At one point in time – many years ago now – it was probably a shock when print publications were closed down. These days, that is sadly not true.
Over recent years, we’ve seen countless game magazines shutting their doors. Usually, it’s for the same reason: circulation dropping as a result of people preferring to read coverage online or in video form.
The latest print publication to bite the dust is Wireframe. Founded back in 2018 by Raspberry Pi, the magazine managed to release 70 issues – 38 fortnightly, a further 32 monthly – before calling time at the start of the year.
As for why it will no longer be releasing a physical edition, it’s much the same story, with some decidedly contemporary twists.
“It’s a mixture of things really,” editor Ryan Lambie tells GamesIndustry.biz.
“It’s been a tough couple of years for everyone in print. We came out of COVID, and the lockdowns had harmed shop and newsstand sales. The footfall outside places never really recovered once the world unlocked again. Now we have the cost-of-living crisis as well, so we’ve seen print costs shoot up. Distribution is more expensive, too.
“And then, of course, people are making cutbacks on expenditures like magazine subscriptions. It’s all sorts of things. Everything’s become so expensive. It’s pretty much the perfect storm, really. It’s become more expensive to produce a magazine, while fewer and fewer people can afford the luxury of spending £6 a month per issue, or £45 a year on a subscription.”
The Games Biz 