EGM will soon be no more

[Blotus]

The subscription cards are being torn from the packaging on newsstands and I still haven't received the new issue (may be just really late).

inb4 somebody belts out the obvious "WHAT DID YOU EXPECT PRINT IS DYING".

This makes me sad.

[Eric]

Yeah it's a shame. EGM was easily my favorite gaming magazine. =/

[Anarky]

You know whats sad, I asked a college professor of mine if print was dying, and they claimed no. I knew better before I left college, thus why I went web design.

I am a graphic designer and I am sad to see print go, especially after the long history of print.

[SineSwiper]

Print is dying. Face it and adapt. Or just die. Your choice.

[Blotus]

inb4 somebody belts out the obvious "WHAT DID YOU EXPECT PRINT IS DYING".

Print is dying. Face it and adapt. Or just die. Your choice.

That sentence originally said "inb4 Sine belts out..." but I thought that might be rude.

Anyway, adapting: http://1up.com

[Zeus]

They'd better refund the 1 year I have left on my subscription, then....

[Blotus]

Classic Zoos! One of the longest-running videogames magazines in North America is shutting down, my beloved 1up staff is sure to be hit by layoffs, and your first thought is "where's mah money!"

[Zeus]

It's the only video game magazine I will pay money for (particularly at $2.30 a month). I love EGM and have been reading it since before Rent was born (that probably ain't an exaggeration; I started with EGM 12, the one with the Ninja Gaiden 2 cutscene on the cover, which I think is from 1989 or something). I'm sad as fuck to see it go, I love to read it every month. Even with all the game news I read every day it's still a great read.

But we all knew this was coming. They've been talking about the end of the game mag for a while, the publisher's been hit with hard times recently, and with the advent of the Internet, the print mags have been struggling for quite a while now. Even Nintendo sold off Nintendo Power 'cause it just ain't profitable anymore.

So even though I'm concerned they're just gonna take my money and run, it's not that I'm not sad to see it go. It's just I don't want to get screwed because it's going.

[Zeus]

Print is dying. Face it and adapt. Or just die. Your choice.

I read up on game news every day from 4 or 5 websites and I still find EGM to be entertaining and a great read. And with the subscription at $1 for US customers (about $2.30 for Canadians), it's dirt cheap. That's how they "adapted", making it half the price of a Starbucks coffee and having the direct tie-in with a great online site (1up.com).

There's not much else they could do to keep the print version alive. Gamers are just not interested in it anymore and it's mainly a hardcore gamer magazine.

[SineSwiper]

There's not much else they could do to keep the print version alive. Gamers are just not interested in it anymore and it's mainly a hardcore gamer magazine.

Well, you noticed that everybody talks about 1UP, but not much about EGM. This is adapting to what everybody already knows: soon, print for mostly everything will be replaced with free Internet sites. The business model must be there, but it must still be free. Even the stubborn New York Times learned that paid subscriptions aren't going to work out well as a business model on the net.

[Kupek]

So does anyone have an actual source for this, or are we all just talking out of our asses?

[Blotus]

So does anyone have an actual source for this, or are we all just talking out of our asses?

Well there was that rumor about UGO (or rather, it's parent company) buying 1up and not EGM from Ziff. People on the 1up boards have also been seeing the subscription cards torn from the plastic wrappers the mag is packed in at stores.

[Kupek]

So, no.

[Lox]

I hope this is just rumor. I've had an EGM subscription for many, many years ever since I realized GamePro was crap. I still look forward to it coming in the mail each month. It's good toilet reading.

[Blotus]

It is now official... and it pains me. EGM is finished. 1up continues on in some bastardly fashion under UGO/Hearst Corp., but not without laying off dozens including much of their editorial staff. Among them are:

Andrew Fitch
Andrew "Skip" Pfister
Anthony Gallegos
Cesar Quintero
Giancarlo Varanini
Greg Ford
James "Milkman" Mielke
Jason Bertrand
Jay Freschette
Matt Chandronait
Michael Donahoe
Nick Suttner
Philip Kollar
Ryan O'Donnell
Ryan Scott
Shane Bettenhausen

And sorry, Kuepk, I don't have a link for each one so I'm just talking out of my fucking ass.


I never really got hooked on 1up until a couple of years back when I started listening to 1up Yours and EGM Live, then Retronauts and GFW Radio. Nary a week has passed since then that I haven't listened to and enjoyed their multiple podcasts, as well as the 1up Show. I'm kind of stifled for words in how to describe this, and it's pretty sad to say, but I really have no friends who are into games like I am -- 1up really fostered a sense of community between its staff and it's readers/listeners/viewers like no other gaming site has to my knowledge.

