And then there was just one...after 20 years Play magazine goes Digital only

Play Editor wrote:

Like many who previously sat in this chair (well, probably a different chair, but you get the point), I grew up with Play. I read the mag, put my trust in its reviews in spending what little cash I had as a youngling and enjoyed watching the mag grow and evolve as Sony built its PlayStation empire. To be offered the chance to work on the mag was, therefore, a genuine privilege, and to eventually be able to run it an honour.

It’s sad to think that in a month’s time, that iconic masthead will no longer be seen on newsstands, but we’ll live on in digital form – I’d like to think that those who have enjoyed our mag over the years will be happy to continue to do so on their phones and tablets. It’s not the same as having that papery treat in your hands, I know, but times, markets and consumption habits change and we need to change too to keep up with them.

The last print issue is available to buy now at newsagents, supermarkets, and WHSmith.

You've got to give it to them for keeping it going this long. I picked up the last issue today due to the cover catching my attention, and when I had a look at the editor's letter I suddenly noticed it's their final issue so I thought I'd best buy it. It's actually pretty good, though that may have something to do with it being more of a nostalgia trip than anything. They've also been lucky to go out with a number of quality games to review (Ratchet and Clank, DiRT Rally).

While I can't sit here and pretend it was ever the best PlayStation magazine on the market obviously, it's still kinda sad to see what has been a constant presence on the shelves for 20+ years come to an end. No, it wasn't POWER or PSM2 at its peak, but compared to much of the corrupt, laddish, and poorly written rubbish in the 90s and early 00s Play was alright.

NickSCFC

Never been a fan, especially since their MGS2 review, but they've been a presence on the shelves since 1995. Another one bites the dust.

Seriously, who the hell is still buying games magazines in this day and age?

I like to pick up Games magazines every now and then if they have interesting features. I used to love the old Nintendo gamer magazine

NickSCFC

Ad7 wrote:Seriously, who the hell is still buying games magazines in this day and age?

A few issues of EDGE and OPM's 20th anniversary issue I've not bought a magazine since PSN/XBL started doing demos.

Still, it's a shame to see them disappear after having long lives, especially as so many other magazine genres continue to sell.

The mid 90s were insane, you could walk into a newsagents and see...

CVG
EDGE
GamesMaster
Maximum
Official PlayStation Magazine
Play
PSM
PlayStation Power
PlayStation Max
PlayStation Plus
PlayStation Underground
Mean Machines PlayStation
Nintendo Official Magazine
N64 Gamer
SuperPlay
Official Sega Saturn Magazine
Mean Machines Sega
Saturn Power
Sega Pro
PC Gamer
PC Zone

...all on one shelf, ridiculous

Oh yeah, I loved a good gaming magazine in my youth, peaking in the psone days, but in this age of second by second updates and breaking news via tweets etc, there's no place for printed media.

Saying that I love a good retro article so I guess id buy retro gamer.

NickSCFC wrote:
Ad7 wrote:Seriously, who the hell is still buying games magazines in this day and age?

A few issues of EDGE and OPM's 20th anniversary issue I've not bought a magazine since PSN/XBL started doing demos.

Still, it's a shame to see them disappear after having long lives, especially as so many other magazine genres continue to sell.

The mid 90s were insane, you could walk into a newsagents and see...

CVG
EDGE
GamesMaster
Maximum
Official PlayStation Magazine
Play
PSM
PlayStation Power
PlayStation Max
PlayStation Plus
PlayStation Underground
Mean Machines PlayStation
Nintendo Official Magazine
N64 Gamer
SuperPlay
Official Sega Saturn Magazine
Mean Machines Sega
Saturn Power
Sega Pro
PC Gamer
PC Zone

...all on one shelf, ridiculous

And Total PlayStation, Extreme PlayStation, PlayStation Pro, PSW, the short lived PSNext on top of that...

At one point every unofficial magazine dropped "PlayStation" from the title because Sony asked them to (rumoured to be pressure from Future Publishing too).

I picked this up for a browse in Smiths the other day. If I had known it was the last one I might have purchased it, though from the scan of the (decent) articles I'm not sure if it's writing style was quite for me.
Shame though, gaming magazines were a huge thing for me through the 80s and 90s. I actually hold stronger sentimental attachment to them than most actual games.

