Future Publishing’s last magazine dedicated to PlayStation is coming to an end, almost 30 years after it all began with Official PlayStation Magazine.
The past decade has seen the presence of video games magazines gradually dwindle on UK newsagent shelves, and now a PlayStation regular is officially closing its doors.
Play magazine, which was an unofficial rebrand of Future’s Official PlayStation Magazine from 2021 onwards, will publish its final issue on October 15. The final cover is for Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, which is apt considering the series’ importance in PlayStation history.
The first incarnation of Official PlayStation Magazine began in 1995, and evolved with new editions as the PlayStation 2 and 3 consoles came out. There was also a separate unofficial PlayStation magazine under Future called PSM2 which began in 2000.
As detailed in the announcement for the final issue, the rebranded Play is seen as a ‘combo of the legacies of Official PlayStation Magazine, PSM, and Play’ – with the latter starting life at rival publisher Imagine, before that company was acquired by Future in 2016.
In May 2021, the Play brand became the replacement for Official PlayStation Magazine. So while this final issue of Play is billed as the 46th, its history, including all the many people that have worked on it and its sister titles, stems back decades.
With a heavy heart, we have to let you know that the next issue of PLAY will be the magazine’s final one. For current subscribers, the subs team will reach out before long with next steps. More details here: https://t.co/gpG2rlNs9v
— PLAY Magazine (@PLAYgamingmag) October 2, 2024
‘Huge thanks to the tremendous teams and contributors across OPM, PSM, and Play who have kept the PlayStation magazine strong over the years. And of course, to you readers who kept turning the page,’ reads a post on Twitter.
Crucially, this means there’s now only three gaming magazines left standing at Future Publishing: Edge, PC Gamer, and Retro Gamer. In the online space, the publisher runs websites including GamesRadar and TechRadar.
The PlayStation magazine was the last console-specific magazine under Future, with Official Xbox Magazine coming to an end in 2020, while Official Nintendo Magazine published its final issue in October 2014.
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