History of Valnet in Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: May 1, 2025

Valnet, Inc. is a Canadian media company founded in August 2012 by Hassan and Sam Youssef in Montreal. It functions as the parent company for a portfolio of internet media publications, including well-known brands like TheGamer, Collider, Comic Book Resources, MovieWeb, Screen Rant, Game Rant, XDA Developers, and MakeUseOf. Valnet primarily operates within the entertainment media industry.

1995: Comic Book Resources (CBR) Founded

In 1995, Comic Book Resources (CBR) was founded by Jonah Weiland as a development of the Kingdom Come Message Board.

1995: MovieWeb First Launched

MovieWeb first launched in 1995.

1997: MovieWeb in Operation

By 1997, MovieWeb was reported to be in operation supported by a 4-person team publishing movie information.

August 2000: MovieWeb announced collaboration with Video Update

In August 2000, MovieWeb announced a collaboration with video rental chain Video Update and video retail software provider Unique Business Systems Inc.

December 20, 2002: XDA Developers Launched

XDA (formerly known as XDA Developers) was launched on December 20, 2002, as a mobile software development community.

2003: Youssef brothers started Brazzers

In 2003, Matt Keezer, Stephane Manos, Sam and Hassan Youssef began an online pornography business named Brazzers.

2003: Screen Rant Launched

In 2003, Screen Rant was launched by Vic Holtreman.

2005: Collider Founded

In 2005, Collider was founded as a blog by editor-in-chief Steven Weintraub.

February 2007: Microsoft Request to Remove ROMs

In February 2007, Microsoft asked XDA Developers to remove all ROMs created by OEMs.

August 19, 2008: Screen Rant's YouTube Channel Created

The associated YouTube channel for Screen Rant was created on August 19, 2008.

2008: CNET Asia Suggestion

In 2008, CNET Asia suggested that XDA Developers offers potential solutions to problems with many Android-based mobile devices.

2010: XDA Portal Launched

In 2010, XDA launched the XDA Portal, a source for tech news, products, guides, and features.

January 2011: XDA Developers Bought by JB Online Media, LLC.

In January 2011, XDA Developers was bought by the US based company JB Online Media, LLC.

August 2012: Valnet, Inc. Founded after Brazzers sale

After selling their pornography assets, the Youssef brothers founded Valnet in August 2012.

August 2012: Valnet, Inc. Established

In August 2012, Valnet, Inc. was established in Montreal, Quebec by Hassan and Sam Youssef. The company operates in the entertainment media industry and is the parent company of various internet media publications.

2012: MovieWeb Viral Video

In 2012, MovieWeb produced a video that was an '80s-themed parody mashup of The Walking Dead series accompanied by music from Growing Pains that went viral.

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2013: XDA Partners with Swappa

In 2013, XDA partnered with Swappa to become its official marketplace where users can buy or sell devices.

2013: XDA Forum Redesign

The XDA forum site underwent major redesigns in 2013, distinctly indicating the number of active and total registered users at the top right.

2013: Older layout option

The older layout option was available for XDA 2013.

2014: GiveMeSport Founded

In 2014, GiveMeSport was founded.

2014: XDA Forum Redesign (XDA 2015)

The XDA forum site underwent major redesigns in late 2014, named XDA 2015.

February 2015: Screen Rant Acquired by Valnet

In February 2015, Screen Rant was acquired by Valnet.

2015: Collider Sold to Complex Media

In 2015, Steven Weintraub sold Collider to Complex Media, who would manage the business and advertisements on the website and offer editing support.

2015: OpenCritic Launched

OpenCritic was launched in 2015 as a review aggregation website for video games.

2015: XDA Forum Redesign (XDA 2015)

The XDA 2015 layout supported responsive web design and was available with a dark-on-light color scheme option in 2015.

2015: Older layout option

The older layout option was available for XDA 2015.

