'Hardcore Gamer' magazine being sold to ... highest eBay bidder

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Jan 7th 2009 at 4:04PM }

Well, at least 1UP didn't have to endure this sort of treatment. The owner of enthusiast magazine "Hardcore Gamer" has seemingly decided to bid his hobby-turned-business adieu and ... sell it to the highest bidder on eBay. "We're very well established within the video game industry and are currently enjoying all the respect and recognition that a print magazine gets, that the thousands of gaming web sites may never get," reads the seller's description. "If you want instant establishment in the game industry, you won't find another opportunity as quick and easy to get into as this."

Interested? Well, the magazine -- distributed nationally by DoubleJump Books -- and all its associated copyrights, back issues, internet domains etc. can be yours for the starting bid of $42,000. We've contacted the magazine to confirm the listing [Update: Confirmed!] and possibly suss out a "buy it now" price. After all, what better time to invest in a gaming magazine than ...

Oh.

[Thanks, Adam]

Tags: DoubleJump-Books, eBay, Hardcore-Gamer, Rumor, Sale

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

samuraidino @ Jan 7th 2009 4:08PM

I bet theyr actually just selling that one magazine....crafty fiends..

Booxatron @ Jan 7th 2009 5:57PM

I remember hearing an account of somebody getting away with selling an XBOX BOX (yeah, just the cardboard) on Ebay for $300. The title was obviously misleading, but if you actually read the description it made it clear that it was just a box. I think it said something like "Imagine the look on your children's faces this Christmas when they open their presents and find a BRAND NEW XBOX BOX under the tree!"

GenBanks @ Jan 7th 2009 4:08PM

If they'd started the auction in December, I would have put this on my Christmas wishlist. Unlucky for them :(

player66 @ Jan 7th 2009 4:10PM

The best part of this listing? "Local Pickup"

rikki @ Jan 7th 2009 4:29PM

I dunno -- much as it may have been accurate when the auction was posted, I got more chuckles out of "You will be competing with Electronic Gaming Monthly [...]".

Duke @ Jan 7th 2009 4:32PM

Guess thats an instant victory for the buyer then.

Duke @ Jan 7th 2009 4:12PM

Imagine if one of the hardcore fanboys (you know who I'm talking about) got this magazine. It would be the perfect pulpit to pontificate from. Scary.

FOXHOUND @ Jan 7th 2009 4:33PM

...like me, for instance, LOL.

"FOXHOUND MAGAZINE. ALL METAL GEAR. ALL THE TIME.
$12.95/year for crazy expositions about genetics and insane bipedal on bipedal robot fighting. In stores now!"

Strategy_Panda (The Sandwich Poisoning Crew) @ Jan 7th 2009 5:06PM

I would be interested in reading your publication sir

J-Link @ Jan 7th 2009 5:47PM

I'm intrested in seeing how long one issue would be.

Foetoid @ Jan 7th 2009 7:44PM

Oh man. Me, Fernando and Moptimus Slime should all pitch in a buy it.

Obie @ Jan 7th 2009 4:18PM

Now YOU can own a fledgling publication and lose thousands of dollars a month. BID NOW!

AsherR @ Jan 7th 2009 4:25PM

"Support/Training: It'll be your choice to use any of our existing resources, employees, consultants, sales people, and management for the transition, or you can immediately install your own staff to take over operations as you see fit, or some combination thereof."

Wow... I wonder how the current staff feel about the way that this was put. Best of luck to the all who are currently working there...

AsherR @ Jan 7th 2009 4:26PM

*Best of luck to all

The Dark Wayne @ Jan 7th 2009 4:29PM

Can he do that?

Shagittarius @ Jan 7th 2009 4:33PM

I'm gonnna buy it then post nude centerfolds of hardcore gamers.

Apply now to be a Nerd of the Month.

Zertoss @ Jan 7th 2009 4:38PM

Subscribed!

Esat Dedezade @ Jan 7th 2009 4:48PM

This magazine sounds relevant to my interests. + 1 subscription.

