Game Informer Shuts Down, Thousands of Articles Lost

Game Informer has announced that it is closing after 33 years of business. Launching in 1991, the magazine has maintained a legacy for putting together some of the most discussed interviews, influential preview coverage, and some of the most impressive looking magazine covers around.

Beginning as a magazine distributed by games retailer FuncoLand, GameStop bought the company and absorbed Game Informer in 2000. By the turn of the 2010s, the magazine was recognized as the fifth largest in the United States, beating out giants like Time Magazine and Sports Illustrated. Readers especially enjoyed Game Informer for its exclusive details about upcoming releases.

Game Informer shared through its website and social media pages that it is shutting down, with its entire staff laid off. To many, this news comes as a shock, considering that Game Informer has existed as a standard-setting publication for decades. In its message, Game Informer shares this news "with a heavy heart," thanking its loyal readers and noting that although the publication is closing, the passion that it has helped to cultivate will persist. The Game Informer website now directs to a landing page announcing the magazine's closure, making thousands of articles, reviews, and interviews inaccessible.

Game Informer Announces Closure

Game Informer's shutdown was a decision made by its owner, GameStop. Although there have been triumphs for the parent company over the years, several reports have pointed to a bleak future for GameStop, suggesting the company may not be able to overcome the difficulties posed by the industry in its current state. Reports from Kotaku describe the staff being caught by surprise by this announcement, and emphasize that no member of the magazine's team issued Game Informer's social media statement.

Game Informer staffers are sharing their thoughts about the closure of the magazine amid the other disheartening layoffs in the game industry. Fans have come together on social media to voice their appreciation for the publication, reminiscing and discussing Game Informer's influence, and offering their hopes that the many people affected by this closure will be able to land on their feet. Although Game Informer has completed its final level, gamers will not forget its impact.