After 22 years of servicing gamers since 1989, GamePro is finally shutting the doors and closing up shop. Parent company IDG has announced that staff layoffs have begun and the website and quarterly publication will cease to operate.
According to GameIndustry.biz, Editor Jaz Rignall took to Twitter, saying... "Despite doubling our uniques and page views year on year, GamePro has been shut down,"
The website will now redirect vistors to PCWorld.com. It's a humbling bit of news given that no matter how big or how successful a website is, a crappy economy can still tear down the pillars on which they stand.
The reason for the closure comes courtesy of said crappy economy. Advertising and marketing through GamePro had seen a steep decline, and as a result IDG decided to cut cost, snap losses and focus instead on trying to boost revenue via other means. This meant that GamePro the magazine and the website had to be shutdown.
Mike Kisseberth, IDG's head of consumer and small business group gave the standard-fare PR response that most people would expect, saying...
"The US editorial and business staff worked hard to earn a passionate, loyal following for GamePro and I am grateful for their dedication and hard work over the years,"... "GamePro, like all businesses, must keep up with industry changes and economic realities. Look for GamePro Custom Solutions to be blazing new trails in online branding for the game industry, providing gamers with deeper, richer interactions with the companies."
It's a little sad given that now gamers are going to be stuck with a few big sites, a lot of second-rate blogs, and mostly Euro sites to provide top-tier breaking news. Despite billions flowing into the gaming industry it's kind of funny how video game press is still hanging on by threads.
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