Official PlayStation Magazine Discontinued

Citing the advent of downloadable game demos and an inability for the magazine to 'fit into our integrated media network or afford us digital media opportunities', Ziff Davis' Official PlayStation Magazine will be closed out in January of next year. From the Gamasutra article: "According to the firm, Sony Computer Entertainment America will remain a key content and marketing partner for Ziff Davis Game Group, which will cover SCEA's PlayStation 3 and first-party games extensively across all of its media outlets, including EGM, 1UP.com, and GameVideos.com. The Game Group editorial team will also 'work closely with SCEA in the development of digital content for the PlayStation Network, accessible only through the PS3.' Due to the long-term decline in the magazine advertising market, Ziff Davis has been gradually transitioning away from print for some time, aggressively building up 1UP.com as its central website portal." 1up is carrying a story with the official announcement and some low-key commentary. If you're interested in how much this had to do with subscription numbers, GameSetWatch has a run-down on subscribers for many of the large gaming rags.

Comments

Makes Sense

[RichardMarks]

I can't remember the last time I even touched a physical game magazine - has to be years now.

Every single PS3 is going to have a webbrowser and access to a complete Sony network infrastructure for news, demos, online purchase of games, movie and music downloads.

Re:Makes Sense

[Anonymous Coward]

For those of you who don't already know, Dr Richard Marks is the creator of the EyeToy, and works as a researcher for Sony Computer Entertainment America.

His posting history is highly pro-PS3, as you would expect, since he has a major vested interest in the success of PS3.

Paper vs plastic

[mgabrys_sf]

I noticed they chalked up the downloadable demos as thier primary reason. Good thing to see they valued a strong editorial staff over PR compilation chaff. This alone not only drives the magazine's price up and makes you feel like a sap for purchasing a "multimedia marketing solution" (aren't ads supposed to help pay the cost of the magazine, not drive it up? Basic publishing LAW anyone?), but pushes good copy further into the margins. Of course - it would have helped for them to have HAD good copy, but that's just a former Next-Generation subscriber troll reaction.

On the other hand, it clears the slate that much further for a magazine that is as good as Edge (which is getting harder to take relevant as the UK has been kicked in the nads not once but twice by Sony's release schedules - not to mention the cost) but is geared to US tastes.

The thing that has always been stuck in my craw is the industry touting of the aging of the median-gamer, but the editorial that is stuck one decade behind it. Edge magazine is on target, but lord knows - little - if anything else is.

Anyone want to angel investor a former member of the Pulitzer publishing empire?

Re:Paper vs plastic

[Aladrin]

Actually, I see the 'downloadable demos' as part of a huge chain of problems, which includes the problem of the ads not supporting the magazine.

The price you can get for advertisements depends wholly on the number of people that can be expected to see the ad. If fewer people buy the magazine, fewer advertisers will put their money on it. Combine this with the fact that it's probably quite a bit cheaper per magazine to print a million than print 100 thousand. (I'm guessing at those numbers.)

It's not just the demos that are killing their readership, though. Game reviews show up online before they show up in magazines, despite the magazines getting the game months in advance in order to write the review. Customer opinions show up on the web immediately, also, and they don't show up in magazines at all except maybe in editorial comments, months later.

Cheats, strategies, even advertisements... They all show up on the web faster. (Yes, advertisements... I look for those to see what is coming out soon that I might be interested in, as I'm not really 'into' any gaming communities.) Heck, even the demos often show up faster on the web now.

Re:The age of game magazines is over

[Valacosa]

Using the same reasoning, why do we still have porn mags? Those seem to exist alongside digital media without being driven to extinction.

"No one who is really interested in boobs is without an internet connection, so they can go to ... sites that [are] totally ad supported and thus free. The web also has videos, which are superior to screen shots."