Nintendo Power rumored to be closing its doors

by Ross Miller { May 14th 2007 at 9:29PM }

Nintendo Power magazine may soon be no more. According to IGN, sources close to the publication have highlighted "massive layoffs" and that employees are being told to look for new work by September.

Gaming-centric print magazines have been on a steady decline, thanks in large part to the prominence of video game websites. Nintendo Power has been in publication since 1988 -- it's nearing its 19th anniversary in July -- making it one of the longest-running game magazine ever.

If Nintendo Power is closing down or restructuring, how will that affect Reggie's idea for turning its archives into a Wii Channel? Regardless of whether or not this rumor turns out to be true, we'll still take this time to direct you to the first-ever issue of the magazine in PDF format.

Tags: nintendo, nintendo power, NintendoPower, rumors

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Namssorg @ May 14th 2007 9:33PM

Hmmmm.. Maybe that's why I was able to get a 12 month subscription for FOUR DOLLARS.

Joseph Villalobos @ May 14th 2007 9:34PM

This is most unfortunate! :(

Matt B @ May 14th 2007 9:35PM

I imagine the decline to being 'old news' by time it hits the doorstep. I would fathom that 90% of serious gamers have access to the internets and DO get their news from gaming websites such as this. Don't feel guilty about having a small hand in this Joystiq. It's evolution and saving some trees at the same time. :)

Ryoga Vee @ May 14th 2007 9:38PM

I gave away my cop of the first issue last year.
DAMN.
http://scholarship.aionline.edu/entry.aspx?id=815

Yourself @ May 14th 2007 9:41PM

I've had a subscription for almost 10 years. This would be a real shame. While I frequent IGN, Joystiq, and a few other sites, I still really look forward to my issue every month.

Ian Von Porter @ May 14th 2007 9:42PM

Nintendo Power is irrelevant in 2007... you get up the minute 'news' on blogs like joystiq. Nintendo Power, go away!

WOOOOOOOOOOO... GO SENS GO!! 3 - 0 .. yeA!!!!!!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooo

kingofwale @ May 14th 2007 9:42PM

no surprise here.

People are just confused when they see the SAME game characters on the coverpage months after months. and thought it's the same issue

therefore, the first issue sold great, it's the next free dozens that couldn't sell at all.

well, feel sorry for whoever is getting laid off

Rubang B @ May 14th 2007 9:45PM

I still have that issue, but sadly my 5-year-old bitchass cut out a bunch of pictures and I have no idea what they are... this .PDF will finally let me discover what was removed, and then I can rest...

Keif @ May 14th 2007 9:45PM

go back under your bridge kingofwale

Rubang B @ May 14th 2007 9:46PM

kingofwale, go troll in another thread. We're mourning here.

Rubang B @ May 14th 2007 9:47PM

::sacrifices billy goat gruff to kingofwale, saves thread::

kingofwale @ May 14th 2007 9:47PM

>go back under your bridge kingofwale

was that supposed to be an insult?

You see, when I first looked at that coverpage of first ever issue, I thought "Oh, the new Paper Mario game on Wii"

Matt B @ May 14th 2007 9:49PM

LMAO @ kingofwale.

That was mean, but funny.

Gavin @ May 14th 2007 9:52PM

I always see stacks of them sitting on the shelves collecting dust, and I say to myself: "Who steal reads that crap?"

Official system magazines are for kids and morons. If you waste your time gobbeling up that propaganda, then you deserve what you get when it comes to softball 3rd party reviews and jerkoff articles that just massage the company's gnards. Really people, this has been a long time coming.

Find some other place to send your crayon drawings of Koopas to.

OhJustSomeRandomGuy @ May 14th 2007 9:55PM

Hm. No more free 9/10s for Nintendo games anymore, eh?

Rubang B @ May 14th 2007 9:58PM

Apparently kingofwale's trollness affects his sight! He can't tell the difference between paper and clay! It also says Super Mario 2 and Zelda - Second Quest on the cover. But I'm sure he just saw Mario and started frothing.

