In August 2024, the gaming magazine Game Informer closed and laid off all employees. The magazine had been around since 1991, serving as a gateway to the world of video games for many Americans. Now, three-quarters of a year after the end, the website and print magazine are making a comeback. Behind the miracle are a studio from Frankfurt, Germany, and Neil Blomkamp, the director of District 9.
What is Game Informer and why is it so important to gaming? Game Informer was founded in 1991 and was a classic monthly gaming magazine in print, similar to GameStar in Germany.
In 2000, Game Informer was acquired by the retail chain GameStop. This increased the magazine’s visibility: The retail chain promoted the magazine, and it was available in many of its stores across the USA.
In the years that followed, Game Informer featured numerous exclusive stories on AAA games in its print magazine and on its website, hoping to gain attention from the collaboration. At its peak, the print magazine reached a circulation of 8 million.
However, in August 2024, the now heavily troubled company GameStop closed Game Informer after 33 years and laid off all employees. The issue from June 2024, number 368, was the last issue of the print magazine. The website simply stated “Farewell.” It was a blow for employees and readers alike.
The new game from Neil Blomkamp, Off the Grid. He has now saved the magazine:
Gaming studio buys magazine, rehiring all employees
This is now the news: The editor-in-chief of the magazine reported on the revived website that two crazy things have happened in the past months (via gameinformer):
- The Game Informer brand has been bought and revived
- The entire team that previously worked on Game Informer has been rehired and is working together again
They will now resume work, and the print magazine is expected to be published again. The editor-in-chief himself seems incredulous about what is happening:
The entire team. Seriously – I still have to pinch myself.
German gaming studio saves US magazine
Who is behind this? The savior of the magazine is director Neil Blomkamp (“District 9”, “Chappie”).
Blomkamp co-founded the gaming studio “Gunzilla Games” in 2020 and works there as Chief Creative Officer on “OFF THE GRID”, a free battle royale title.
Gunzilla Games is based in Frankfurt.
Game Informer states: The new owners have assured that they would keep their hands off Game Informer, and that the editorial team should work 100% independently.
This is how it is discussed: On reddit, the news is received positively:
“This is great news. I hope the archived material over the years isn’t lost. There is real gaming history in there.”
However, there are also some doubts:
- “Gunzilla Games – whose only known game is an early-access NFT game that barely works”
- “I think it’s good news, but how can Gunzilla Games afford this?”
The NFT technology has a bad reputation among gamers.
Gaming magazine saved against the trend
This is behind it: Game Informer, due to its strong ties to the retail chain “GameStop”, was not a magazine that criticized the gaming industry particularly, but the exclusive stories were informative and unique in the media landscape. Its absence was felt.
The decision to even bring back the print magazine now seems to go against every current trend. Gaming magazines have recently been in a phase of consolidation, with more magazines being shut down and jobs cut. Therefore, this resurrection really resembles a miracle for the laid-off employees. Let’s see how this develops. Gaming site acquired by IGN, loses last editor, sends nice greetings