NickSCFC

KK wrote:And Total PlayStation, Extreme PlayStation, PlayStation Pro, PSW, the short lived PSNext on top of that...

At one point every unofficial magazine dropped "PlayStation" from the title because Sony asked them to (rumoured to be pressure from Future Publishing too).

I remember being a Saturn fan boy at the time and when OSSM was closed there must have been at least a dozen PlayStation magazines which really rubbed it in. However the audience for a cheaper alternative magazine was certainly there so you can see why they all competed.

Play won out eventually I guess.

Sad, but time waits for no man... or games magazine. Printed media is on its last legs, I think in a few years there'll be very few magazine on shelves. Hell, there might not even be shelves!

Preezy wrote:Sad, but time waits for no man... or games magazine. Printed media is on its last legs, I think in a few years there'll be very few magazine on shelves. Hell, there might not even be shelves!

A lot of magazines still do extremely well, as the latest ABC figures show: t:latest-abc-magazine-figures-july---december-2015?p=3902294#p3902294

Gaming and lads magazines are really the two interests that have suffered the most in recent yeas, whereas others like Men's Health have really flourished.

KK wrote:
Preezy wrote:Sad, but time waits for no man... or games magazine. Printed media is on its last legs, I think in a few years there'll be very few magazine on shelves. Hell, there might not even be shelves!

A lot of magazines still do extremely well, as the latest ABC figures show: t:latest-abc-magazine-figures-july---december-2015?p=3902294#p3902294

Gaming and lads magazines are really the two interests that have suffered the most in recent yeas, whereas others like Men's Health have really flourished.

Porn and video games are everywhere online.

My kids still ask for magazines when we go shopping, in fact I see loads of kids getting their parents to buy magazines. I doubt print is going anywhere anytime soon.

What is incredible is that the 1st iteration of the Official PlayStation magazine was selling 30,000 copies when it was killed off...in 2004. There was so much creativity and wackiness in those final few issues...

They eked every last drop out of the PSone. If you couldn't afford a new console, or simply just wanted to stick with it until the very end, in conjunction with the magazine you pretty much could have played everything from the entire back catalogue worth seeing or that you'd missed over the years. They continually re-reviewed old titles, readjusted scores, reran old demos, and had a guide on how easy it still was to find old releases. There were even a few decent games released in those final years (such as The Baldies and the original Final Fastasy's).

NickSCFC

Very similar to the Official Sega Saturn Magazine, their final issues were dedicated to Dreamcast features, Japanese games reviews and cheat codes for old games like Sega Rally.

Well I went back and purchased a copy today. I'm amassing quite a collection of final editions of game magazines.
Looks like it should be quite a good read for any nostalgia heads out there.

NickSCFC

kazanova_Frankenstein wrote:Well I went back and purchased a copy today. I'm amassing quite a collection of final editions of game magazines.
Looks like it should be quite a good read for any nostalgia heads out there.

Shame they didn't have a retrospective of the msg itself, instead opting for a top 100 PlayStation games feature which has been done countless times by other mags.

There are a number of boxouts looking at past issues and staff members though.

While not flawless as they were told so late, NGamer had a great feature looking at the entire run from the 90s onwards, OPM (1) went to town in issue 100, with 108 being more about the demo disc, which featured an unbelievable array of Yaroze titles. PSM3 161 had a load of great features and a poster featuring every cover, but issue 50 in 2004 (the dreaded Driv3r review) had a much better retrospective on the mag and its covers. PC Zone wasn't bad either.

Future at least allow their magazines the opportunity to say goodbye, which is something.

Website

I only ever bought the occasional issue but it is a sad day as print mags for video games are almost over. The problem is that because of the internet, even if you buy a mag on the day of release the news is old. The only way to hold some value is to have non-time critical articles which EDGE has some.

Farewell Play.

What the Internet doesn't capture in the same way, especially as it's so instantaneous, is the relationship between reader and writers. PC Zone, N64/NGC, PSM2...they were as much a part of a console's lifespan as the games themselves. And Future were the best at it. Sometimes polluting factors got in the way of that - occasionally having to resist the urge to write in and tell them to go strawberry float themselves - but there's no denying they created a lot of great memories along the way.

Do digital magazines even sell?

And then there was just one...after 20 years Play magazine goes Digital only

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