IGN.com is the world’s leading video game and fan culture destination – also covering the latest comics, films, gadgets and TV. Published in English, IGN Africa will mix locally created editorial and video content with that from IGN’s teams in the US, UK and Australia. The latest IGN local edition is headed by games media veteran Michael James – who will also lead commercial representation for the brand in the region.

IGN Africa joins existing licenced IGN editions in many languages worldwide, covering most key European markets, the Middle East and North Africa, India and Asia Pacific - with Latin America the final major region where Ziff Davis is looking for a partner.

Instance Media will handle all commercial enquiries within the Southern Africa territory for market-leading Ziff Davis brands AskMen.com, PCMag.com and NetShelter – the world’s largest network of tech sites reaching over 100 million unique users world-wide.

Adam Doree, International Business Development Director, Ziff Davis, said: “The team behind the market-leading games focused magazine and live gaming event in South Africa are our perfect strategic partner in the region – as we look to introduce localised versions of the brands. With a growing market of English-speaking consumers, passionate about games and technology, we look forward to working with Michael’s team to offer local relevance to audiences and advertisers alike. This powerful model has seen growth by as much as 15-fold in other licensed markets.”

Michael James, director and owner of NAG, rAge and IGN Africa, added: “I’ve always believed that if you selflessly grow an industry, all the players at all levels in that industry benefit. So far we’re heavily invested in the local market with NAG magazine and the very successful rAge Expo. The next logical step is to dominate the online space with IGN Africa. IGN is the biggest and most exciting Internet destination in our industry, and we’re very proud to be representing this brand in South Africa and the rest of the SADC region. This is only the beginning of a strategic and powerful digital push into the market for us, and I’m excited to see this region’s gaming industry benefit from this partnership.”

The Africa partnership is the latest publishing deal for Ziff Davis complementing its owned and operated English language operations in North America, United Kingdom and Australia. Ziff Davis successfully partners with local publishing experts in almost 50 countries worldwide, with content now available in 15 languages, including Arabic, Chinese and Russian.