Retro Gamer Magazine is no more. [Archive]

Windy Miller

08-24-2005, 09:40 AM

I'm not sure how many people here read Retro Gamer Magazine published in the UK, but it appears that there will be no more issues published.

It was announced that the magazine was going from monthly to bi-monthly a short while ago, then the latest issue was delayed by a few weeks, & now the following announcement appeared on their forum (which has now disappeared)...

Hi All, This may be the last post I am allowed to make but this is news you should all know. Live publishing went into administration on Mon 22 August. I don't know if this post will stay of if I will be banned from here but I felt it was my duty as forum Mod to bring you the news when I recieved it. It is truely a sad day and my sympathies go out to all the staff at Live. Thank you all for your hard work and dedication.

What a shame. I loved that magazine. :(

Policenaut

08-24-2005, 09:57 AM

That is sad news for all us retro gamers. Another great magazine that will desappear. BTW wich was the laters issue, number 16? That is the last RGM I bought a few weeks ago.

Windy Miller

08-24-2005, 10:03 AM

Their last issue to hit the newsstands was Issue 18. Issue 19 was due out earlier this month, then put back to the 25th August, then early September. And now nothing. :(

anagrama

08-24-2005, 10:05 AM

Not a great surprise given the rumours that have been circulating over the past couple of weeks, but still a shame. I wasn't over-enamoured with the mag itself, but it certainly helped bring more attention to the retro scene, especially in the UK. Wonder if anyone else will pick it up, or whether it's shown that there just isn't a viable market for it on the news-stands?

Mayhem

08-24-2005, 10:12 AM

Rumblings suggest Imagine might start one actually...

(for those who know the UK mag scene, Imagine was recently formed from people who left Paragon Publishing, home of GamesTM)

Fanboy

08-24-2005, 10:48 AM

whether it's shown that there just isn't a viable market for it on the news-stands?

I thought it was a case of the publisher dying from underneath them, not so much that the mag itself was unpopular. AFAIK, the mag was originally bi-monthly, but quickly shifted to monthly publication due to high demand. Indeed, it always sells out at my local newstand.

I hope another publisher picks it up, it was one of my favourite monthly reads. I guess I'm going to have to rely on GAMES� for my monthly retromag fix.

Gamereviewgod

08-24-2005, 11:13 AM

Wow. That's a shame. They seemed to have a ton of support too. At least it's collectible, and within reach. I need about six or seven issues now. Still, depressing that it happened.

Captain Wrong

08-24-2005, 11:22 AM

Hmm...mixed feelings here. There were some really good articles within, however, being a Yank, the was a lot of stuff that I just didn't care about (such as UK computers. Also, it was very expensive to pick up over here ($12 an issue!) The other thing that really bugged me is the way they would jack pictures from websites. Look at the last issue and count the number of images you find with watermarks clearly displayed.

Still, anytime a pub oriented towards the classics goes down, that's a shame.

Gunstar_Hero UK

08-24-2005, 11:43 AM

Ah man, as much as I was starting to enjoy the mag less and less, I havent missed an issue to date. I think they should of left it Bi-monthly. Going monthly was a big mistake.

Well, I wish the best of luck to the Retro Gamer staff and hopefully things will pick up eventually.

Joe.

ManciGames

08-24-2005, 12:18 PM

I hope another publisher picks it up, it was one of my favourite monthly reads. I guess I'm going to have to rely on GAMES� for my monthly retromag fix.

There's still Video Game Collector.

Half Cab Leroy

08-24-2005, 12:28 PM

That sucks. I just got into that mag too. :(

Necromutant

08-24-2005, 01:55 PM

Damn, too bad... :(

There's still Video Game Collector.

Still waiting for #3, Manci! :D

BrokenFlight

08-24-2005, 02:28 PM

Also, it was very expensive to pick up over here ($12 an issue!)

That's only a bit more than what it costs here. �6 IIRC

I picked it up once when it was �4. I can't say it really grabbed me. �6 is far too much for that magazine IMO.

Windy Miller

08-24-2005, 02:30 PM

Another snippet of info just confirming this sad news, from mcvuk.com:

Live Publishing set for administration

August 24th by Ben Parfitt

Live Publishing, the company behind magazines such as Retro Gamer and PC Utilities, is to cease operations by the end of the week, administrator BWC Business Solutions has confirmed to MCV.

The Macclesfield-based outfit recently pulled the plug on PC Extreme magazine, with production on all its titles now due to cease in the next few days.

�We have not yet been appointed as the administrators for Live Publishing but we will be by the end of the week,� BWC Business Solutions� Mark Thomas told MCV. �The options open to us at the moment are either liquidation or administration. Either way, Live will stop trading by Friday.�

MCV understands that freelance staff have not been paid for a number of months, and the staff of Retro Gamer are said to have been made redundant on Monday.

The news comes after recent ABC figures revealed an overall decline in gaming and computer magazine readership.