January 2016: Little Angel YouTube Channel Started

In January 2016, Valnet launched a YouTube channel called "Little Angel", which provides animated content for toddlers.

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April 4, 2016: CBR Sold to Valnet

On April 4, 2016, Comic Book Resources (CBR) was sold to Valnet.

April 6, 2016: Valnet Acquired Comic Book Resources (CBR)

On April 6, 2016, Valnet acquired Comic Book Resources (CBR), with CEO Hassan Youssef retaining the editorial team and taking over their offices.

August 23, 2016: CBR Relaunched as CBR.com

On August 23, 2016, after being acquired by Valnet, Comic Book Resources was relaunched as CBR.com, integrating the blogs into the site.

2019: Screen Rant reunited with Game Rant

In 2019, Screen Rant was reunited with its sister site, Game Rant, when Valnet acquired the other publication.

September 2020: Pitch Meetings Success

By September 2020, Screen Rant's video series called Pitch Meetings by Ryan George included over 200 videos, garnering a combined 250 million views.

November 17, 2020: Valnet Acquired Collider

On November 17, 2020, Valnet announced its acquisition of Collider.

December 1, 2020: XDA transitioned to XenForo

On December 1, 2020, XDA transitioned from vBulletin to XenForo, along with a major layout redesign, named XDA 2021.

2020: XDA Forum Redesign (XDA 2021)

The XDA forum site underwent major redesigns in late 2020, named XDA 2021.

September 2021: Valnet Acquired MovieWeb

In September 2021, Valnet Inc. acquired MovieWeb from WatchR Media, Inc.

2021: XDA 2021 major redesign

In 2021, the website transitioned from vBulletin to XenForo on December 1, 2020, along with a major layout redesign, named XDA 2021.

2021: XDA Forum Redesign (XDA 2021)

The XDA forum site underwent major redesigns in 2021, named XDA 2021.

February 2022: Acquisition of XDA and Sale of Little Angel

In February 2022, Valnet acquired XDA along with Pocketnow, AppAdvice, BackyardBoss and Hook&Bullet from Busy Pixel Media and sold Little Angel to Moonbug.

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February 2022: Valnet Acquired XDA

In February 2022, Valnet acquired XDA along with four other websites—Pocketnow, AppAdvice, BackyardBoss and Hook&Bullet—from Busy Pixel Media.

February 2022: XDA Developers Acquired by Valnet Inc.

In February 2022, XDA Developers was acquired by Canada-based Valnet Inc.

2022: GiveMeSport Acquired by Valnet

In 2022, GiveMeSport was acquired by Valnet, Inc.

May 2023: Layoffs at Comic Book Resources (CBR)

In May 2023, it was reported that Valnet had laid off several key figures at Comic Book Resources (CBR), including editor-in-chief Adam Swiderski.

June 21, 2023: Screen Rant's YouTube channel subscriber count

As of June 21, 2023, Screen Rant's YouTube channel has 8.62M subscribers and 5.4K videos.

2023: XDA listed as largest mobile software development forum

In 2023, FeedSpot listed XDA (with 11 million members) as the largest mobile software development forum and among the top 70 technology forums to follow.

July 31, 2024: Valnet Acquired OpenCritic

Valnet's acquisition of OpenCritic was announced on July 31, 2024.

August 2024: Valnet Acquired OpenCritic

In August 2024, Valnet acquired OpenCritic to integrate the aggregator into its other businesses in the gaming sector and planned to turn the site into a social media platform.

October 2024: Valnet Signed Lease for NYC Offices

By October 2024, Valnet signed a lease for the 740 Broadway building in New York City, marking the company's first offices in the city.

May 2025: Valnet Acquired Polygon

In May 2025, Valnet acquired Polygon from Vox Media.

2025: Allegations of Exploitative Working Conditions

In 2025, TheWrap spoke to 15 current or former Valnet contractors regarding alleged exploitative working conditions at the company, including a freelancer lawsuit.