Official: UGO buys 1UP, EGM dead [update]
by Randy Nelson 
{ Jan 6th 2009 at 7:25PM }
Within hours of our earlier post regarding 1UP's reported sale to the Hearst-owned UGO network, the deal was confirmed in individual press releases from both entities. Additionally, Ziff-Davis has made official the closure of EGM after nearly 20 years of publication. It's January issue -- currently on sale -- will be its last.
1UP editorial director, Sam Kennedy, is quoted in the release, saying that the site's staff is "extremely excited to join the UGO team." UGO's release states that 1UP.com will operate as a separate entity and implies that its current staff will remain in place. The sale to Hearst also includes GameVideos.com, MyCheats.com and GameTab.com.
The shuttering of EGM -- the oldest multi-platform games magazine in the US -- leaves GamePro and Game Informer as the last bastions of what, with today's news, continues to be the dying breed of print media.
Update: There's not much in the way of new info, but Gamasutra got their mitts on an internal email from Ziff CEO Jason Young, who tells the staff that "more scale is necessary to effectively compete in this market segment." So UGO's planning to keep growing 1UP? Then why kill off the 1UP Show and layoff 30+ people? One other note: Ziff "will continue to operate the Filefront business as a part of the PCMag Digital Network." More as we hear it.
Source – Ziff-Davis press release
Source – UGO press release
1UP editorial director, Sam Kennedy, is quoted in the release, saying that the site's staff is "extremely excited to join the UGO team." UGO's release states that 1UP.com will operate as a separate entity and implies that its current staff will remain in place. The sale to Hearst also includes GameVideos.com, MyCheats.com and GameTab.com.
The shuttering of EGM -- the oldest multi-platform games magazine in the US -- leaves GamePro and Game Informer as the last bastions of what, with today's news, continues to be the dying breed of print media.
Update: There's not much in the way of new info, but Gamasutra got their mitts on an internal email from Ziff CEO Jason Young, who tells the staff that "more scale is necessary to effectively compete in this market segment." So UGO's planning to keep growing 1UP? Then why kill off the 1UP Show and layoff 30+ people? One other note: Ziff "will continue to operate the Filefront business as a part of the PCMag Digital Network." More as we hear it.
Source – Ziff-Davis press release
Source – UGO press release
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Sora @ Jan 6th 2009 7:31PM
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!
ice~ @ Jan 6th 2009 7:45PM
WWHHHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY???????????????????????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
EgoCheck616 @ Jan 6th 2009 7:33PM
Good riddance to print media
Kizzle @ Jan 7th 2009 10:07AM
Correction - good riddance to EGM. Print media is great. EGM, however, has been a joke since around the time of the PS2/XBox/GC era, when they made the transition from doing occasional journalism to putting more effort into being "funny" and coming up with stupid responses for their letter column. At this point we're lucky if they gave us 3 or 4 worthwhile articles a year.
Now, that said - it's terrible that a magazine that embedded in the culture doesn't get a farewell issue. They don't even get a fucking ending. That's sad. First EGM I ever bought was #12 and I stuck with it for many years after. It was a fantastic magazine in the 90's and the "telephone-book" sized issues we'd get around the holidays ruled.
Kokomadeta @ Jan 7th 2009 4:39PM
Agreed, Kizzle. EGM sucks these days and has for a while. The only thing I'll miss is the April Fools pranks. Otherwise, the Sony production known as GameInformer has surprisingly better journalistic qualities. Oh, did I say Sony? I meant "GameStop".
I actually cancelled my subscription to EGM early 2008 but the issues keep on coming. I had better get a pro-rated amount back to my card for this.
OMGOMG @ Jan 6th 2009 7:34PM
Man, this sucks. EGM was one of the few actual game magazines with, you know, JOURNALISTIC INTEGRITY.
And Game Informer is still around?
Fuck this.
Wiinterfang @ Jan 6th 2009 7:52PM
Not only their are still around but since they reported EGM problems they have this "NUMBER ONE MAGAZINE IN THE WORLD" type of thing below their logo...Pisses me off.
NoHitHair @ Jan 7th 2009 5:59AM
Game Informer is the antithesis of gaming. They are a congregation of corporate spokespeople hiding beneath pandering masks of spineless yes-men.
EGM will be missed.
