1UP's Kennedy: Gaming Industry Let EGM Die

[Emabulator]

Stephen Totilo from MTV Multiplayer spoke with (http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2009/01/09/kennedy-gaming-industry-let-egm-die/) 1UP's editorial director, Sam Kennedy, after the UGO purchase news broke. Sam wants to make it clear a lack of advertising purchases by the gaming industry lead to the Demise of EGM and reiterated that UGO is not to blame (http://www.evilavatar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73971).

Kennedy, who kept his job in the purchase, cautioned me not to conclude that the UGO deal was the cause of EGM’s demise. He argues that EGM — which was under his purview until UGO purchased 1UP — was already on shaky ground because video game industry just wasn’t advertising in the magazine with the fervor it used to.

“The games industry didn’t support it,” Kennedy said during our half-hour phone conversation. “The same companies begging for a cover of EGM — and [that] would love it when they got an article in it — were the same companies pulling advertising from the magazines.” Thanks, Voodoo Extreme (http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/news/43927/The-Gaming-Industry-Let-EGM-Die).

[Johan]

Advertising in a magazine or newspaper just isn't as cost-effective as other methods of reaching consumers. Newspapers are facing the same trouble. It's not a "gaming industry" exclusive; print is expensive, and it's dying.

[AversionFX]

Boohoo. Print media is on its way out, as Johan already got out of the way early. I imagine the vast majority of the gaming public who subscribed to the magazine in the first place are already reading similar if not better (earlier) coverage of the same topics.

[thehardac]

Dude should shut his whining and realize EGM was a part of a dying media. No one is gonna sink their money into a dying media when there are other high traffic, high reader spots out there. Sour grapes dude. How about EGM put out a better product than a shit mag with month old news and screens, if not older. We live in an online world and EGM is just another casualty.

[Evil Avatar]

It isn't just print media... you have to remember that 1Up was mostly an online entity and UGO closed down about 90% of the company when they took over. Publishers aren't out there spending as much money online either.

You have to love the attitude of these big publishers... they don't want to spend the money to advertise their titles in print or online, but they are happy to piss and moan when BBB (triple B) titles like Tomb Raider or Mirror's Edge do poor sales.

If you wanted to let people know about those titles... you might have considered doing a little advertising to let people know they were out there.

What most publishers think of advertising right now is releasing little free video trailers to all the online sites. That is great for people who visit Gametrailers, but it does jack and shit to reach people who might never have heard of that page.

[Blog]

I've worked in print media for 15 years, and it's definitely going downhill. Not just any old print, mind you, but a daily newspaper. The only thing keeping us afloat at the moment is commercial print jobs. That is, folks who have something they want in print and can't afford to but their own printing press. It's a grueling industry and I'm thankful every day that I'm not a salesperson.

Of course, I'd be even more grateful if I didn't have to work with the salespeople every day...

[kwolf]

It's a bit like a fark headline to me ... "gaming magazine closes, in other news: there are still gaming magazines." I'm shocked there are any game magazines at all. I mean, who the hell is going to go out and buy (much less subscribe to) one of these things? Like I need to pay $6.00 for "HALO3 Tips and Tricks! Exclusive interview with Balmer's dog!"

[Chimpbot]

It's a bit like a fark headline to me ... "gaming magazine closes, in other news: there are still gaming magazines." I'm shocked there are any game magazines at all. I mean, who the hell is going to go out and buy (much less subscribe to) one of these things? Like I need to pay $6.00 for "HALO3 Tips and Tricks! Exclusive interview with Balmer's dog!"

I enjoyed my EGM subscription; I hadn't bothered changing the mailing address, so it still went to my folk's house(which I used as my mailing address when I still lived in the same town...I didn't trust having packages left by the mailboxes in my old apartment building). When I head up north for a vist, there's usually a new issue waiting for me to flip through during the evening. I'd always check out the reviews and the Q-Man...and there's always be a tidbit or three that I hadn't heard about yet. The Splatterhouse remake, for example, is something I could have very easily missed if it wasn't slapped on the cover of EGM one month last year. I also wouldn't have bothered looking into the new Wolverine game if it wasn't a coverstory, either. Turns out, that's looking like a badass game I may have ignored entirely if it wasn't for EGM's exposure.

