Jump to content
Awoo.

PSM/Official Playstation Magazine Has Been Cancelled


Badnik Mechanic

Recommended Posts

Following on from the cancellation of Nintendo Power. Future US has confirmed today that it will end publication of the Official Playstation Magazine.

Now... chances are you might have fond memories of this magazine but don't remember it. Unlike Nintendo Power, this one has had a lot of rebranding and image changes over the years, including several owners and name changes.

To jog your memories, here is what the magazine used to look like.

PSM-Issue-1.jpg

Originally published in 1997, PSM would often use cartoon/comissioned artworks for their covers instead of the typical screenshots that other magazines at the time used. The covers were eye catching and helped give the magazine a unique identity from all the other publications at the time. Remember the early 2000's had an explosion of videogame magazines trying to cash in over the success of the Playstation/Playstation 2.

In December 2007, things changed. Sony announced that PSM would become the official playstation magazine and Future publishing would be responsible for it... Whilst some of the original team remained, the magazine took a more mainstream approach, no more cartoon covers. =(

And after 15 years, Future publishing USA have today announced that this holiday will be the final issue. However it's not clear if it'll be a look back or a standard issue. Given the history of this, I'd so love them to do a look back, especially considering some of the covers for PSM were so good, not to mention the layout of the magazine, I have one issue that looked at the cancelled game Thrill Kill (back when it looked like it was coming out), it was such an amazing article the way they laid out all the information and their use of graphics.

psm01.jpg

563px-SH1_PSM_Cover_1.jpg

Side note: The UK has a magazine called PSM3 which is the UK branch of this magazine... it has shit covers.

Source

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Now, how long until OXM stops publishing too?

EDIT: dammit luigi ninja'd me

Edited by Blue Wisp
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I got PSM for several years (from 2001 up until about a year before Sony severed ties with Ziff-Davis and transferred the Official Playstation Magazine name over to Future). It was never... shall we say, the most quality magazine from a journalism perspective (and I actually did prefer the Ziff-Davis OPM more since it was so closely tied with EGM at the time), but it was entertaining as hell to read.

Though, on the other hand, most of the staff that made it that way left when it ironically went from "100% Independent" to "100% Sony-backed," so I suppose it's not that big of a loss to me.

So what does that leave from the old mainstays still? Gamepro is gone. EGM is still around, Game Informer is still around... anyone else? What's the situation across the pond?

Edited by Tornado
Link to comment
Share on other sites

With Hogfather as the topic starter, I came into this topic thinking you meant PSM3 and the UK Official PlayStation Magazine. Still, this sucks for US readers.

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My story with the official Playstation magazine started with this:

AtKCn.jpg

There is a store near me that had the Portuguese PS magazine and imported the UK one. The Portuguese version was cancelled last year and I started buying the UK one even though it was way more expensive.

Pretty sad to see this one dying... I'm gonna miss those exclusive demos.

Edited by Tmsp
  • Thumbs Up 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

So what does that leave from the old mainstays still? Gamepro is gone. EGM is still around, Game Informer is still around... anyone else? What's the situation across the pond?

I don't think this one has an outlet in the US... But GamesMaster is still going. GamesMaster is probably the longest running in the UK (though I'm sure technically when you look at who owns the rights and what magazine changed/altered to become what it is today you could argue something else.) It's been around since 1993, despite rebranding a few times, it's still Games Master in name.

And of course... there is also this...

The day GamesMaster is no longer a paper publication, thats it, thats the day videogame magazines are dead.

And when am I going to be taken to an oil rig somewhere out at sea to prove I'm the best at Sonic to Patrick Moore's head?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So what does that leave from the old mainstays still? Gamepro is gone. EGM is still around, Game Informer is still around... anyone else? What's the situation across the pond?

