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[near]

I haven’t seen much discussion surrounding this online, maybe because most don’t know it even exists, so I thought I’d share it. A group of former Edge Magazine writers have started a premium games publication called ‘On’. Each volume features long-form articles from veteran writers.

My copy arrived last week, while I haven’t read through most of it, it is well crafted from my initial impressions. With the current state of online games journalism, layoffs and withered publications like Gameinformer, I thought I’d at least support this for a volume or two to see if I like it. The downside is that it isn’t cheap, £25 + £5 delivery. They’re also shipping to the US and I strongly doubt it will be any cheaper. The upside? 200 pages of thoughtful articles printed on high-end paper.

Volume 1 contributors:

Keith Stuart ON the Sega Model 1 arcade board
Jen Simpkins ON playing dress-up
Keza MacDonald ON games that changed Nintendo
Nathan Brown ON the meditative joys of run-based games
Christian Donlan ON handheld launch puzzle games
Margaret Robertson ON Japan’s paper play pioneers
Yussef Cole ON life, death and Cyberpunk 2077

ON Games Journal

Premium independent video games journal with outstanding writers, fantastic design and luxurious print quality: The ultimate celebration of gaming’s past, present and future

on.games

Mine was well packaged with protective plastic edge fenders on top of bubble wrap:

They have 8 different cover designs to choose from, I went with this one, it's the least interesting:

 

[th4tguy]

I was just longingly looking at the magazine rack at the grocery store. It used to contain many different gaming magazines.
Now nothing.
Unfortunately, with shipping, I would be paying almost $70 for one issue.

No Ty.

 

[mdkirby]

I can’t imagine this is particularly financially sustainable. Each issue looks like it’ll cost a shit ton to both produce and print. £25 is both way too much and nowhere near enough, given the demand will be super niche. A shame, but that’s the reality we live in . I’ll wish them the best of luck tho.

 

[IDKFA]

I miss gaming magazines. I used to buy so many in my youth. Play, Edge, Games TM, The Official Nintendo Magazine, PSW..........all gone.

Saying that, £25 is too much for me to spend on what is effectively a magazine. That's hardback book price.

 

[near]

I can’t imagine this is particularly financially sustainable. Each issue looks like it’ll cost a shit ton to both produce and print. £25 is both way too much and nowhere near enough, given the demand will be super niche. A shame, but that’s the reality we live in . I’ll wish them the best of luck tho.

I don't think it would necessarily require many patrons to sustain, but I’ll guess we’ll have to wait.

I miss gaming magazines. I used to buy so many in my youth. Play, Edge, Games TM, The Official Nintendo Magazine, PSW..........all gone.

Saying that, £25 is too much for me to spend on what is effectively a magazine. That's hardback book price.

Games journalism has been devalued since websites like IGN, Kotaku and Gamespot took over, so I get that reading about games today isn’t an attractive pastime. £25 + postage isn’t ideal either. But this isn’t mired with ads and written content designed around clicks. It has focused long-form pieces by well regarded writers, who have full creative freedom, presented with brilliant design/artwork. It doesn’t feel like a magazine at all, and definitely more akin to a book. It has weight and value beyond the fact it’s a printed publication.

 

[mdkirby]

I don't think it would necessarily require many patrons to sustain, but I’ll guess we’ll have to wait.


Games journalism has been devalued since websites like IGN, Kotaku and Gamespot took over, so I get that reading about games today isn’t an attractive pastime. £25 + postage isn’t ideal either. But this isn’t mired with ads and written content designed around clicks. It has focused long-form pieces by well regarded writers, who have full creative freedom, presented with brilliant design/artwork. It doesn’t feel like a magazine at all, and definitely more akin to a book. It has weight and value beyond the fact it’s a printed publication.

I’m just basing it on what we pay our writers, the fact it’s 200 pages!, and it’s full of what looks like custom pretty good quality artwork, which given what we pay our artists would not be cheap. And it will be pretty expensive to print if it’s also as it appears, high quality paper/printing, so margins won’t be too great (and likely somewhat limited runs, so higher cost per unit).

 

[Humdinger]

Going with long-form articles rather than previews and reviews sounds like a good idea. The production is certainly high quality.

Unfortunately, with shipping, I would be paying almost $70 for one issue.

