Ziff Davis Working to Sell 1up, EGM, GFW

Ziff Davis, parent company for the 1up website and the magazines Electronic Gaming Monthly and Games for Windows, is working to sell off its gaming group. Simon Carless, at GameSetWatch, pointed out the company's interest in active offers for the package. Ziff's games group apparently reached just about the break-even point last year, and along with the sale of Ziff's Consumer Small Business group (PC Magazine, etc) essentially represents the end of Ziff Davis as a publishing force. From the article: "As I alluded to in a recent post on game magazine circulations, I do personally feel like Ziff might have closed Official PlayStation Magazine a little earlier than they might otherwise have done, in order to make the Game Group more attractive to potential purchasers, who obviously care most about 1UP. Which makes sense, because in most cases (prestige low-circulation magazines such as Edge notwithstanding), circs and revenues in consumer print are only going to trickle down over the next few years."

Comments

I predict

[0racle]

Microsoft to buy 1up, Xbox games will never be rated worse then perfect, with Playstation and Wii games never able to get good ratings if they are rated at all. Switch those console names around for whoever you feel like supporting.

I don't really predict that, I just wanted to get it out of the way.

oh here it comes

[macadamia_harold]

It is official; Slashdot now confirms: Ziff Davis is dying

One more crippling bombshell hit the already beleaguered Ziff Davis community when /. confirmed that Ziff Davis will be cutting market share to less than a fraction of 1 percent.

You don't need to be a Kreskin to predict Ziff Davis' future. The hand writing is on the wall: Ziff Davis faces a bleak future. In fact there won't be any future at all for Ziff Davis because Ziff Davis is dying. Things are looking very bad for Ziff Davis. As many of us are already aware, Ziff Davis continues to sell market share. Contractual ink flows like a river of blood.

There can no longer be any doubt: Ziff Davis is dying.

Re:oh here it comes

[macadamia_harold]

Is there some long running Slashdot joke I'm missing

Yes.

And that whooshing sound you hear, is the joke going over your head.

Who buys these things?

[realmolo]

Computer and videogame magazines are almost *completely* pointless. If there are two subjects that the internet has covered, it's computers and videogames. There is literally NO information a magazine could possibly offer you that you can't get for free on the internet. Plus, you'll get it WAY before it reaches print.

They had their run. I enjoyed reading some of those mags back in the day. But I haven't bought any since about 1997.

Re:Who buys these things?

[kalirion]

I subscribe to PCGamer. It makes for good reading during TV commercials (that's right, I don't have tivo or any other dvr system), and in the bathroom. Currently I'm 7 issues behind on my reading though. Probably need more fiber in my diet.

Re:Who buys these things?

[RyoShin]

Yes, but you don't always have a PC handy when you have time to read about such things.

Assuming you even have a laptop, do you know how risky, akward, and annoying it is to bring into the bathroom?

Would you bring your laptop on the bus or in a cab with you just so you can read about it on the way to work?

While the internet gives you a greater number of sources, real-time information, and counter-opinions, magazines give you an easily portable, disposable, and concise form for whatever topic you're interested in. I have a few magazines that I subscribe to, and read a bit each day before bed. That's not as easy to do on the PC.

I agree that print media is dying, though. I blame it in part to advertising- as annoying as banner ads on the web are, print ads are much the same. Just about every other page in GameInformer is some ad, more often than not for something that interests me little. And this is after I'm already paying for the magazine. It turns off customers. I wonder how much the magazine industry relies on advertising now- if a magazine when ad-free (or even cut the number of ads in half), would it still be able to survive on subscriptions?

And, to quash some arguments I'm sure will arise:
-not everyone has a crackberry
-printing off an online magazine will cost me about as much as getting a real magazine myself, between the cost of time, paper, and ink
-no, I can't use my work's printer

I for one have to say I'm disapointed

[AbRASiON]

I actually REALLY enjoy the 1up netcast, it's been a "friend" to me to and from work for about 6 months now.
1up as a news site I've never found particularly exciting but that netcast is fresh, it's funny and it's informative.

Luke Smith whines and rants, much like myself, John is the voice of reason and Shane has Sony's balls firmly pressed upon his chin! - It's all good fun and been a great listen, definately.

I do hope it continues somehow because it really is pretty slick overall.