PS3 News: UGO Absorbs Struggling 1Up Network, EGM Canceled - PS3 News

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UGO Absorbs Struggling 1Up Network, EGM Canceled

We have been following this developing story since yesterday, and it now seems as if the multiple reports have finally boiled down into something a little more concrete and reliable. Most of you already know about the demise of 1Up and EGM, but here's our detailed update.

Due to climate change (bad economy, slumping advertising market), UGO has absorbed 1Up and discontinued the print magazine, EGM. This obviously results in EGM staff losing their jobs and a significant staff reduction at 1Up, which means there could very well be a lot of disappointment and animosity floating around. But today, 1Up director Sam Kennedy tells the loyal readers that they shouldn't point the finger at UGO; in a recent NeoGAF post, he says that UGO's purchase of 1Up may have been the best, and perhaps only, option remaining. He said he won't "sugarcoat anything," and that it's a simple matter of facts. "Fact: 1UP was a business that was losing money. Fact: This economy sucks and the ad market is diminished." With two facts like this, it's tough to stay in business. Kennedy also added:

"UGO did what they could to, what I consider, 'save' 1UP. Obviously, all of us would have wanted to see things go differently - most of all me, considering I just lost many of my closest friends as coworkers and employees today ... If any company out there would have been willing to support us as we were, they certainly didn't step up. The only company that really did was UGO, and they did their very best to continue 1UP."

Kennedy remains hopeful that some freshly laid-off writers will be able to return to 1Up/UGO at some point in the future, and says he has a "commitment from the UGO guys that they - now, actually, we - are going to whatever we can to help these guys out..." He wants the podcasts to come back, obviously, and in the end, it's just a bad idea to turn anybody into the bad guy in this scenario. Sometimes, things just don't work out the way you want them to, and you have to roll with the punches. We'll see how UGO/1Up does.

1/7/2009 Ben Dutka

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Comments (17 posts)

John Shoemaker
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 @ 11:05:21 AM
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And now I only have two mags to read. This kinda sucks.

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Tim Speed24
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 @ 11:07:32 AM
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I won't miss either one. EGM is a terrible game magazine and very biased toward a certain platform. 1UP was a mediocre gaming website at best.

Let's hope something better can arise from the ashes in the next few months.

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Scarecrow
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 @ 12:56:05 PM

My thoughtts exactly
Horrible magazine and a horrible website lol

That's life, won't get sympathy from me either.


PS: EGM used to be good in the 1990s

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Zorigo
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 @ 11:28:37 AM
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iup, the only thing i know about them is i have an official theme of theirs and its mediocre.

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WorldEndsWithMe
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 @ 11:59:20 AM
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I gave up print mags a long time ago.

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GuernicaReborn
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 @ 12:14:26 PM

I'm with you. There's really no point when you can get the news/reviews/previews/interviews from the internet as it happens for free, not once a month for $19.95.

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shaydey77
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 @ 12:45:28 PM
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As long as PSX stays I coudltn care less..well i do feel sorry for those guys losing their jobs..but i get all i need right here!

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CH1N00K
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 @ 12:52:21 PM
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I wonder how many more will go this way before the economy turns around.

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Scarecrow
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 @ 12:56:48 PM
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1up sucks, hopefully Gamespot is next.

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Tim Speed24
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 @ 1:50:12 PM

Gamespot was a great game website untill the "tweens" took over the forums. Now its all about 'mine is better than yours' endless stupid banter.

Thats why I come here for all the latest gaming news....Keep it up PSX.

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WorldEndsWithMe
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 @ 2:31:37 PM

I can't stand tweens, or that stupid word.

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Advent Child
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 @ 3:53:56 PM

Its not "Mine is better than yours" its yours f*cking sucks and mine rocks!!!

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Reccaman18
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 @ 7:43:53 PM
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I hate 1up. They are so biased. And Yahoo!'s game section is horrid. I read all the time ow much they love the Wii and keep on about this thing where the PS3 is so costly to make. Apparently, they are a little behind in getting news, cause Sony says it aint so expensive anymore.

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Naga
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 @ 9:23:32 PM
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1up sucks the only use it had was the LBP beta

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shadowpal2
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 @ 9:33:45 PM
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OMG...........EGM.........it's gone. WOW!!!!!! I guess it should have gotten rid of that slogan "The #1 videogaming magazine" a long time ago. NO jk, it was a good magazine. Although I have to say I hated how the staff acted towards the reader's mails when giving them an answer.

So there's Official Playstation magazine...which I personally like better anyway. It's much more organized and neatly layed out. As for a site...IGN rules all in my opinion and will continue to rule. PSX is awesome too!!!! Game Informer....eh not too bad.

In the end though...I do feel sorry - but here's the truth. EGM and 1UP - were seriously freaking biased. They're nothing like OPM and nothing like IGN. And I know it's hard to compare EGM with OPM, but OPM at least is a magazine where there aren't fanboys/girls like OXM. I met one of the writers of OPM and we had a nice conversation about the games. Turns out he was really absorbed into Gears 2 and explained that it was going to be an awesome game like MGS 4.

I personally couldn't agree with him more. Although MGS 4 delivers much more than Gears 2 - Gears 2 is loads of fun. I apologize about talking of another game that isn't Playstation...but I just like games.

Anyway...way to start off the new year. The gaming industry is changing!


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MetalHead09
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 @ 10:16:01 PM
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this is pretty much the only gaming site i go to besides cheat code central so im not real familiar with those sites. its a bummer though cause so many people lost their jobs and stuff but like ben said, sometimes it dont go the way you would want it to. oh and i go to gametrailers to, not a big fan of their staff though.

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NetheRealm
Friday, January 16, 2009 @ 3:33:26 PM
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saves trees, print is dead good & to the telemarketers no I don't want a newspaper subscription now or ever.

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