20 Years of RPG Website: Thank You, Celebrating, and What’s Subsequent

RPG Website is celebrating its twentieth anniversary right now, June twenty eighth, 2026. After we launched as a hobbyist spin-off of a fansite, we had no concept that the positioning would grow to be a correct video games media enterprise – and definitely not that it will final for many years. There are a lot of folks to thank for that longevity – together with you, our readers.

20 years is an extremely very long time within the worlds of the web and video video games, and we’re tremendously proud. In the event you’ll indulge me for just a few moments, I wish to discuss how we acquired right here – and the place we plan to go subsequent.

Trying Again: Fandom as Basis

RPG Website’s inception started with a easy thought: it was taking too rattling lengthy for Last Fantasy XII to return out. Mike and I had made our place on the web creating fan websites and communities for a lot of issues: Sonic, Lord of the Rings, Video Sport Music – however essentially the most profitable was at all times a sequence of Last Fantasy fansites – one for FF9, one for FF10, and eventually a merged web site that lined all of them. 

The now brief-looking 4-year hole between FF10 and FF12 (and the repeatedly-delayed Western model of FF11) appeared limitless on the time, and so I had an concept: why not increase to a web site about your entire style we liked? We’d already had profitable detours for RPGs like Breath of Fireplace, Wild Arms, Kingdom Hearts, and The Third Age – why not cowl the entire style? 

The choice to construct RPG Website after we did seems to be fairly canny now: we caught the tail finish of the explosion of Western RPGs being really viable on consoles at simply the appropriate time. As we launched there was Oblivion, with Mass Impact proper across the nook, and on the PC we noticed the emergence of The Witcher. Dragon Age, Demon’s Souls, Borderlands, and the revival of Fallout was simply across the nook. In the meantime, Japan was pumping out the likes of Persona 3, Misplaced Odyssey, and Radiant Daybreak… we even finally acquired FF12. In actuality, we weren’t such intelligent plotters – it was actually all only a glad accident, dumb good luck.

On the time we had been hobbyists making just a few {dollars} right here and there, however I used to be additionally slowly making my manner right into a profession in video games media correct, freelancing for the ‘professional’ web sites and magazines. From there I realized classes, and my grandest aim started to materialize: to merge a few of skilled video games media’s values, expertise, and data with the fervour and hyper-focused zeal of the fan websites I’d manned rising up. It’s on this idea that the RPG Website of right now was cast, actually.

Over time, RPG Website grew – a bigger however no-less devoted staff, extra readers, and extra assist from sport publishers. We attended our first E3 in 2008. Over time, E3 particularly grew to become a bonding ritual – staff members flying in from throughout with barely any finances, slumming it in low-rent motels and AirBNBs. There was an air of faking it ’til we made it, and equally a sense that we had made it, even when we by no means had the finances of the large manufacturers. I’ve acquired notably fond recollections of these days.

Appropriately for one thing with its roots in fandom, precise success form of crept up on us. I don’t even keep in mind when it actually occurred; it simply form of did. We haven’t appeared again, clearly.

One factor I’ll at all times be particularly happy with even from these earliest hobbyist days is RPG Website’s standing as a coaching floor for brand spanking new expertise. Today I really like commerce reveals greater than ever, partially as a result of I typically stroll round and simply… see our alumni. Working communications at main publishers, knee-deep in sport growth, or nonetheless working in media at a few of our a lot larger friends and rivals. It’s in all probability the factor I’m most happy with, in truth: our folks, previous and current.

For me, all the things has needed to be underpinned by one factor, although: that fannish love of RPGs that introduced us right here within the first place. This doesn’t imply we are able to’t be severe about video games – lord is aware of, there’s a lot to fret about within the medium today – however we at all times attempt to put that love and celebration first. We at all times attempt to keep in mind and foreground the truth that we got here from fandom first. I feel we nonetheless try this – and I imagine we nonetheless will in one other decade, or two.

The Future: Facet Quests and Extra… Every thing

Our imaginative and prescient for RPG Website’s future is kind of just like what has come earlier than, and that’s as a result of we’ve at all times held one core perception about progress: I’d fairly develop naturally and modestly than interact within the web site equal of pumping stuffed with steroids with low-cost search engine optimization methods and clickbait nonsense, which accelerates progress however in a manner that’s not solely garbage to learn, however typically finally ends up being unsustainable. 

That considering has slowly however absolutely pushed us to a extremely spectacular 4-5 million pageviews every month, which we’re extremely happy with – and I wish to be clear earlier than I discuss our future that we now have no intention of dropping our identification within the hunt for limitless progress. We like who we’re and the way we’re, and all the things we’re going to do will likely be carried out to take care of that.

