry wants to focus on and grow is its retro gaming coverage, dissecting and analysing older systems and iconic titles.

"How far we push this, how far we take Digital Foundry, how ambitious we want to be, the sky is the limit there," Leadbetter says, acknowledging that there is now even more of an impetus to give fans what they want to see following its breakaway from IGN.

As well as continuing to publish video content, a new Digital Foundry website is also in the works, which will also feature an archive of all the team's previous written articles that were published on Eurogamer.

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