I, for one, am going to miss EGM.

[Zeal]

this is happening all over the place. it isn't because the game industry let egm die, it's because print is dying, period. we are in a transitional phase where print media has become completely obsolete, especially considering people get their news as in happens online, now. and soon enough, mark my words, the internet will be the death of television, too.

[Zeal]

man i can't even edit my post now if i make a typo. so annoying.

[Chaos Machine]

I stopped reading gaming magazines when PCXL(PC Accelerator) died. There lambasting of shitting games was the stuff of legend.

[Fonz]

Here's the thing guys, Most gaming websites are visited by gamers("DUH!" I know), but gamers who go to these websites usually have an aligned themselves to a certain console, make pre-mature opinions on games from 30 second commercials ie: (God of War trailer on spike awards, we all know everyone on this site was posting their decisions on the game already.) but they also make informed decisions on game purchases. Advertisers know this, the only reason to advertise on a gaming website is to remind the people who are already determined to buy the game to go out on buy it on day 1.

So why spend on gaming websites? They don't, they'd rather hit mass media websites, like Maxum, perfect 10, Espn etc. Same thing with mainstream mediums like TV and Radio. Gaming has gotten pretty mainstream, and its the mainstream who are most susceptible to advertisements, gamers not so much, they do influence but do not follow. Most advertisement agencies know this , its their job to know their target, its their ability to recognize that and act appropriately. This is why gaming websites are losing advertising.

Why advertise on the 1up show God of War 3 when most of that audience has already decided if they're going to buy that game or not. Instead target a more mainstream audience on Monday Night Football(Like the HALO 3 ads) which generates a buzz among people who don't follow gaming closely.

Notice how I never mention marketing on this, because they are two separate entities, Marketing is a grander scope of strategy, while advertising is tactical procedure to making decisions based on the strategies of your marketing objectives. Marketing can still be used towards gamers on gaming websites with Press releases, PR(Major Nelson), Home, Playstation Blog and game trailers releases. You save advertising dollars this way and you make gamers believe they are not being marketed to. Because gamers hate being marketed to, we all do.

Anyways, thats my 2 cents, I'm sure there will be big disagreements with me, but I know advertisers and marketers in the industry that follow these general philosophies.

[Your Good Twin]

EGM was the only mag I subscribed to and that was only cause I wanted to support 1UP's podcasts in some way, figured that was a good one. Magazines are outmoded.

[blackzc]

I say this everything this comes up but ill say it again in case someone in power is reading. Im sick of jaded editors throwing in negative witty banter about something that's supposed to be fun. Let fat unhappy nerds on message boards cover that end of the spectrum. VIDEO GAMES ARE FUN!!...right?...


I loved EGM will about 2000, right about the time games (grew up)and gamers became a race instead of something you did. I guess gamepro does ok but they are for some reason a joke to most people. But they are still alive so maybe they are on to something.

[MojoJojo]

It's a bit like a fark headline to me ... "gaming magazine closes, in other news: there are still gaming magazines." I'm shocked there are any game magazines at all. I mean, who the hell is going to go out and buy (much less subscribe to) one of these things? Like I need to pay $6.00 for "HALO3 Tips and Tricks! Exclusive interview with Balmer's dog!"
I'm surprised there are still magazines.

I only buy magazines for two reasons: toilet entertainment and airplane entertainment. I'm too lazy to lug a notebook into the bathroom, and I'm not old enough to take mega-craps that last a chapter.

Airplane wi-fi just isn't there and when it will be, it will likely be too expensive, and battery life on notebooks is stil abysmal and airplanes still aren't equipped with AC outlets.

Granted, I realize I am not the only human being in existance, and I know others have different needs, but I've gotten over the nostalgia of feeling paper in my hands.

[Johan]

I'm not old enough to take mega-craps that last a chapter.

Read shorter books, or eat less fiber. ;)