Yeah, way too expensive. And there's only one article I might want to read... Seems like it's targeting the elite, fairly well-off hobbyist.

 

[Impotaku]

LOL that pricing, i could buy a decent game for that. Would last longer too. I mean points for trying buy nobody but the most dedicated edge fans are going to be buying that.

 

[near]

LOL that pricing, i could buy a decent game for that. Would last longer too. I mean points for trying buy nobody but the most dedicated edge fans are going to be buying that.

I'm Edge Magazine fan, and I'm familiar with some of the named contributors. So you're right, I really do wonder though if there ever truly will be a market for print publications in the games industry.

 

[Dorfdad]

Looks lively but information moves faster than I could get the magazine.

 

[HerjansEagleFeeder]

Can they charge more from publishers for a paid review, being a premium mag and all?

 

[near]

Looks lively but information moves faster than I could get the magazine.

Can they charge more from publishers for a paid review, being a premium mag and all?

It doesn't cover reviews or announcements/news, it's a collection of features on select topics of the writers choosing, thoroughly explored and written. Try not to think of it as a typical game magazine.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

I tested out the purchase price. They dont ship to Canada, but I put in a Buffalo NY address hich is as close as it gets.

$33 US for the book + $30 US for shipping. Add it up and convert to CDN and it's around $90 CDN.

Absurd.

 

[metareferential]

They don't ship in Europe. I would have gladly bought it.

 

[StereoVsn]

I tested out the purchase price. They dont ship to Canada, but I put in a Buffalo NY address hich is as close as it gets.

$33 US for the book + $30 US for shipping. Add it up and convert to CDN and it's around $90 CDN.

Absurd.

Yeah, while I would love to get this, at that price it’s a super tough ask. I could probably stomach $30ish, but $60+ is a no go.

Hell, I buy Bitmap Books releases from UK for less than this magazine. And these are large, amazingly illustrated titles.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Yeah, while I would love to get this, at that price it’s a super tough ask. I could probably stomach $30ish, but $60+ is a no go.

Hell, I buy Bitmap Books releases from UK for less than this magazine. And these are large, amazingly illustrated titles.

The shipping is odd. $30 US shipping for the US.

I ordered a book from the UK years ago for my brother (hard to find book I could only find it overseas). I think shipping was about $5 CDN.

Those Bitmap books look sweet. No Genesis/MD yet. But one day I'll scoop up some off Amazon.ca. I see a few I like which are ones with text and history instead of just art. They go for a decent price and no shipping as long as you hit the minimum. I tested out Bitmaps site and shipping is $37 CDN (around $25 US).

 

[near]

The shipping is odd. $30 US shipping for the US.

I ordered a book from the UK years ago for my brother (hard to find book I could only find it overseas). I think shipping was about $5 CDN.

Those Bitmap books look sweet. No Genesis/MD yet. But one day I'll scoop up some off Amazon.ca. I see a few I like which are ones with text and history instead of just art. They go for a decent price and no shipping as long as you hit the minimum. I tested out Bitmaps site and shipping is $37 CDN (around $25 US).

It might be because they're using Royal Mail to ship it to the US, I'm pretty sure there are cheaper couriers available, I'm not sure why they're opting to use them.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

It might be because they're using Royal Mail to ship it to the US, I'm pretty sure there are cheaper couriers available, I'm not sure why they're opting to use them.

I had to google what Royal Mail is but I think it's like a Fedex service. Fast and costly. Makes sense then it costs that much.

When I ordered the book from the UK for cheap, it must had been snail mail as it took a month to get it.

 

[StereoVsn]

The shipping is odd. $30 US shipping for the US.

I ordered a book from the UK years ago for my brother (hard to find book I could only find it overseas). I think shipping was about $5 CDN.

Those Bitmap books look sweet. No Genesis/MD yet. But one day I'll scoop up some off Amazon.ca. I see a few I like which are ones with text and history instead of just art. They go for a decent price and no shipping as long as you hit the minimum. I tested out Bitmaps site and shipping is $37 CDN (around $25 US).

Bitmap books are pretty awesome. For shipping I usually wait to get a few at a time since that way it’s quite a bit less compared to individual shipping prices.

 

[sono]

New paper magazine in 2024 and it costs £25 ?

No thank you.