And Gavin, you're just mad because your mom put my crayon drawings of Koopas on the fridge instead of yours.

Crazylink @ May 14th 2007 10:00PM

I already know all the news, but I look forward to it every month. I hope this is just a rumor. I don't want to have to pay for new walkthroughs and player's guides when I can get them as a gift.

kokoro @ May 14th 2007 10:04PM

hmmm, I'm a troll because I happen a sense of humour? and you don't?

personal attacks are for idiots who can't come up with some witty comebacks. and your 'mom' joke? Now, I know Nintendo is targeted toward 'younger' audience, but this is just ridiculous

and yeah, I'm REALLY sorry for not noticing the "clay" and "paper" differences, and I absolutely applaud Nintendo for the fantastic evolution of games from 1988 to 2007. almost 2 decades. finally. Clays to paper.

Wow!

Keif @ May 14th 2007 10:04PM

you know, you guys should try reading these magazines before you talk shit about things you don't know.

Company specific mags are not on the payroll of that company for one. Nintendo power rated down games that deserved it, and OPM even had an article talking about psps lack of games while ds had a growing library.

but I guess having an intelligent response to this topic would require you to take your heads out of your asses.

Omar G. @ May 14th 2007 10:10PM

I thought it was great for kids. I know you can get a lot of that content online and in strategy guides now, but back in the day, their Super Mario maps were the shiz-niiiiite.

kingofwale @ May 14th 2007 10:10PM

btw kingofwale = kokoro

apparently I have differnt sns for my firefox and IE. hmmm

back to topic, I think Nintendo should just buy the company off and use it as a true propaganda machine.

Joshua @ May 14th 2007 10:13PM

I hope this isn't true. I really love getting new issues of Nintendo Power. It's so colorful and the paper and cover feel cool.

Don't forget that magazines have a lot of exclusive "tidbits" that never really proliferate onto the Internet too much, and just having a nice stack of paper to hold in your hands is something reading news on the Internet can't give you, too.

Diskoboy @ May 14th 2007 10:15PM

I still have the first 24 issues! And the SMB3 strategy guide.

I also still have my Nintendo Power Fun Club magazines, too :)

Glad I held on to those puppies!

Rubang B @ May 14th 2007 10:17PM

You do know that Super Mario Bros. 2 wasn't made out of clay, right? And putting "clay" and "paper" in quotes makes you look stupid since they are "tangible objects" and "real." Also, one is 3-D and one is "flat."

But hey, you totally got me with your "fantastic evolution of games" comment there. Nintendo's got nothing.

Anonymous (He who does not forgive) @ May 14th 2007 10:21PM

See the funny part about this is if we didn't have Joystiq, one of the outlets which is killing Nintendo Power, very few people would know about Nintendo Power's death.

Then again if we didn't have Joystiq we'd still have Nintendo Power.

YoRone22 @ May 14th 2007 10:25PM

I love Nintendo Power. :( I've been subscribing since 1st grade. I hope this isn't true because Nintendo Power has given me a lot of great memories.

Grant @ May 14th 2007 10:36PM

hm, i'm not at all surprised.

nintendo power is really great as a "My first video game magazine", but not really anything else.

i mean come on, how many pokemon strategy guides can you put in with a bunch of ads and fan art and call a magazine?

Ken @ May 14th 2007 10:39PM

ROFL,

It never fails. Something about Nintendo, and the following jackasses show up:

kingofwale
Ian Van Porter
and
Gavin

Seriously. You guys need lives. I can see you guys now:

"Nintendo Power rumored to be closing it's doors... huh..? NINTENDO!?!? *has a spaz attack* BLAHAHAHAA *posts troll propaganda* Oh shi... what have I done? Now I have to justify my existance by posting more and more!"

Seriously... Please commit suicide, and make this world a much better place. :) Thank you!

