TouchArcade to Cease Operations

Background: A 16-Year Mobile Gaming Site Runs Out of Money

TouchArcade is ending normal daily operations after more than 16 years. The closing notice says the reason is money, and it probably will not surprise long-time readers. The writer had known the announcement was coming for quite some time, but still called it hard to write.

For many years, the site had financial trouble. The notice says a website like TouchArcade no longer makes money in the same way it once did. It also says the team chose, to its own detriment, to avoid obnoxious in-your-face advertising, egregious clickbait headlines, and ethically questionable sponsorships. Those formats, the post argues, are the kinds of things that still generate revenue on the modern internet.

The site built a large audience over more than 16 years, becoming an institution for many millions of people. Jared Nelson says TouchArcade was his full-time job for the last 14+ years, describing that period as a solid third of his life. He compares the site to one of his children and says saying goodbye is very difficult. He also says he prefers to focus on the good times rather than dwell on things that cannot be changed.

This is not only an editorial shutdown. Nelson describes himself as a man with a wife, two young children, a mortgage, and other adult responsibilities, making the closure the end of his livelihood. The notice adds that, while technically freelancers, Shaun Musgrave and Mikhail Madnani have also been the beating heart of TouchArcade.

Development: Staff, 33,000 Articles, and a 600-Episode Podcast

The timeline of the site’s later years is shaped by its people, its archive, and its patron-funded support.

Jared Nelson and 14+ Years of Mobile Gaming Coverage

Nelson says he has more than 14 years of experience working directly inside the mobile gaming boom at TouchArcade. His duties included writing, editing, managing staff, and traveling to conventions. He also points to a varied work history before TouchArcade, including management roles, which he says gives him a well-rounded skill set.

Nelson can be contacted on LinkedIn or by email at jared [at] toucharcade [dot] com.

Shaun Musgrave and 25+ Years in Games Media

Shaun Musgrave has been with TouchArcade for a bit over 11 years, and has been in professional games media for more than 25 years overall. Nelson calls him one of the most gifted writers he has ever encountered. If TouchArcade needed a review for a big, important game on a very tight deadline, Musgrave was dependable.

Musgrave also used a vast knowledge of video game history to find unusual angles for game writing. He lives in Japan and is fluent in Japanese and English, making him a strong candidate for localization work.

Musgrave can be reached at muzkind [at] hotmail [dot] com.

Mikhail Madnani and 7+ Years of Daily Output

Mikhail Madnani has been part of TouchArcade for more than 7 years. The notice describes him as the workhorse of the staff, responsible for posting the bulk of the day-to-day content. It says the website could not have kept running for so long without his contributions.

Madnani was an expert at finding interesting news stories and posting them quickly. He also put together large features, including in-depth interviews and multi-platform reviews. His coffee-laden header images are described as legendary.

Madnani can be contacted at hello [at] failgunner [dot] com.

The TouchArcade Show and the 600th Episode

TouchArcade also hopes to continue its podcast, The TouchArcade Show. The show very recently celebrated its 600th episode. During its run, co-hosts have come and gone, and the notice gives a shout out to Brand and Mike.

Jared Nelson and Eli Hodapp have been a constant presence since the very beginning. The post says both have spent 13+ years producing hour-long podcasts on a nearly weekly basis.

Patreon Since June 2015

TouchArcade launched its Patreon in June of 2015, almost a decade ago. The notice says Patreon support has been far and away the biggest contributor to the site’s continued existence.

That support model gave readers a direct way to fund editorial work. It also made the site’s future dependent on audience contributions rather than only advertising or sponsorships.

More Than 33,000 Articles and 4,000 Reviews

Over its lifetime, TouchArcade published more than 33,000 articles. That includes more than 4,000 game reviews, plus yearly Best Of content and Game of the Year picks.

The archive now stands as a record of how mobile gaming changed over the last decade and a half. For readers, it can still serve as reference material for older releases, industry shifts, and the evolution of mobile game coverage.

Latest Progress: Closure, Archive, Patreon, and Jobs

TouchArcade’s normal daily operations have ceased now. There may be an additional post or two in the coming weeks as the team tries to honor previously agreed obligations. A proper farewell post is also in the works.

The notice says other reasons contributed to the shutdown, but it will not detail them at this time.

The Archive Will Remain Online

If there is a positive outcome, the notice says it is that all content ever posted to TouchArcade will remain online and accessible to all for the foreseeable future. The more than 33,000 published articles, including the more than 4,000 game reviews, should continue to exist for reference and historical comparison.

This means readers lose daily updates, but not the long record of mobile game reviews, news, features, and award coverage.

Patreon Will Change Its Purpose

TouchArcade hopes to pivot Patreon contributions toward keeping the podcast going. The notice also mentions occasional posts or special features written by staff. Possible examples include a random “SwitchArcade” piece or a review about a particularly high-profile mobile game launch. It also floats the idea of a Game of the Year for this year, but says that is just a nugget of an idea for now.

The post says TouchArcade will explicitly change the wording of its Patreon to state that contributions are no longer about supporting the website. If people choose to stop contributing, that is called totally understandable. The team says it wants to be absolutely transparent about what monthly payments are going toward.

More news about Patreon is expected in the coming weeks. Readers are encouraged to follow along as a free Patreon member to stay in the loop. Questions or concerns can be sent to tips [at] toucharcade [dot] com or left as a comment below.

The Staff Is Looking for Work

The notice includes a direct request: Please hire us. It says the job market is not great anywhere, and finding new work is tough, especially in the games industry.

For Nelson, Musgrave, and Madnani, the closure is not just the end of a website. It is a transition into job searching after years of building one of the long-running outlets for mobile gaming coverage.

Current Stage: A Closed Website, a Living Archive, and an Uncertain Podcast Future

TouchArcade is now in a transition phase. The website’s daily operations have stopped after more than 16 years, but its archive remains online for the foreseeable future. The podcast may continue, Patreon may be redirected toward podcast support and occasional staff-written features, and the main writers are openly asking for new employment.

For readers, the immediate meaning is practical: the site will no longer function as a daily mobile games news and review outlet, but its 33,000+ article library remains available as a reference. For the industry, the shutdown is a concrete marker of how hard it has become to sustain independent games media without aggressive advertising, clickbait, or sponsorships. For the staff, the next stage is job hunting, possible podcast continuation, and the slow process of writing the proper farewell to a project that lasted more than 16 years.