Gamernode: News - Major Playstation Magazine Closing for Good

Major Playstation Magazine Closing for Good

One of the important influences in the video game publishing world, the Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine, will be closing its covers for good with the January 2007 issue. OPM covered everything related to the PS2 and was unique in that it offered a demo disk in each issue featuring media on upcoming games, behind the scenes features, and game demos. Ziff Davis, which is responsible for the publishing of OPM said, "The Game Group is laser-focused on continuing to expand its rapidly growing digital media presence and on further strengthening its multiplatform properties and powerful integrated network. As such, the Game Group has determined that Official U.S.

PlayStation Magazine, a property licensed from Sony Computer Entertainment America and limited to print, no longer fits its strategic vision." Game magazines have had a hard time making ends meet for the past several years, due mainly to the availability of online game content. The president of Ziff Davis Game Group, Scott McCarthy, said that the writing is on the wall about how information is distributed to gamers, who are steering away from the printed format. McCarthy stated, "The powerful online capabilities of the exciting PlayStation 3, coupled with ever- increasing broadband penetration in the U.S., allow for much more efficient distribution of game demos, videos, and trailers. With this next generation of game consoles, the days of having to bundle a disc with a magazine to distribute games-related content are over.

And the disc has clearly been a major driver for consumer interest in premium-priced, platform-specific magazines in the past, when the magazine disc was the only way gamers could get such content." Another reason for the closing of OPM may be due to the PS3's exclusive game content on  Blu-ray DVDs. The cost of producing demo disks for PS3 games may have been the straw that broke the camel's back in keeping the magazine afloat.

However, the European edition will continue to be published, according to GamesIndustry. "This is a matter between Ziff Davis and Sony US. In the UK and Europe, Future continues to enjoy a long and successful relationship with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. This deal has been further cemented this week with the release of our third Official title in the UK - the brand new Official PlayStation Magazine, which focuses on the PlayStation 3."

A Sony spokesperson for Sony Europe responded by saying, "We are fully committed to and supportive of OPM, and will continue to be for the foreseeable future."

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