In March 2022, Atari added the long‑standing video‑game archive MobyGames to its portfolio. The acquisition caught many observers off guard, especially as Atari has recently concentrated its efforts on retro‑gaming projects.
At the time, CEO Wade Rosen praised MobyGames for its role in documenting, celebrating, and preserving video‑game history, and hinted that the database would soon see new features and services. Fast‑forward to the present, and Atari’s vision is becoming clearer.
In June, MobyGames unveiled a premium tier aimed at professionals within the industry, dubbed MobyGames Professional. The service is currently in beta, with a full 1.0 launch slated for the autumn season. Among its flagship capabilities are the ability for users to claim credit for games they worked on, to tailor a personal portfolio, and to monitor market‑driven metrics such as in‑demand skills and salary benchmarks for their specific discipline.
During an interview at Gamescom, product manager Reece Denzel told GamesIndustry.biz that the response to the new platform has been "great," noting that "thousands of developers" have already claimed their own pages on the service. Denzel explained that while developers and other industry workers have long had public‑facing profile pages on MobyGames, the new "claim page" button now lets an individual link their account directly to the public profile that lists their credits. Importantly, this claim does not grant the user the power to edit the underlying credit data itself; rather, it allows them to add personal details that are displayed as coming from a verified source. The problem of missing or incorrect credit listings is well‑documented in the gaming world.
Many creators have discovered that their contributions were omitted from the official roll‑call, whether due to oversight, misspellings, or the use of alternate aliases. MobyGames’ new claim functionality offers a way for these professionals to assert ownership of the titles they helped build. At the same time, the system could be vulnerable to fraudsters who might try to claim work they never performed.
To mitigate this risk, MobyGames has instituted a two‑step verification process. The first step verifies the individual's identity through a human‑driven review, while the second step ensures that any credit adjustments conform to the platform’s existing verification standards, which have remained unchanged since Atari’s involvement. "Our guiding goal is to make the information on the site as accurate as humanly possible," Denzel said.
"It may never be 100 percent perfect, but we strive for the highest possible fidelity." When discrepancies arise—such as misspelled names or the use of pseudonyms—the team follows a set of correction procedures to keep the database reliable. A significant portion of the data entry and maintenance work on MobyGames is performed by volunteers. Denzel described this community as a "very active contributor and approver community." Credits are often sourced from screenshots of credit rolls, spreadsheets supplied by game studios, or other official documentation. The process is essentially symbiotic: the community curates the data, and the platform provides a public repository that benefits everyone.
Beyond the credit‑claiming tools, MobyGames Professional introduces several other features. MobyRank, for instance, aggregates page‑view statistics to show how popular certain genres or game types are among users. More compelling perhaps is the portfolio builder, which lets developers showcase demo reels, screenshots, detailed write‑ups, and links to external coverage or personal websites.
This creates a bridge between verified credit history and personal branding, making it easier for recruiters to assess a candidate’s body of work. Denzel illustrated the utility with a hypothetical scenario: an employer discovers that a candidate served as lead designer on a particular title, then clicks through to the candidate’s portfolio and instantly sees additional projects, design philosophies, and external articles.
This level of transparency can accelerate hiring decisions, especially in an industry where networking and reputation are paramount. MobyGames also aggregates job listings from a variety of sources, linking them to studios already present in its database.
By cross‑referencing a user’s verified work history—including genres, platforms, and the number of titles they’ve contributed to—the platform can surface personalized job opportunities. It can even highlight former colleagues or studio alumni who might serve as references or contacts, reinforcing the social nature of game development.
While the recruitment tools have primarily focused on individual users so far, the company is experimenting with corporate integrations. Some studios are testing workflows that allow applicants to submit their MobyGames ID directly with a job application, or even apply for positions through the MobyGames interface itself. Denzel noted that studios frequently receive thousands of applications for a single opening, and a verified portfolio can act as an immediate differentiator, helping hiring teams filter candidates more efficiently. Looking ahead, MobyGames plans to layer analytics on top of its extensive data trove.
The first analytical offering will focus on the job market, delivering insights such as salary ranges, geographic distribution of openings, and hiring trends for specific companies or roles. The team is already collaborating with select partners to refine how this information is packaged and delivered.
According to Denzel, making this data accessible promotes transparency in an industry that often keeps such metrics hidden. By tracking when studios hire, how many employees they bring on board, and when layoffs occur, the platform can paint a clearer picture of industry stability. "Accountability starts with knowledge," he said. "When we can point to concrete data about hiring spikes or mass firings, the community can respond—whether that means pushing back, preparing for change, or simply staying informed." In sum, MobyGames’ new professional tier aims to correct historical oversights, empower developers with verified portfolios, streamline recruitment, and ultimately bring greater openness to the video‑game ecosystem.
The combination of community‑driven data, rigorous verification, and emerging analytics promises to make the platform a central hub for both preserving gaming history and shaping its future.