Skor @ Jan 6th 2009 7:36PM
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
At least I got my January issue. I wonder if I'll be compensated at all for my remaining subscription months. I'm glad I saved my copies. February 07 through January 09.
Erik Stroud @ Jan 6th 2009 8:40PM
I hope I get compensated, I still have 19 months left. :( I wish it wasn't going away.
Brian B. @ Jan 6th 2009 7:35PM
1Up Show producer Ryan O'Donnell was laid off today according to his twitter 5 minutes ago: http://twitter.com/ryanodonnell
Hope that doesn't mean the end of the show, though this is a very bad sign.
shane86 @ Jan 6th 2009 7:41PM
holy shit I just saw that and came on here to express my shock, this sucks major balls. Hopefully they'll do what Jeff & Ryan did.
Donald @ Jan 6th 2009 8:14PM
(rumor) Most of the 1Up Show staff is gone. (/end rumor)
Guensey @ Jan 6th 2009 8:17PM
The 1up boards have a list of ppl who have been laid off...let's hope it's just a rumor
http://boards.1up.com/zd/board/message?board.id=games&thread.id=981770
BananaBoat @ Jan 7th 2009 4:23AM
This sucks ass. Basically all UGO wanted was the website and the traffic that comes to it. They didn't care one bit about the loyal fans of the site, or of the 1up show. I'll never visit 1up.com or egm.com again, and you can bet that I'll be demanding a refund for the price of my subscription.
fakejefferson @ Jan 6th 2009 7:36PM
In a way this is upsetting, but recently EGM has just had so much advertising and so little gaming journalism that I stopped buying it. I still read 1up though, and its awesome that it'll be a separate entity.
Roofie @ Jan 6th 2009 7:36PM
I actually still subscribe to EGM even though I get all of my news ahead of time on the internet through blogs (who could have guessed?). Why do I still subscribe? There's something great about having an actual print magazine in my hands. Whether it's on the toilet, in the breakroom at work, or wherever it may be, it's nice to have a physical piece of current news on gaming that I can read when there's no computer around. EGM had a definitive voice that was original, and great to read.
This seriously pisses me off. I left Game Informer years ago because it was nothing compared to EGM, and this is a really sad day for all of gaming.
I guess I'm really bummed out about not having anything to read on the toilet.
Trickob @ Jan 6th 2009 7:54PM
My thoughts exactly. What the hell am I suppose to read on the toilet now?!
RIP EGM
Nytemare @ Jan 6th 2009 8:45PM
You could always go with the specific gaming Mags.
That's what I'm going to do now, OXM, PSM, and...whatever the nintendo one is...
Aticus @ Jan 6th 2009 8:47PM
Get a Blackberry then. Internet on the go. Read up on Joystiq anywhere you want.
Wiinterfang @ Jan 6th 2009 9:08PM
Expensive cellphones and toilets only means disaster.
JJ Rooster @ Jan 7th 2009 1:18AM
I subscribed for years too, but thankfully I heard about this possibly sell-off 2 months ago and knew better than to renew my subscription which just ended.
EGM was great, so now I just have OXM for the crapper.
Akravator @ Jan 6th 2009 7:38PM
1up show is dead in its current form.
"No longer has a job. Neither does most of Gamevideos. No more 1UP Show. Thank you, all of you, for the run!"
As per Matt Chandronait's twitter feed. . .
Very sad, very unfortunate. I hope those involved bounce back. Also, Luke Smith on NeoGAF forums said approx 30 people will be laid off =( Thats HUGE
Deck @ Jan 6th 2009 7:43PM
I don't care who owns who. Don't really care about EGM stopping publishing. Its time anyway, considering where media is going. (Online)
But people losing their jobs at 1UP? That sucks and is really dissapointing. I like 1UP, the only "big business" game news organization that I get information from really. So seeing people go, especially those from the 1UP Show is really sad. This is a sad day.
DukeFett @ Jan 6th 2009 7:43PM
wow that sucks, 20 years and frigging gamepro is still being published.
Roofie @ Jan 6th 2009 8:03PM
Yeah, Gamepro is like a box of Andes mints filled with shit.
Paulmichael @ Jan 6th 2009 7:44PM
Man, and I just re-subscribed for 3 years...Good thing I opted for a payment plan as they haven't gotten all of the $30something it would have cost. That sucks though, I've been a subscriber to them since 2001, and I've kept pretty much all of the issues. They were always at least 200 pages back then...