RCM

08-24-2005, 02:52 PM

I love print mags but it's time to move on. The net is where it's at. It's sad but the hey day for VG mags is over.

THE ONE, THE ONLY- RCM

CreamSoda

08-24-2005, 03:10 PM

That's a shame, it was a class magazine.

Sad to see it go. :angry:

Mayhem

08-24-2005, 03:31 PM

Another snippet of info just confirming this sad news, from mcvuk.com:

That's because we, the ex-freelance writers, gave them the story and told them to run with it (based on the information we were given from ex-workers at Live). Live themselves are still refusing to acknowledge publically they have gone into administration.

(or more precisely after we told MVC about it, they contacted Live who denied it!)

Silly feckers...

RetroGamer was doing fine with almost 20k sales per issue. It was everything else that has pulled down Live and taken the magazine with it.

boatofcar

08-24-2005, 03:35 PM

My favorite magazine of all time is no more :(

At least theres still Toyfare....

McBacon

08-24-2005, 03:43 PM

Aww, that blows. I picked up the one that showed you how to build an Arcade Cabinet, that was cool.

petewhitley

08-24-2005, 03:58 PM

My favorite magazine of all time is no more :(

At least theres still Toyfare....

Ha ha, seriously, Retro Gamer/NewTypeUSA/Toyfare are the three magazines I can't live without each month. I guess I'll have an extra $12 a month now, but I'll miss those great pack-in discs they shipped with.

ManciGames

08-24-2005, 04:39 PM

Still waiting for #3, Manci! :D

Do you mean of VGC or MG?

Necromutant

08-24-2005, 05:14 PM

Still waiting for #3, Manci! :D

Do you mean of VGC or MG?

I mean the mystery #3 from the MG website of course! ;)

ManciGames

08-24-2005, 06:16 PM

Still waiting for #3, Manci! :D

Do you mean of VGC or MG?

I mean the mystery #3 from the MG website of course! ;)

OH, oh, oh... Got you.

Well, it will not see the light of day anytime soon. I will let you all know that it was NOT another issue, but actually a full color book. It is a good ways complete, but there are two reasons why I am hesitant to pull the gun:

First, the figures Lenny posted here in regards to pre-orders for one of his books, coupled with my own experience with Manci Games, has scared me enough to think that, like Manci Games Magazine, the market is just not big enough to support the idea that I had in mind.

Second, and probably even more importantly, there is a family issue that I will be more focused on for the foreseeable future.

The website will probably be updated by the end of September if we decide to postpone the printing for sure.

But, I thank you for the inquiry and your interest. If things work out, this book will eventually see printing, but I'm just a little gun-shy at the moment.

dj898

08-24-2005, 08:22 PM

over here newsagents are selling those as a bundle - two issue s for the price of one kind of deal last few weeks...

since I have entire issues I idn't bother but maybe I should pick them up and put on eBay... he he

Gamereviewgod

08-24-2005, 10:36 PM

boatofcar

08-24-2005, 11:26 PM

Hmm...mixed feelings here. There were some really good articles within, however, being a Yank, the was a lot of stuff that I just didn't care about (such as UK computers..

That's the exact reason I bought it. I knew nothing about the retro computer scene, and now, well, I know what Retro Gamer has taught me.

Me too. I loved hearing about the Sinclair, the BBC Micro, etc. They also covered the Atari and Commodore scene quite well.

The LAST thing I need to read about is another story about how the SNES almost got a CD drive, Atari's flub of the release of the 7800, or anything else that an American retro magazine writes about*.

* I know RG covered that stuff, but it was all the other things that I loved about it. I just hope I'll continue to get every issue till the last one through my subscription in the mail.

Necromutant

08-25-2005, 02:04 AM

OH, oh, oh... Got you.

Well, it will not see the light of day anytime soon. I will let you all know that it was NOT another issue, but actually a full color book. It is a good ways complete, but there are two reasons why I am hesitant to pull the gun:

First, the figures Lenny posted here in regards to pre-orders for one of his books, coupled with my own experience with Manci Games, has scared me enough to think that, like Manci Games Magazine, the market is just not big enough to support the idea that I had in mind.

Second, and probably even more importantly, there is a family issue that I will be more focused on for the foreseeable future.

The website will probably be updated by the end of September if we decide to postpone the printing for sure.

But, I thank you for the inquiry and your interest. If things work out, this book will eventually see printing, but I'm just a little gun-shy at the moment.

Sorry to hear it might be a while or might not happen. Big fan of the magazine and was hoping for some sort of book...

Windy Miller

08-25-2005, 12:33 PM

Taken from another forum. Hope it's ok.

http://forum.retrosurvival.co.uk/

The RG freelancers, including myself, have banded together to create a final homage issue for RG.

The above forum should replace the now dead RG one, and will also keep you posted as to what's going on regarding the final farewell issue which we are trying to put together.

The full story, including inside details, can also be found there. Have fun, and hopefully the retro spirit will continue.

Please be sure to pass this info on to other fans of RG and retro games.