This eventuality was easy to see coming for anybody watching closely. Ziff Davis' financial troubles have been public knowledge for years now. Many employees of ZD left this sinking ship in the last year to go on to great opportunities (John Davison, Jeff Green, Shawn Elliot, Mark Macdonald, Dan Hsu, etc). It's a testament to the quality of their staff that many ex-EGM and 1up staff now work at EA, 2K Boston, Sega, MGS, Blizzard and Valve.

I guess this just feels like having a sick family member on the way out. You know it's only a matter or time, but when it comes it's more painful than you'd think it'd be.

James Mielke and Shane Bettenhausen should have no trouble finding work in this industry. I still worry for many of the others.

[Kupek]

They just laid off almost everyone that makes their site good. Jeremy Parish is not on that list, but I wouldn't be surprised if he just leaves.

edit: I figured the other thread actually mentioned the people. It does not. Took a peak at 1up, and it looks like Shane's jumping ship, not being laid off. I suspect a lot of them are like that.

[Blotus]

Well I'll keep buying the GameSpite books if he keeps making them.

Where did you see that Shane may have left of his own accord? (Edit: ah, I see now. He's not in the Editor's Blog section anymore...)

[Kupek]

http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=897 ... Id=1002415

Unless the phrase "my decision to leave 1up magically coincided with the big UGO deal" is a euphemism for "my ass got canned."

Milke's blog makes it sound like he got laid off. Where did you hear about the others? NeoGAF, 1up boards?

edit: I assume you got it from here? http://www.joystiq.com/2009/01/06/asses ... #continued

[Blotus]

Somebody posted that list in the comments section of Sam's blog post. It's making the rounds, and seems accurate so far. I signed up for Twitter just to follow this shit. They're all getting trashed now.

I haven't had a drink myself in almost six months now. After I read the news at work, I was really tempted to have one... thankfully we've got plenty of non-alcoholic Beck's that nobody aside from myself will drink.

[Andrew, Killer Bee]

Shit suuuucks. I know that a Giant Bomb-esque neo-1up is probably out of the question (I sort of wish that Sam Kennedy had left with Mielke and Cox — those three together would do not I imagine have a lot of trouble picking up seed capital) but I do hope that everybody laid off is able to find work without too much trouble.

[Kupek]

I knew the 1up Show was canceled, but I hadn't realized they cancelled all the podcasts, including 1up Yours.

Fuuuuuuuuck. I hardly play videogames anymore, but 1up Yours was still so fun to listen to.

[SineSwiper]

Well, keep up with the site. If everything sucks, don't bother going to it again, since you don't want promote their ads (and money).

Seems like it's harder and harder to find a good gaming site, which is really fucking ironic, considering the immense growth of gaming over the past ten years.

[Zeus]

Move to Edge Online (used to be Next Generation). They're the best one now IMO

[SineSwiper]

Move to Edge Online (used to be Next Generation). They're the best one now IMO

Then quit posting IGN and GamePro articles.

[Zeus]

Move to Edge Online (used to be Next Generation). They're the best one now IMO

Then quit posting IGN and GamePro articles.

I don't even know the address of the GamePro website, I've never been there.

IGN is what I use for "overall" news tidbits so it gets most of the links. Next Gen is far better for articles which is what I figure most people here care about

[Eric]

http://sorethumbsblog.com/post/69235006/goodbye-egm

[SineSwiper]

I don't even know the address of the GamePro website, I've never been there.

GameSpot, I mean. They both suck.

EDIT: Funny, Ziff Davis seems to own (or used to own) quite a bit of popular gaming sites, like IGN, GameSpot, Game Informer. Didn't realize they had that many.

I miss my Game Informer. They make good mousepads.

[Zeus]

I don't even know the address of the GamePro website, I've never been there.

GameSpot, I mean. They both suck.

EDIT: Funny, Ziff Davis seems to own (or used to own) quite a bit of popular gaming sites, like IGN, GameSpot, Game Informer. Didn't realize they had that many.

I miss my Game Informer. They make good mousepads.

Gamespot has good news. I read nothing else on that site.

[Kupek]

http://sorethumbsblog.com/post/69235006/goodbye-egm

Good read.

[Flip]

http://videogames.yahoo.com/






















(just kdding)

[Eric]

http://videogames.yahoo.com/






















(just kdding)

Or ARE you?

[Blotus]

http://www.gamerscollide.com/2009/01/10 ... -the-deal/

[bovine]

found this on digg for those who enjoyed the 1up podcasts.

[Blotus]

No former 1up employee news can hide from me.

[Eric]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oc3JLCqA4TQ

This video is golden.

[Kupek]

Hmmm. I think a better analogy would be you buy two dogs from a litter.

[SineSwiper]

Mega64 is da bomb.

[Chris]

found this on digg for those who enjoyed the 1up podcasts.

I'm listening to that more for the fact it's recorded with a buddy of mine in his shop. I love higgins.

[Blotus]

I'm listening to that more for the fact it's recorded with a buddy of mine in his shop. I love higgins.

Cool!!!!!!