 

[PatientGamer]

They're fools. Could've easily made a premium digital magazine instead and charge £20/mo for it. Seed it with a free newsletter on Substack/Beehive.

Do these people not like money?

 

[Killer8]

Is "former Edge writers" really a selling point when writers for Edge are just numerous established game journalists writing anonymously?

 

[clarky]

Is "former Edge writers" really a selling point when writers for Edge are just numerous established game journalists writing anonymously?

If they are former Edge writers involved in issues 1-100 (ish) then its a selling point, and i'd be all over it.

If they are from the last few years, then i'd be staying anonymous if i was them lol.

Edit: just had a quick look at the website. Looks like its from the period where Edge disappeared up its own arse, with a price to match. No thanks.

 

[near]

Is "former Edge writers" really a selling point when writers for Edge are just numerous established game journalists writing anonymously?

Keith Stuart was an Editor at Edge in the late 90s. Margaret Robertson was around at Edge during the period where I loved the magazine the most, she stuck around after they lost a lot of staff and became Chief Editor for a few years. Nathan Brown was at Edge from the 2010s to 2020, and was a Deputy Editor for a period. Andrew Hind has been an Art Editor at Edge for more than 20 years. So yeah, I feel like it’s completely fair for these guys to ride the coattails of Edge when a few of them pretty much ran the magazine during some of its best work.

It is also not completely anonymous, you'll normally find who is responsible for the editorial and other contributors in the first few pages. The oldest magazine I have on my shelf is from 2018, the older ones I have are in storage and can't be bothered to go get them. Here is a photo example of what I mean:

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

Honestly, I kind of like this approach. It feels less like a magazine and more like a book. In the context of a book with this kind of printing, I don't think the price point is too crazy.

I'm willing to give it a shot.

 

[SJRB]

This looks sick.

 

[FinalBossWithTheMostPower]

It's a masterful idea, honestly.

A premium product with exclusive, thoughtful gaming related content not generated by AI and curated by tweens?

If the quality was consistent and it had demo discs or codes then it might just justify the price.

Alas, it doesn't.

 

[Shake Your Rump]

I'd buy this without hesitation... except they don't ship to Canada? WTF? I guess the UK postal system hasn't quite figured out this logistical nightmare.

 

[RCX]

Used to absolutely love "new magazine" day when I was a kid.

When I got a new issue of Edge or Super Play I'd love going through it for a full afternoon. Really great memories.

Just can't see how anything like this can succeed today though. Quality or no, the business model just isn't there.

 

[clarky]

Used to absolutely love "new magazine" day when I was a kid.

When I got a new issue of Edge or Super Play I'd love going through it for a full afternoon. Really great memories.

Just can't see how anything like this can succeed today though. Quality or no, the business model just isn't there.

Especially at £30 what are they smoking? Be surprised if they sell A thousand of these.

 

[Thebonehead]

If they are former Edge writers involved in issues 1-100 (ish) then its a selling point, and i'd be all over it.

If they are from the last few years, then i'd be staying anonymous if i was them lol.

Edit: just had a quick look at the website. Looks like its from the period where Edge disappeared up its own arse, with a price to match. No thanks.

That edit...

 

[SirTerry-T]

A lot of those articles sound like they are covering the same ground that old Edge articles have.
Also...25 quid? Fuck that. Lose the fancy covers and knock it down to under a tenner.

Basically, what clarky said.

Bit of trivia...
When Future Publishing used Cradley Print as their printing house, Edge would have been coming off the same print rollers as some of the UK's finest wank mags of the era.

That always amused me, that a mag that was up it's own arse as much as Edge was, used to be printed alongside magazines that also featured subject matter involving stuff up the arse.

 

[tommib]

Looks amazing but that price. :/ Give me a day to think about it.

 

[tommib]

I'm Edge Magazine fan, and I'm familiar with some of the named contributors. So you're right, I really do wonder though if there ever truly will be a market for print publications in the games industry.

Edge will always print because it’s a devs focused magazine. Most people in the industry subscribe to it. It’s like sight and sound for cinema.

 

[Bloobs]

 

[Dr.D00p]

Not really interested in funding a bunch of woke, Guardian writer wannabes.

...unless you can show me they're leaving all that shit at the door and writing a magazine like EDGE was between '93 to '00.

..but I bet they won't because self righteous lefties, well, they just can't help themselves