1UP.com Aquired by UGO

[Kimiko]

UGO Entertainment Acquires 1UP: News from 1UP.com

[Elvis]

Is this good or bad?

/antiwhoosh protection

[Kimiko]

Probabbly spells the end of EGM at least (being the last major print gaming magizine out there). I wouldn't doubt seeing major layoffs as well cause of this. I'll see if I can pry some more info out of Milkman on this matter.

[Zilong]

Who the fuck buys/read gaming magazines anyway?

[isladar]

You take that back about Nintendo Power. You take that back right fucking now.

[Zilong]

What's a neentando powuh?

[Rocl]

You take that back about Nintendo Power. You take that back right fucking now.

Is it even any good anymore?

[Maxxthepenguin]

People who visit 1up.com will see that on the front page. Interestingly enough, that perfectly coincides with the people who give a fuck.

(Ok, I'm one of those people, but seriously man...)

[Kiro]

I still get/read EGM. >_>

[Dezzimal]

Twitter / milkychan

Looks like he's going to have a fun time paying off that ring

[octopus]

As long as they don't touch the 1up yours podcast I don't really care ;o

[Not Kuno]

Looks like he's going to have to deal with a phalanx of paperwork at the unemployment office.

Spoiler: show

shamelessly stolen from alleya

[Kohan]

UGO is cleaning them out. I've been talking about this with some of my fellow writers -- fortunately, none of us work for either UGO or 1UP (nor their parent companies) -- and pretty much everyone worthwhile is getting the axe. It's a surprising move, considering that UGO is an "our shit don't stink" sort of elitist site that nobody gives two shits about, and replacing the 1UP staff with theirs -- or eliminating 1UP entirely -- isn't really going to help their reputation.

[Kimiko]

Twitter / milkychan

Looks like he's going to have a fun time paying off that ring

Nah, I bet he's already got something lined up already. If I recall correctly, a lot of the former 1up writers have found jobs in the game development industry. I'm sure he's got a lot of friends in high places there.

[Correction]

I'm actually surprised anybody still gets paid to write about video games.

Then again, sportswriters make a living too, right?

[Qalbert]

I buy Game Informer, well technically I buy a discount at gamestop which almost always more than pays for itself.

[Kohan]

I'm actually surprised anybody still gets paid to write about video games.

Then again, sportswriters make a living too, right?

Honestly, the vast majority of people in this industry shouldn't be getting paid for the garbage they write. Unfortunately, gaming journalism's growth has been retarded by companies who won't publish anything that's even moderately "against the grain."

It would be nice if -- as discussed in the past -- these journalists wrote more about the gaming experience and less about the technical details, but if they did, they'd be out of a job. No truly good writers can get discovered and lifted up to greater things because they're not allowed to pen anything worth a shit. You follow the standards or you figure out where the door is, and don't let it hit you in the ass on the way out.

There are exceptions, but they are very uncommon.

[Correction]

It would be nice if -- as discussed in the past -- these journalists wrote more about the gaming experience and less about the technical details, but if they did, they'd be out of a job. No truly good writers can get discovered and lifted up to greater things because they're not allowed to pen anything worth a shit. You follow the standards or you figure out where the door is, and don't let it hit you in the ass on the way out.

There are exceptions, but they are very uncommon.

I think the larger problem with writers is that they simply don't have what it takes to have any kind of longevity. It's fun when a fresh and interesting voice enters any journalistic field, but once you've kind of spent your first burst of creativity and have established both a niche for yourself and an audience comfortable with your style, you greatly risk beginning to take that audience for granted. It's the same with music, sports writing, anything that requires a sip of creativity is easily passed over by the Next New Thing. If you don't have the vision or talent to stay appealing you're just done. Go home. Nobody's going to pay a writer whose gone stale and is spinning his wheels with inside jokes and repetitive ranting.

I don't read enough IGN to know that's happened in this particular case, but I'd be surprised if it weren't.

Writers are just like any other artist. If you burn out in five years, get better or find a different career.

[Devolver]

I buy Game Informer, well technically I buy a discount at gamestop which almost always more than pays for itself.

This

Gameinformer is far superior.

And people who print gaming magazines dont release information until their magazines with the information has been released, so you get it sooner.

And I enjoy reading print anyway.

[Kohan]

Writers are just like any other artist. If you burn out in five years, get better or find a different career.

This is true, and I don't exactly disagree with what you said, as I'd mentioned earlier that most "writers" in this industry don't deserve their paychecks. The problem is that hardly anyone is given an opportunity to even try to be something interesting.

They don't even get far enough to get passed up. They're stale from the get-go and that's the way it is. Nobody ever shakes things up, people rarely ever catch someone's eye, Yahtzee took shit by storm only because no one else is ever given breathing room -- the industry is stagnant, knows that, yet it won't let things evolve. Criticism is brushed off. It's broken and its owners won't let it be fixed. You want to be unique? You want to be a real journalist? You're in the wrong industry, then.

By the way, 1UP has indeed been cleaned out, as we thought. Less than a handful of the writers will remain.