Alive:

OXM UK

OPM UK

ONM UK

GamesMaster

Edge

Games TM

Retro Gamer

X360

Xbox World

360 Gamer

PSM3

Play

Cancelled:

Nintendo Gamer (used to be NGamer)

I think their might be one other unofficial PlayStation magazine alive, too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Doesn't surprise me. I mean we get everything on the internet anymore, and with how the internet works, it seems like new news gets old within a day, so having a monthly magazine of news and reviews is just getting old fashioned. I wouldn't be surprised if most all the major magazines canceled by 2015, or at least switched to online magazines (I think Game Informer already does this).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Can they pull the plug on Game Informer next?

Pretty please?

I wish, first get rid of Gamestop's revenue.

Doesn't surprise me. I mean we get everything on the internet anymore, and with how the internet works, it seems like new news gets old within a day, so having a monthly magazine of news and reviews is just getting old fashioned. I wouldn't be surprised if most all the major magazines canceled by 2015, or at least switched to online magazines (I think Game Informer already does this).

Yes Game Informer is online as well.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I loathe to see things like this die. I don't know how the field looks in the US but I imagine it's pretty similar to here. So here's my largely irrelevant perspective.

Sadly, most will get their gaming news from online outlets these days and even though I still sub to GamesMaster (Since the start with some small breaks), beyond "exclusives" and the review content there is very little I don't already know when I flick through the pages. They've actually started doing classic features in the back which are enjoyable little excursions but with a console each issue, it has all too obviously finite longevity.

Honestly, over here, I find the cancellation of a print version of The Dandy and what the Beano has had to become to survive more of a travesty (As seen on CBBC indeed...). Kids just don't want to read anymore and that really upsets me as a writer. Granted, it's causative of some of the problems in itself and there's a whole generation of children now that just don't appreciate a well-written review (I'm not talking about lol8.8 or whatever) and would rather flock to youtube to see someone rabbit about their lives over gameplay of people being shot (There's a difference) and label it a "review" once it's uploaded.

Note here that I'm not applying blanket criticism. Humour reviews (both text and video) and Let's Plays (creatively bankrupt as these CAN be) work fine as they are but legitimate and impartial reviews they are not. These will always be entertainment first and to the consumer, largely free. This is another reason. Why pay for something you can get online for free?

Beyond Super Play > N64 > NGC etc I never really cared much for the single format mags as they usually fell into the pit of getting cheap laughs out of the competition which I never found appealing (Greystation and Greystation Poo were legitimately used in our official Nintendo mag at the approximate rate of a Gatling gun). Yes, the example did it too from time-to-time but they would joke about everything.

Edge is rather brilliant too but it caters towards a completely different market from the other's mentioned.

...but yeah, I'm probably just being a "nostalgiafag" and talking shite.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is this only the US version, not the UK one?

Wouldn't surprise me if the UK went down too, £6 a month for an out of date paper internet with demos you can download for free anyway. Also, they seem to put the same demos on the disc every month.

The mag was awesome back in the ps2 days, I didn't have the net, or at least had limited access so the mag was my bible. I bought it every month and the info was awesome, there was also no other way to get demos and they used to cram the demo discs full with making of videos, cheats, japanese adverts for games. All sorts of cool stuff.

Edge is still good cause it goes more along the line of arty games that don't always get a lot of coverage. At times it's almost a design mag. The OPS3 just isn't a useful format anymore.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My story with the official Playstation magazine started with this:

There is a store near me that had the Portuguese PS magazine and imported the UK one. The Portuguese version was cancelled last year and I started buying the UK one even though it was way more expensive.

Pretty sad to see this one dying... I'm gonna miss those exclusive demos.

Oh my god haha! I forgot all about that cover! What game were they advertising with that??
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh my god haha! I forgot all about that cover! What game were they advertising with that??

Sonic Unleashed. The game hadn't long been announced and they had a big preview. But since SEGA weren't showing anything of the PS2 and Wii version, they had to use screens of the PS3 and Xbox 360 version.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Xbox World and PSM3 are the latest casualties.

http://t.co/KaqUoeH2

So, so far, that's:

Nintendo Power

Nintendo Gamer

Official PlayStation Magazine (US)

Xbox World

PSM3

Could we merge this thread with the Nintendo Power one and change the title to make a topic for all gaming magazine deaths?

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

You must read and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy to continue using this website. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.