The Final Issue of GamePro

[E-Day]

So I have just uploaded the last cover of GamePro magazine to the cover gallery:

After 22 years and six months, GamePro as a monthly magazine is done. Sad, but not surprising. The magazine has gotten worse in my eyes, and I guess in the eyes of a lot of people since circulation is very poor.

Starting in mid-November, however GamePro Quarterly hit as a newsstand-only magazine. According to Jaz Rignall's Editor Letter, it will be a completely new GamePro. It will be a thick, glossy high quality magazine that will be 50 bigger (144 pages), and will be a larger format; "...more like a trade paperback than an old-school magazine". It will look at games and the game industry in a different way.

I had my doubts about going quarterly, but after reading the editor letter, I am genuinely intrigued by what they have planned. And even though it will cost $9.99, I will pick up the first issue of GamePro Quarterly to check it out. If I like what I see, I think I will continue picking it up. GamePro has come to the realization that magazines (at least gaming magazines) are no longer mass market items, but specialty items.

GamePro was my favourite game magazine growing up, so I am hoping they can pull this off. And hopefully they put out a good product so I can support them by buying their magazine and enjoying it.

[kbf_private_joker]

I just read about this today and am not surprised either. The magazines are about 80 pages nowadays and the content feels more and more like a webpage and less like a magazine.

Any ideas if they plan on going digital, like EGM? I recently picked up a TouchPad and am thoroughly enjoying reading magazines on it

[E-Day]

From the Editor's letter, it sounds like they are concentrating on it being print only, since they will be using heavier glossy paper and a larger format. And since it will be newsstand only, that is another reason I don't think they will make it digital.

I am not surprised by the move either, just very disappointed. After seeing the circulation numbers last year, and seeing they were a mere 95,000, I knew something had to be done. But I was thinking more along the lines of a monthly magazine that targeted a different audience than everyone else. Right now, including GamePro, there are what, 6 or so magazines all targeting the same audience? I figured GamePro would do better targeting new gamers, or younger gamers. Traditional gamers mainly get their info from the web these days except for a handful that have subscriptions because they got a deal, or just like getting magazines. Targeting a different audience might have gotten GamePro better circulation.

Mind you, they are targeting a different audience with their quarterly magazine, though it seems to be an even smaller niche group than before. Hopefully they can make it. GamePro was my favourite in the 90s , at least until they changed a lot of the magazine in 1996 - including the rating faces. And from what was described in the Editor's letter, I am very curious to see what they've come up with. Initially I was writing off paying $10 for their magazine, but now I am thinking I would be fine with that if the content is worth it.

Now that the main run has ended for the magazine, the question is whether or not I want to try and collect all 266 issues. If I do, I will regret sending the more recent ones I had to Junaz many months back!

[kbf_private_joker]

Since the run is over, what are your thoughts on opening up scanning to include all issues? Also, I have 95% of the issues from 2000 on up, so if you need a large chunk, we might be able to work out something

[E-Day]

I'll have to see what they put into the quarterly issues. If they have retro stuff from the old magazines, then I would still have the cutoff at December 1999. Otherwise we might be able to go to the end of 2002, or whatever the other cut off is.

[E-Day]

So the new quarterly issue of GamePro is apparently on newsstands. I haven't seen it yet (haven't had a chance to look), but GamePro gave a sneak peak of the sover and Table of Contents page on their site.

Looking at the cover, the "148 Epic Pages of Win" is already a huge turn off. I pick up magazines to get away from that juvenile, stupid, Internet lingo. The last thing I want to see is that kind of jibberish on the cover of a magazine. I am just hoping the rest of the magazine isn't a disappointment like that.

Has anyone picked it up yet?

[Gnash]

Good bye GamePro, it was a long run

[E-Day]

I picked up the issue today. It's pretty thick by today's standards, but also pretty pricey at $9.99. I haven't had a change to look at any of it yet, but when I do, I'll report back here. Hopefully I will be pleasantly surprised.

[BarbieOnWeed]

GamePro was my favourite game magazine growing up, so I am hoping they can pull this off.

Same here.

I remember picking up most of the issues in the 90s,

for 13 dollar each issue. Game Player and 2 other mags

was some mags I to used to get.

There was a place that imported mags from Uk and USA

to Sweden. I miss those days. :(

[E-Day]

Well, after reading through the first issue of GamePro Quarterly, my opinion is "ho-hum". I didn't find any of the articles particularly interesting except the Final Fantasy Primer, and none of them were all that in-depth. Game Informer's article about Ubisoft in their November issue was far more in-depth than anything in this quarterly issue. A lot of the articles were mediocre, and some were just plain silly. The original artwork that is used throughout the magazine seem rather kiddie and very basic; it's all very flat. There is also nothing special about the layout or design. It's pretty much like the old monthly magazine, and a far far cry from Hardcore Gamer and the old issues of Gamefan. Actually, it's a far cry from all the old magazines. I was expecting something more pleasing to the eye since they would have more time to put each issue together.

I don't know if I would recommend anyone spending $10 on GamePro Quarterly, at least this issue. I think the only reason I would is because I don't want to see GamePro as a magazine disappear. But as for content, there is nothing memorable in it, unfortunately. I hope that it's simply a case of growing pains with the new format, and that they lose all the lame internet slang and lingo as well.

[kbf_private_joker]

I've been so busy over the last few with my new baby that I didn't even realize that GamePro never sent me an October 2011 issue. I'm a little bummed about this because it's the last monthly issue, but I'm not sure there is anyone I can complain to. I've read on the web about other people having their subscription cancelled and converted into a PC Gamer subscription. I'm sure glad my subscription was until Jan 2012 and not October 2012.

[E-Day]

You should have received that issue since it was the last one. I still see it on some magazine racks, so you might still be able to grab it. And I've read that subscriptions were moved over to PC World, since that is also published by IDG.

Congrats on the new baby, by the way