====

On topic:

I used to subscribe to this magazine when I was in Germany, when the Internet didn't exist, but since I've got the intertubes now. Paper magazines are pretty useless nowadays.

Though I do like to read them while on the John or on the Airplane.

Though I enjoy the magazine, and it's a shame that people are getting laid off... But this kind of happens. Don't they have a website anyway?

kingofwale @ May 14th 2007 10:50PM

just a slight change, because i wasn't all surprised like you said.

"Nintendo is the BESTEST EVER!?!? *has a spaz attack* BLAHAHAHAA *Nintendo love-fast*

Sounds like a place you would just looove to be in, right? ;)

see, when you read it, most of people who were 'labeled' as "trolls" are the real calm ones. It's really the fanboys who are all up and arms over absolutely nothing.

Just chill, one tiny poke at your mighty Nintendo hurts NOBODY, is there really need to bring on the "your mom" insults? *sighs*

Ken @ May 14th 2007 10:55PM

kingofwale

I don't give a shit what you think. What I'm saying is that your shit gets old. It happens in every thread.

What did Nintendo do to you? Rape you? Why you gotta post all the hate?

Is it because the Wii's on top? Seriously, I want to know.

I'm sure you weren't this anti-Nintendo until the Wii came out. But as soon as something gets popular with mainstream, people have to start hatin'.

I don't claim that Nintendo is the best EVAR; I do recognize that the combination of the Wii60 is the best route to go this generation. So I don't get your little "change". Considering what I posted was the article title. Not some made up bs.

Anonymous (He who does not forgive) @ May 14th 2007 10:57PM

Both of you shut the fuck up. Ken: Nobody cares that you want Miyamoto's cock inside you. Kingofwales: You have a very valid point in that they do use the same characters over and over and over, but you don't make fun of the pope for always spouting religious doctrine and whatnot, do you?

kilodelta @ May 14th 2007 10:57PM

Nintendo Power is one of the most biased mags out there.

Ian Von Porter @ May 14th 2007 11:01PM

Ken.. seriously, do you think NP has any place in 2007? It should just DIE... theres no need for it, when in 5 minutes you can read 10 reviews on any game for free. If they re-imagined it as an online blog/forum for NintenBots then that would be something worthwhile... but, who wants to do that.

Ken @ May 14th 2007 11:02PM

Anonymous,

Please forgive me!

Oh and if Shigeru is offerin'... I'm not declining.... Heh heh...

Alright that was wrong, sorry guys.

Ken @ May 14th 2007 11:03PM

No I don't think Nintendo Power magazine has any place in 2007. But I didn't say it did. :) It hold good memories for me, but it's just cheaper and easier to surf the web.

Brendon @ May 14th 2007 11:05PM

I'm just going to miss the freebies you get for subscribing.

kingofwale @ May 14th 2007 11:08PM

>you don't make fun of the pope for always spouting religious doctrine and whatnot, do you?
If Pope's milking them for a profit, then that's a difference story.

and frankly, they don't use the same character in everything. You don't see Jesus splitting the red-sea and conquering the Romans with Moses using the AK47 (Family Guy reference), do you? then why should we see Mario in EVERY BLOODY game (from fighting to platform to sports, to racing) since the beginning of time?

Besides, it was just a small jab, there's no need to bring in the tanks, dude.

Donald @ May 14th 2007 11:08PM

So, anyone want 170 issues of a magazine that might be dead soon? I have the tubes, I'll be fine.

Andrew Hsieh @ May 14th 2007 11:28PM

. . . well, I'll miss it.