With that stated, I wished to disclose some stuff you’ll see from us over the approaching months as we transfer to develop and have a good time our twentieth anniversary.

Respec: A Facet Quest

Beginning this week, RPG Website has a brand new sibling: Respec.internet, an internet site about… video video games. And sport tradition on the whole, to be honest. Had been you anticipating one thing else?

It’s additionally an internet site with out limitations – we’ll cowl all the things, of any style – as long as somebody on the staff is sufficiently fascinated by it. In the event you like the best way we method sport protection on RPG Website and have wished we had a assessment for a non-RPG previously, Respec is now your reply. The official launch is coming within the subsequent two weeks, however we have got a model of the positioning stay now and we wished the RPG Website viewers to be the primary to see and beta take a look at it. Forgive us any bugs you see, please.

I consider Respec as two issues. First, it’s a continuation of the RPG Website philosophy and content material mannequin in a extra common setting, permitting us to department out with out cynically ruining RPG Website’s said scope. You’ll see many acquainted faces from right here over there, and clearly the positioning seems to be fairly comparable (if it ain’t broke, don’t repair it, proper?). You will discover similarities within the design, in how the positioning is organized, and even a cheeky RPG Website protect hiding within the emblem.

However Respec can be a continuation of some work I did elsewhere, at Gamer Community’s VG247 and Eurogamer. Gamer Community was an impartial enterprise that went by means of a few huge company acquisitions, and for each higher and worse it’s now a part of one of many largest company machines in video games media. Working in that ecosystem was fascinating, thrilling, and difficult in an finally rewarding manner – however myself and some different current Gamer Community leavers wished to see if we may recapture a few of what we liked doing there when it was an impartial household enterprise on a brand new, impartial model. The success we now have at RPG Website reveals us that is nonetheless potential – so right here we’re.

That’s Respec. We’d like it if you happen to may assist it with the identical eagerness you do RPG Website.

Assist us Immediately, with Advert-Free Searching

One thing you guys have requested for constantly for years that we’ve by no means fairly acquired round to constructing (since RPG Website is all custom-code and generally even conserving the positioning working is a problem!) was a manner so that you can assist us straight. I’m happy to say that as a part of our celebrations over the following a number of months we’ll be launching a Patreon so that you can straight assist the staff – and it’ll hook straight into the web site.

Because of this backers of RPG Website will quickly have the ability to benefit from the web site’s suite of reports, critiques, options, and guides fully advertising-free. As well as, backers will have the ability to take pleasure in a collection of new and unique options, particular neighborhood entry, and even the odd bodily bonus. In the meantime, the core web site gained’t be impacted – the identical stuff will stay accessible without cost, ad-supported, as at all times. However if you happen to’ve wished to assist us as impartial video games media straight, you’ll quickly have the possibility to take action.

The Finest RPGs of All Time, as advised by the individuals who made them

That is one particularly long-form characteristic you’ll be able to look ahead to over the following a number of months as we have a good time 20 years. We’ve spent a while gathering feedback and ideas from mates of the positioning throughout the trade, asking them to reveal the RPGs which can be the perfect or most important to them, and why. 

There are some really unimaginable names becoming a member of us on this journey – builders and names you’ll acknowledge behind many video games you’ve liked, and even some upcoming video games you’re hotly anticipating. Right here they reveal their inspirations and loves – maybe serving to so as to add just a few issues to your backlog within the course of. This one nonetheless wants a little bit longer within the oven (and if you’re a developer good friend or reader who want to participate, please get in contact) – however look ahead to it quickly.

GOTY Backfill and Evaluate

As we get in direction of the top of the 12 months, we’ll be working internally amongst our contributors to pore over RPG Website’s picks for Sport of the Yr over time (did we get it proper? Did you, within the person ballot?) in addition to to fill in just a few of our earlier years the place we didn’t crown an outright GOTY winner. 

We’ll even be working further polls round discovering out what your favorite RPGs of the positioning’s existence are – and all this can run in tandem with our typical year-end GOTY content material.

Onwards

So, that’s it. Twenty years. Time flies while you’re having enjoyable. Enjoyable – loving video games and having an obsessive love for a selected style – is and at all times would be the spine of this web site. I actually hope you retain studying, and that we are able to hold this up for a few years to return.

All that continues to be is to say: Thank You.

Thanks to our unimaginable record of contributors previous and current. Thanks to each sport developer or communications specialist who has considered us and given us time, understanding that chatting with a core area of interest viewers is significant. And thanks most of all to you, for studying. As one previous RPG adage goes, there ain’t no gettin’ offa this prepare we’re on. Onwards.

– Alex Donaldson, Co-Founder and Writer // June twenty eighth, 2026.