GameSpy Site Loads Up on Online Giveaways

GameSpy Industries, the Costa Mesa online entertainment company backed by super-agent Michael Ovitz and Los Angeles-based investment group Yucaipa Cos., has launched a Web site that acts as a one-stop shop filled with freebies for computer game fans.

The site acts as a vast warehouse for software files tied to a slew of game categories, from action to role-playing titles. Some of these programs are the latest demonstrations of games about to be released, while others are updates or modifications created by fans of classic hits.

GameSpy officials acknowledge that the site won’t make much money--users can download and swap files free of charge, and the only revenue source comes from banner ads--but insist that it helps round out the company’s various entertainment offerings.

Using games as a foundation, GameSpy has rolled out a series of other products tied to online entertainment, such as music. Earlier this year, the firm unveiled MP3Spy, which helps computer users find MP3 radio shows on the Net by clicking on the genre of music they like. In the past, people had to know where to find MP3 radio stations, which do not always run around the clock.