Ziff Davis To Discontinue U.S. Official PlayStation Magazine
U.S. game magazine (EGM, Games For Windows) and website (1UP.com) firm
the Ziff Davis Game Group has announced that it will discontinue
publication of the Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine after the January
2007 issue.
A statement from the company explains: "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."
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. The
company, which has previously closed magazines including XBN and GMR,
most recently
posted a quarterly loss of $0.5 million for its game division, citing
"a decline in print advertising and circulation revenues", partially
offset by online revenue increases.
Scott McCarthy, President of Ziff Davis Game Group, explanied of the
overall move: "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."
Simon Carless
November 14, 2006
Source:
Gamasutra