Official Xbox Magazine

Official Xbox Magazine (usually abbreviated to OXM) is a monthly magazine devoted entirely to Microsoft's Xbox systems, including games and accessories. In America it's the only Xbox magazine in existence, having outlived Ziff Davis's XBN, and like Official US PlayStation Magazine, its main sell is the disc of game demos and video that comes with each issue.

Future Publishing has the rights to publish OXM worldwide (except Japan) until the end of 2011. Local editions have been released in the UK (where it's now called Xbox 360: The Official Magazine), France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Australia, Portugal, and Taiwan.

History

Unlike Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine, OXM launched alongside the Xbox's American release in November 2001, with a special preview edition that included a buyer's guide to the entire launch lineup. The "official" premiere issue came a month later. The magazine was originally printed in a "wide" format, similar to OPM and Future's Official Sega Dreamcast Magazine, but this was dropped in October 2002 for a more regular page format.

The magazine's sales fortunes have often relied on the contents of its pack-in demo disc. This is arguably more the case for OXM than OPM, since OPM's editorial slant has (until recently) been more casually oriented than OXM's coverage.

OXM's average paid circulation for the six-month period ending June 2006 was 425,243, placing it far ahead of OPM despite the Xbox's smaller userbase.