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Ziff is selling 1UP and EGM
Tasty Chaos
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Here.
It's an irritatingly written blog post, but the info's there.
So, thoughts?
that site wrote:While we've had our fun lampooning the periodically craptacular views of EGM and 1UP, it's strange to learn that the parent company Ziff Davis has them on the chopping block at mercy of the highest bidder. It seems we have less and less people to make fun of every day. (Sad panda!) So why the pink slip? GameSetWatch has thoughtfully noted that despite its $9 million in revenues, the company's gaming division is sinking like the Titanic from a half a million dollar leak (I dug through their garbage -- the money goes towards little squishy rubber balls at gaming events). Notable from the article:some other site wrote:... it appears that active sale attempts for the Ziff Game Group are in progress, with PaidContent commenting just last week: "It has been tough going for the tech publisher, with the print books sucking blood out of the company. Lehman is pushing the digital assets of the two divisions [including the Game Group], according to our sources. "(1UP isn't split out from the other properties in the Game Group in Ziff's financials, but the most recent results revealed a loss of $0.5 million for the quarter on revenues of $9 million for the entire Game Group - admittedly not in the Xmas quarter, which will probably do much better for them ...
We're surprised in the same way that you feel when you see purple mold on month-old Chinese food in your refrigerator. The writing has been on the wall -- it's a well publicized fact that magazines are dying a slow death. Who wants to read old gaming news? Not me. If it wasn't for the excellent witty banter of Jeremy Parish and those other veterans I'd have long cancelled my subscription. Whatever happens, they can keep doing their thing. Nah, who am I kidding? Die autobots, die!
So who's going to buy them and how soon? We don't know. If the Iraqis don't trade oil for it, we can only presume a media giant like AOL or maybe one of those half-hearted cable companies with gaming sites will want it. Either way, brace yourself for lameness and an onslaught of half true press releases from those that made it out alive. Elsewhere, the devil was seen tapdancing at GameSpot to the tune of cracked Johnny Cash records.
It's an irritatingly written blog post, but the info's there.
So, thoughts?
For Sale: Lots of games
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Probably not, it's a common mistake. Basically what happened is what is in the title.
Plus he said it was irritatingly written, I wouldn't whore my stuff then say it sucks.
Did a quick search, found it to be interesting enough to post, and not yet posted.
I, personally, don't have enough of a definitive stance on what I think about it to establish a decent opinion, hence the lack of one.
So, rock on, Pika is cool people.
I don't click links, and would like to know what's going on. But I guess I got enough info from the thread title.
So... I have never read 1up or any of there items, except the live PS3 launch, if that was them. EGM, I peruse and buy the occasional magazine. They aren't needed anymore though, with the advent of the internet.
edit: i did check post histories. I still want a good OP, though.
Ziff probably wants their quarterly report to look good, so they're just going to let someone else take on the burden of EGM/1up for now.
edit: yup, that is a crappy blog post. At least I know some numbers now. Not much to say. I hope whoever buys them doesn't kill them off. That's all.
The thing is, I don't see EGM or 1up changing for the better anytime soon like other magazines (Nintendo Power) have.
Is NP better now? I've been meaning to get back into the magazine scene so I would have some crapper material, but I don't know whats good anymore.
From what I've read every time topics about videogame magazines come up on this forum, Nintendo Power has gotten a lot better than it was 10 years ago. More objective reviews, better features, etc.
Mag sales are down everywhere and the reasons are many. The main reason is that gamers are cheap and they'd rather have some half-chewed, could be true could not be true news from a blog than from shilling print media.
1up talks a good game but until they have the technical chops to provide a working website they've only got themselves to blame for loses financially.
There are some good qualities there but their quality isn't up to snuff anywhere other than their podcasts and video content. And those are flooded in a shit-tide of embaressing platform pandering, culture-bating and half-formed opinion peices that make up the rest of 1up. 1up is a glorified blog site like Kotaku or Destructoid. 1up is not a big guy like, though it paints itself as one, Gamespot or IGN, it's an average sized guy with a big mouth and nothing to back it up. And I'm not suggesting Gamespot or IGN are quality products themselves.
1up as a gaming website is an embaressment and no matter how much they push their positives they'll always be a joke till they pull their finger out and make a site that works. It isn't as if their broken website is a new thing. Their foundations are made of jelly. That they could be going down the toilet pan is not a surprise to me.
It is so sad. I remember when EGM was the best gaming magazine out there, bar none. Every issue was just one huge thick telephone-book-like slab of knowledge, with every page that wasn't an ad containing something valuable. And the issues had a fucking index! It was almost as good as having an Internet.
*looks in wallet*
$6.27 to buy 1UP and EGM.
Honestly, I still think parts (keyword: parts) of EGM are still worth reading, but its a shadow of its former self.
IGN
EDIT: I wonder how much the free subscription thing did EGM in
*looks in wallet*
I'll up that bid to $8.23...
*looks in couch cushions*
...$8.34, and a bazooka joe.
I'll bid a partially drunk 24 pack of Pepsi and a broken phone headset
I haven't read NP since the GBA premiered. How has it improved?
Seriously?
Well, that explains a lot.
Anyway, EGM is a rag and 1Up, well, it's okay, but still, EGM blows.
Though, I can see if you hate it if you don't have cable. It's a bit bloated.
And Retronauts. That podcast has gone from ok to quite good as they get more experienced with the format.
He also owns GameSpy, FilePlanet, Rotten Tomatoes, and TeamXbox among others.
When I saw that EGM and 1up were for sale IGN was the first prospective buyer to pop into my head. I mean 1up for them isn't too great as they already have a huge site in IGN, but with EGM they would have a print format. IGN doesn't have a print format correct?