Mr Khan @ Jan 7th 2009 4:34PM

A Nintendo fan should take it over, get some balanced coverage back into things

Moptimus Slime (In honor of those who fought and died during the hostile UGO attack on Fort 1UP) @ Jan 7th 2009 4:48PM

allow me to save Shag some time:

CANT YOU READ YOU n00bz? ITS CALLED HARDCORE GAMER! A NINTENDO FAN CANNOT BUY IT BECAUSE NINTENDO IS NOT TEH xXHARDCOREZXx

aaaaaaand scene!

Orion @ Jan 7th 2009 5:12PM

@Slime

I think that you just proved you're far from mature. Welcome to the land of Caplock my friend... where everyone thinks you're a dick automatically.

Unless you don't have enough money, in my personal opinion to be a fan of just one system is childish. Grow up and play some games that aren't on your system of choice.. you're missing worlds of great software out there.

Sigh.. kids.

PSN: HinchyFC @ Jan 7th 2009 5:20PM

It's called sarcasm, clearly your detector is off.

Badger_badger_badger @ Jan 7th 2009 6:24PM

@ ORion

You sir, are and idiot

Markez (Anti-Panda Death Murder Squadron) @ Jan 8th 2009 12:04AM

While occasionally I question whether my sarcasm alarm is working, clearly my idiot meter is doing pretty well. Orion, man, please, simmer down... Idiot.

Naota @ Jan 7th 2009 4:42PM

If I had the money to I would so buy that, free press passes anyone?

Mr Khan @ Jan 7th 2009 4:48PM

There is a damn good idea. E3, TGS press conferences, free access to a lot of stuff

Dr. @ Jan 7th 2009 4:48PM

So first you spend at least $42,000 to purchase it. Then you get FREE press passes? You may want to revisit the math on that one.

Naota @ Jan 7th 2009 4:56PM

Well there's also the whole "Hey I own a gaming mag that (hopefully) makes a profit!" thing going with that you know.

Doug @ Jan 7th 2009 4:45PM

Do not want to sell. Personal issues have forced this sale. I started this as a hobby and it grew beyond my wildest dreams, but now I have too many personal life issues to deal with, leaving no time for my hobby-turned-business any more. However, if it does not sell, I will continue publishing it, since I really enjoy it.

Wait, he wants to continue to sell it even though he enjoys publishing it. Hmmmm...

Balloonfighter99 @ Jan 7th 2009 4:48PM

Lets all chip in and buy it. For the gamers by the gamers. If we get 70 people together it will only be $600 each.

NukeAssault @ Jan 7th 2009 5:01PM

But who gets to keep it?

Riptor820 @ Jan 7th 2009 5:44PM

We could make it a public company and each have ownership in it through stock, if anything.

Moptimus Slime (In honor of those who fought and died during the hostile UGO attack on Fort 1UP) @ Jan 7th 2009 4:46PM

Everyone who got fired from EGM/1UP/Gamevideos should buy it, then just market it as "From the people who lived the impossible dream of making Ziff Davis money"

Burritoclock @ Jan 7th 2009 4:55PM

Not only do you get hardcoregamer.com, but you ALSO get hardcoregamersucks.com!!!!

Now THAT is a deal!

Naota @ Jan 7th 2009 4:58PM

Sounds good to me, but wouldn't there be a potential power struggle?

samfish @ Jan 7th 2009 5:11PM

Being that I work in the magazine industry, I suppose I have some insight on this.

You could easily make the $42k back on your first issue in ad revenue even if you only had about 15 advertisers (this is going by the rates our main magazine uses, which are actually probably kind of low, since it's a trade mag).

But you're looking at some pretty steep month printing costs. That's what is killing magazines more than anything else. My guess is you're looking at anywhere from $40,000-60,000 per issue, depending on paper stock, if you're planning about a 40,000 print run per issue.

And then you factor in staff costs. You'd need at least 4 writers and one designer, as well as an accountant. That's probably going to mean you need to generate at least $200,000/year.

So your total raw costs would be around $800,000/year. You could profit off of it, but just barely, if you could pull in at least $70,000 in advertising a month.

Courtney @ Jan 7th 2009 5:46PM

Yep, even a modest publication eats through money fast.

Hate to bring this up in the wake of EGM/1UP, but the better question is how much revenue does the website bring in. I can actually see a ton more buyers just wanting the copyrights/domains/online content more than a print magazine.