EGM’s triumphant return in 2009

Steve Harris, the founder of the original Electronic Gaming Monthly magazine, announced that he has entered into an agreement with Ziff Davis Media to re-acquire trademarks and publishing rights that will enable him to relaunch the magazine. This will happen in the second half of 2009, according to Harris.
Harris is at E3 meeting with companies, so hopefully there will be an announcement or two soon on the direction he will take the magazine. Perhaps we could see some familiar faces displaced by the closure of the magazine and 1Up grace its pages? I hope so. Here are couple of mandatory quotes from today’s announcement:

“The re-launch of Electronic Gaming Monthly represents a welcome opportunity to continue delivering quality content to gaming enthusiasts,” said Harris. “I feel honored to once again be associated with this respected magazine. The talented writers and designers who built upon EGM’s original vision have left behind a publication that is uniquely positioned to be successful.”

“Electronic Gaming Monthly is and always has been one of the most respected publications among the gaming enthusiast community,” said Jason Young, CEO, Ziff Davis Media Inc. “We are pleased that EGM is now in the hands of its original creator, Steve Harris, and wish him and the publication the best of success in the future.”

“We have exciting plans for the evolution of what will once again be a leading independent voice for the gaming community,” Harris continued. “The twenty year success of the EGM brand has always been built upon a commitment to its readers who I believe will enthusiastically embrace the changes we are planning to introduce.”

More details and announcements will be made during the E3 expo and posted on the magazine’s official website at www.EGMNOW.com or via the official EGM Twitter account at www.twitter.com/EGMNOW.

G4TV Adds Klepek, McGarvey

If you are wondering where former MTV Multiplayer star player Patrick Klepek and GameSpy’s Sterling McGarvey have disappeared to then you need look no further than G4TV.com. According to a note on the site from Billy Berghammer (who you may know from his past contributions here at Crispy Gamer) Klepek, McGarverey and two others have joined the G4TV.com family.

Sterling McGarvey will serve as the Senior Reviews/Previews Editor, while Patrick Klepek has signed on the G4TV.com’s News Editor. they are joined by Jake Gaskill, who will be the new Feed writer (he was a regular contributor to X-Play) and former 1Up and EGM writer Andrew “Skip” Pfister, who now wears the official title of Senior Games Editor.

We wish them all the best in their new endeavors. Read Berghammer’s letter on G4TV.com for some color commentary on the matter.

Shane Bettenhausen Fires Up Ignition

Ever since the fallout from the UGO takeover of 1Up, people have wondered just where the former staffers from EGM and 1Up would wind up. Today, they got the answer for one of the former 1Up big guns.

Ignition Entertainment announced today that Shane Bettenhausen has been tapped to take on a new role as the company’s Director of Business Development. According to Ignition, Shane’s work as the former Senior Executive Editor for Electronic Gaming Monthly and 1Up gave him the background and knowledge to “spearhead the company’s development initiatives moving forward well into the ‘next gen’.”

“I’ve spent the past nine years dissecting and evaluating games as a journalist, and I’m incredibly eager and humbled to finally get the chance to learn the other side of the business,” said Bettenhausen of his new job. “I’m tremendously excited to help shape the direction of Ignition’s future products, and I feel that together, we’ll be able to craft experiences that entertain, challenge, and emotionally impact gamers.”

“We couldn’t be more pleased to have found Shane for this key role within our Company,” said Ajay Chadha, President of Ignition Entertainment. “He is smart, versatile, passionate, energetic and crazy - a perfect fit for Ignition!”

EGM No More

So long EGM. After the January 2009 issue of the long running print magazine, it’s game over.  This news is another sad reminder that the magazine we all love are on the path to extinction. According to a Gamasutra report, the magazine has become a casialty of UGO Networks purchase of Ziff Davis’ 1Up Network. With the purchase of 1Up.com comes Mycheats.com, Gametab.com, and GameVideos.com. No word on how much this acquisition cost UGO. The report, which also contains a letter from CEO Jason Young, says that 30 people from the 1Up staff have been cut including web staff and podcast producers.

“With this transaction happening, we have also made the decision to discontinue publication of EGM,” told 1Up staff in an email. “The January 2009 issue will be the final issue of the publication. With demand for print continuing to decline amongst both advertisers and readers and the content being produced by 1UP no longer available for use in the publication, it simply did not make sense for us to move forward with this business any longer.”

FileFront, a popular destination for downloads such as demos, patches, mods and utilities, will remain a part of the Ziff Davis family under its PCMag Digital Network. the company is putting a lot of faith going forward in this sector.

“We will continue to operate the Filefront business as a part of the PCMag Digital Network,” continued Young in the email. “In the coming months we will determine the best ways to leverage the scale and functionality of this digital property to expand our business position.”

Official statement from 1Up right here.

Rumor: UGO to Buy 1UP

According to a report from Kyle Orland on Joystiq citing several anonymous but reliable sources inside Ziff Davis, the UGO Network is making a play for the popular 1UP site. Employees were told earlier this week in a staff meeting that they should prepare for the possibility that the popular ad and affiliate network might purchase them.

1UP Network is comprised of 1UP.com, GameVideos.com and MyCheats.com. The site was designed to be an online destination to promote Games For Windows Magazine and Electronic Gaming Monthly. Games For Windows Magazine was shut down last year, and this deal could see the end of EGM because UGO apparently has no interest in owning that part of the business. FileFront.com, a popular destination for downloading all kinds of PC software and media, may also prove to be a victim in the deal, as UGO has no interest in the site. The report goes on to say that UGO would let 1UP.com continue to independently operate.

Besides giving UGO direct and instant access to all of the network’s access, it also gives the company the ability to sell and service ads to that market without having to pay the percentage it pays its third-part affiliates. The deal, if it is real, is in the advanced stages at this point and could be finalized soon, according to Orland’s report. Stay tuned for more on this as it develops.

Source: Joystiq via Kyle Orland