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The GTA Wiki is going independent. The fan-run information repository is the latest to migrate away from Fandom hosting, as its editors protest increasingly aggressive ads and restrictive censorship policies. Months ahead of the launch of GTA 6, it joins an increasingly large list of video game community wikis that have sought alternate hosting amid similar complaints about Fandom.
"GTA Wiki has officially migrated from Fandom," according to a statement on the front page of the new wiki. "Freedom!" In a more extensive post breaking down the reasons for moving the wiki, the editors say that "it is no secret that Fandom is generally disliked by readers and editors alike. The appointment of a reportedly pro-AI CEO this February, following internal restructuring at the company, has only made matters worse."
According to that post, "The biggest complaint is its increasingly aggressive use of ads, which is something us editors do not generally think about as the majority of ads are hidden when logged in. But given that 60%+ of our viewers (and a similar stat on many other Fandom wikis) are logged-out mobile visitors, the concern for advertising being aggressive and intrusive is not one we should take with a grain of salt. It is terrible. Just open the Fandom wiki's home page in an incognito tab and without adblock on, and you'll see just how bad it is."
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The editors are also annoyed by Fandom's addition of videos to wiki pages "without our consent, sometimes relevant, sometimes not." And, "alongside ads, Fandom's Community Creation Policy has become increasingly tightened, particularly regarding offensive language and graphic media, with enforcement often so overzealous that it even affects images of in-game adverts and audio clips of character quotes."
As you might imagine, restrictive policies regarding offensive language are a particular burden on a fan site for Grand Theft Auto, a thoroughly M-rated series featuring, among other things, profanity, slurs, and unkind words about nearly every minority and majority group in America.
One major benefit that Fandom does offer is the option for community wiki editors to migrate their content to new hosts, which is a feature many of the above wikis have made use of – now including the GTA Wiki. At least the company is making it easy for users who don't like the policies to head for greener pastures.
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Dustin Bailey joined the GamesRadar team as a Staff Writer in May 2022, and is currently based in Missouri. He's been covering games (with occasional dalliances in the worlds of anime and pro wrestling) since 2015, first as a freelancer, then as a news writer at PCGamesN for nearly five years. His love for games was sparked somewhere between Metal Gear Solid 2 and Knights of the Old Republic, and these days you can usually find him splitting his entertainment time between retro gaming, the latest big action-adventure title, or a long haul in American Truck Simulator.
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