A @ May 14th 2007 11:40PM

well, I'll miss it. i remember my first issue- the Tetris issue. I read the Batman issue until the cover came off. Howard and Nester were fantastic. And that amazing Zelda comic when the snes Zelda came out. And the great coverage of StarTropics and Final Fantasy. Without that strategy guide, I prob would never have played FF. If it's true, I'll miss you NP! (but I still have every issue I ever received :-)

The Destroyer @ May 15th 2007 12:25AM

You can talk all you want about how Nintendo Power WAS great, and it was back in the day but now it's just a terrible magazine with few pieces of real information and a lack of intelligent writing.
EDGE for example is an example of a real magazine. They have intelligent writing and interesting articles not just about games but gaming culture in general. Nintendo Power felt content to offer sub-par strategy guides and half assed reviews.
Game Informer is also a decent mag. They have a habit however of showcasing games that are at best in the pre-production phase. But they do have good opinion pieces and some decent reviews. As for company specific mags, OPM was very good but with the introduction of downloadable demos Sony didn't really see the need to keep an overly expensive mag in circulation not to mention ZD's floundering status. But more to the point OPM didn't tend to pull any punches when it came to Sony's failing PSP and rated virtually every Sony game fairly. Nintendo Power on the other hand offered very short reviews that were arguably biased and in addition they never talked about the Gamecube's lagging game support. So you see Nintendo Power is little more than a piece of nostalgia.

Cyrus @ May 15th 2007 2:26AM

It was nice to get nintendo exclusive info without having to hear about how bad everyone wants to hump halo 3...

I'll miss nintendo power if it really does go away.

samfish @ May 15th 2007 2:28AM

"see, when you read it, most of people who were 'labeled' as "trolls" are the real calm ones. It's really the fanboys who are all up and arms over absolutely nothing."

No, you half-wit. You go into EVERY thread, regardless over whether it's about Nintendo or not, and take a big steaming pile on it by taking trollish pot-shots at Nintendo.

Christ, you aren't even GOOD at trolling, either. It's akin to asking, "are we there yet" over and over and over again. Just god damn irritating.

Anyway, they ought to just make Nintendo power an eZine on the Wii if they want to stick around.
If Nintendo is talking about putting the archives up on the shop channel or whatever, I'm sure they can do something like that, too.

Next-Gen-Gamer @ May 15th 2007 2:35AM

"back to topic, I think Nintendo should just buy the company off and use it as a true propaganda machine."

Heh. Kind of like Major Nelson's blog, or those numerous blog sites that Sony tried to pass off as people from the general community.

"Just chill, one tiny poke at your mighty Nintendo hurts NOBODY, is there really need to bring on the "your mom" insults? *sighs*"

Listen, kow-kok. There's a difference between "one tiny poke" at some company, and the constant trashing of it in nearly every thread. Its not about Nintendo. Its about you, trolling in the same type of entry repeatedly. That's called "trolling", and many people have been IP-banned from these sites because of it. Which is why I'm stunned that you of all people are still here.

Seriously, Joystiq. You've banned others for less. Why is kow-kok still here?

Next-Gen-Gamer @ May 15th 2007 2:37AM

samfish

Hey, remember that time kow-kok went into that entry about the cell-phone God of War and somehow managed to bring up the Wii? That sure was funny.

Next-Gen-Gamer @ May 15th 2007 2:39AM

Edit: attacking (not trolling)

reppy @ May 15th 2007 2:50AM

They've never embraced the whole "free demo with magazine" concept, and their magazine has suffered for it.

Rubang B @ May 15th 2007 3:11AM

Hey kingofwale, if you can read, you'd notice that I didn't insult your mother. I was insulting you. The way I did this was by implying that your mother loves me more than she loves you. This is no insult to her. We get along quite nicely. I didn't even turn it into a dumb sex joke. We just hold hands and talk about Koopas.

n_revolution9 @ May 15th 2007 3:50AM

I feel kinda sad that it's goin' away, but gotta look at the bright side. Gamespot is like the only place you need to go to for codes and walkthrus. Reviews are almost pointless cuz I'm not buyin' any games right now. And I'll never have to spend what, 20 bucks from then on?

Nintendo Power - Rest In Peace my friend...
(Subscriber since 1999)