The Wargamer (Wargamer.com) is a web site specializing in war and strategy gaming in both digital and traditional 'table-top' formats. It is currently owned and operated by Wargamer Ltd., which shares common ownership with the Slitherine Group of companies. It has a sister site that cover's mobile videogames called Pocket Tactics.
History
The Wargamer was founded in 1995 by Mario R. Kroll, originally with the purpose of being a website to facilitate matchmaking play-by-email opponents for computer wargames. Its initial support included the Panzer General, Steel Panthers and the Close Combat series, although it quickly expanded to cover titles like Norm Koger's Age of Rifles, TalonSoft's Battleground series, and a number of HPS Simulations games. Eventually, Wargamer.com evolved to provide editorial coverage, game reviews, news reporting and served as a custom scenario repository for nearly all war or strategy video games that supported custom scenario creation.
In 2002, it was sold to Matrix Games, which was later acquired by Slitherine Software UK.
The Wargamer was previously part of the Strategy Allies Network, together with Armchair General and HistoryNet - the affiliation has since disbanded.
In 2015 it was paired with mobile-strategy website Pocket Tactics when the latter was acquired by the Slitherine Group of companies.
Recognition
The Wargamer has received recognition for excellence in content, including several mentions via PC Gamer's military gaming column, authored by William R. Trotter. At its height of popularity, The Wargamer enjoyed over 1.1 million Source? unique monthly visitors and had incorporated Pie's Tactics, which at the time was the leading website for the tactical videogame series Rainbow Six and Rogue Spear by Red Storm Entertainment.
The site also achieved recognition outside its niche around 2002, when it was recommended by PC Magazine and the generalist gaming book The Rough Guide to Videogaming. The site's importance for the computer wargaming genre, usually deprived of reviews in the traditional wargaming media of the time, was academically recognized in the same year.