Xen @ Jan 6th 2009 7:47PM
You guys might want to check your Google AdSense on the feed version of this article. Advertising a 90-Day Money back Guarantee on a new Subscription to EGM is kind of tacky given the nature of the article.
Brian B. @ Jan 6th 2009 7:48PM
You have no control over Adsense, it's context sensitive.
Grant @ Jan 6th 2009 9:02PM
Joystiq has ads?
Shit, never woulda known, guess i can thank ABP for that one.
Wiinterfang @ Jan 6th 2009 7:49PM
Good Buy my sweet prince =(.
NERV @ Jan 6th 2009 7:51PM
This really fukin sux. I hope UGO ends up crashing those assholes. I'm definitely boycotting their shit
gfunk21 @ Jan 6th 2009 7:53PM
eh, i always liked EGM2 better
time @ Jan 6th 2009 7:52PM
Well, I guess I'm done getting free copies of EGM. :P
Karen @ Jan 6th 2009 7:54PM
Thank you for the many years of a great Magazine. I really hope the podcasts don't get canceled also.
My sympathy to everyone who lost their jobs today.
starsforeyes(XBL) @ Jan 6th 2009 7:57PM
That sucks, it's the only kind of mail I enjoy getting.
Sooooooo do I get a refund on my subscription?
ice~ @ Jan 6th 2009 7:58PM
down with Game Informer!!!!!!!!!!!!!
bmetch @ Jan 6th 2009 7:59PM
good riddance to the 1UP show being cancelled, who wants to listen to a bunch of fat bearded know-it-all dorks (and that one skinny one w/ the beard, THE MOST ANNYONING OF THEM ALL) jibber jabber about video games on a podcast, i can see that anytime i go into a gamestop.
Moptimus Slime @ Jan 6th 2009 8:27PM
you willing go to GameStop on a weekly basis and stand around listening to people talk for at least a hour?
You Fail It! Your Skill is not Enough, See You Next Time, Bye-Bye!
bmetch @ Jan 7th 2009 11:50AM
@moptimus slime
obviously you "fail", at life, since you couldn't see the sarcasm there.. why would ANYONE want to go to gamestop to listen to fat beards talk games? oh wait, you would, because you are a loser. sorry about that.
dantebk @ Jan 6th 2009 7:59PM
That's too bad, I grew up reading EGM. It's a shame EGM is leaving us, but to be fair I no longer read it so I guess I'm part of the problem.
Not sure why so many are using this story thread as an opportunity to bash Game Informer. Last year I decided to subscribe to a game magazine, and after looking through each one at Borders, I went with Game Informer. I'm very happy with it.
The Dark Wayne @ Jan 6th 2009 7:59PM
Wow, that sucks, but shit like OXM and GI is still going strong? That's awful
Chris @ Jan 6th 2009 8:04PM
This sucks! I still want print!
OTAM @ Jan 6th 2009 8:06PM
EGM2 was the shizzle.
OTAM @ Jan 6th 2009 8:07PM
You're so right OTAM!
Moptimus Slime @ Jan 6th 2009 8:15PM
This....this cant be happening.
Jay Fresh? Matt Chandronait? RYAN FUCKING O' DONNELL?!?!?
What is the point of keeping GameVideos.com without them?
And god help you if you fire Ryan Scott, I'll.....I'll...
*breaks out in tears*
DAMN YOU UGO, DAMN YOU TO HELL!
Alexisonfire @ Jan 6th 2009 8:16PM
A great piece of video game culture has died today...
Not a day I would like to have seen.
Dr Jeckyl and Mr ESC. @ Jan 6th 2009 8:19PM
I'm going to miss their April Fool jokes.
Donald @ Jan 6th 2009 8:22PM
I wish Youtube wasn't blocked here, a video of Taps seems appropriate right now.
*salutes*
tmacairjordan87 @ Jan 6th 2009 8:24PM
Well I certainly wont' miss EGM in its current format (issues thinner than an Olson twin, shitty cover stories like Wolverine) but given the history of it it's definitely sad.
I'm more concerned about who gets to stay. I'm really hoping Shane and Garnett get to stay and continue doing the 1up yours podcast, as that's by far my favorite part of the site.