I loved gaming magazines growing up. If there was one that had a game I was interested in, I would pick it up from the super market, but a lot of times I had a subscription to one or another. Game Informer was one that I had a subscription to more often than not. Usually because it was quick to purchase or got for free when in GameStop. Those magazines are part of the inspiration for me to do content creation and this site. I loved reading all the interviews and seeing screenshots in them. They even came with demo discs so you could try out games before you bought them, which was great in a world where consoles weren’t online yet. Now the magazine industry has mainly changed to a digital front. Even Game Informer went to a mostly digital strategy. At least they did until August 2nd when GameStop abruptly ended Game Informer all together.
The staff was called into a meeting on Friday and told that effective immediately they were shutting it down and everyone was laid off. The magazine was around for 33 years, it was the longest running gaming magazine, and now the website is offline and it is no more. The company Tweeted out on Friday:
After 33 thrilling years of bringing you the latest news, reviews, and insights from the ever-evolving world of gaming, it is with a heavy heart that we announce the closure of Game Informer.
From the early days of pixelated adventures to today’s immersive virtual realms, we’ve been honored to share this incredible journey with you, our loyal readers. While our presses may stop, the passion for gaming that we’ve cultivated together will continue to live on.
Thank you for being part of our epic quest, and may your own gaming adventures never end.
Issue 367 was the final issue of the video game magazine, which featured Dragon Age: The Veilguard as its cover story. Unfortunately layoffs happen and in the gaming industry and it seems like they are happening more and more. Almost every week we hear about either a studio or something related to video games being shut down completely or having layoffs. It sucks seeing when people, especially friends lose their jobs. To everyone affected by the Game Informer Magazine shutting down, I wish you the best.
