Comments on: UGO Entertainment Buys 1UP Gaming Network; EGM Bites Dust

By: UGO Entertainment Buys 1UP » Adotas

UGO Entertainment Buys 1UP » Adotas — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:41:24 +0000

[...] — UGO Entertainment, a unit of Hearst Corporation, is buying 1UP.com along with its associated sites GameVideos.com, MyCheats.com and [...]

By: GAMING « Daily Marauder

GAMING « Daily Marauder — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:33:43 +0000

[...] specifically, reported by Joystiq), but yesterday evening the company released the official news. (http://www.tech...-emg-bites-dust [...]

By: James

James — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 19:49:57 +0000

They essentially purchased 1Up and proceeded to gut it of anything that made it unique. I wonder what the value of the acquisition is at this point as any press announcement on either site is filled with posts from a very angry community. Only time will tell I suppose.

As someone who listened to many of their podcasts, I’m very disappointed honestly and doubt I’ll be visiting either site moving forward. Hopefully everyone let go will be able to land on their feet.

http://www.jugargame.com/

By: Justin

Justin — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:40:09 +0000

I work in the gaming media space (for hammersuit.com), and I assure you that this is brutal news for our little corner of the internet.

EGM had gone downhill the last several years, but it was an institution, in this industry. Myself and most of my 20-something peers that are now grown-up and working in this industry grew up on EGM in the early 90s – it’s the reason many of us do what we do.

1up was never as big (traffic-wise) as its peers, but that’s because it spoke to a more hardcore-gamer audience, whereas IGN, GameSpot, and others covered games from a more mainstream slant. So for gaming enthusiasts, the site quickly earned a place in their hearts.

I know many of the 30-40 Ziff-Davis individuals laid off (UGO is completely gutting the game group) personally, and every single one was a great person to work with. Sad day.

By: Brett Wood

Brett Wood — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:06:26 +0000

I love the 1UP show! It is so informative and entertaining! I watch it every Sunday! This is horrible news! HORRIBLE!

By: Darren

Darren — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 17:27:53 +0000

This is horrible I am an EGM subscriber what the hell?

By: Mr. Recycle

Mr. Recycle — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 17:27:04 +0000

The layoffs appear to be pretty brutal – they basically bought the brand, not the company, which is odd because what I found the most compelling about 1up was the personalities of the writers/podcasters. That was their competitive advantage over the other game sites. Without that, it is just a clever domain name, whoopee.

By: Terry

Terry — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 15:41:12 +0000

Micheal is right on the money here. I was devastated at the news. UGO is completely clueless what are they planning to continue by acquiring 1up and then gutting MOST OF THE STAFF?
As for EGM I had been a subscriber since 1997. I feel like my best friend died or something. I’ll get over it but the moronic management from UGO needs to know that they’ve made an enemy and not a future customer.

By: Joe T.

Joe T. — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 15:34:28 +0000

UGO’s high point was about 6-7 years ago when they auctioned off a date with Gary Coleman.

They haven’t made any real news since then, except for this… and I’m not sure this acquisition will save them.

By: EGM magazine is no more, 1UP staff slashed

EGM magazine is no more, 1UP staff slashed — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 15:20:04 +0000

[...] TechCrunch mentioned the nuts and bolts of the deal, it doesn’t really grasp its spirit. That is to say regular [...]

By: David Millsaps

David Millsaps — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 15:12:00 +0000

A sad day indeed, some great journalists just lost their jobs. I second what Dave Werner said- 1up Yours and 1up Show were the best gaming podcasts out there. 1up show was the best video podcast hands down- it was produced so well- it’s a joke that UGO doesn’t recognize their value.

By: HC

HC — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:49:53 +0000

Completely agree with Michael. Maybe not a whole lot of people here are interested in video games and related sites, but I am and I think this was an extremely stupid move. They cancelled the 1up show and laid off the staff.

For some perspective, 1up was the only site that did not have (a lot of) screaming fanboys and high school drop-out “game journalists” as sites like Gametrailers and Kotaku. As such, it was a perfect place for me, a 30 yr. old dev to go on fridays to check up on the gaming scene. The 1up show staff had good production values and it really was a good show to watch once a week.

But someone (won’t name him) has already stated that they were already coming up with future plans within 10 mins. of hearing the news. The 1up show being cancelled, I won’t be visiting but will be following the 1up show team on twitter regarding their next venture.

By: Dave Werner

Dave Werner — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:45:15 +0000

Extremely sad news. EGM was on its last legs, but 1up Yours and the 1up Show were undoubtedly the best gaming podcasts out there, from production quality to the talented personalities involved. Here’s hoping those who were laid off find their next career steps soon.

By: Michael

Michael — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:34:28 +0000

There is nothing good about this announcement as far as I can see. A number of layoffs is an understatement as aside from a few exceptions, it seems that every well known person has been let go.

By: Tom

Tom — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:27:21 +0000

holly molly! times are changing – I still remember when UGO was nothing more than just a small network of couple gaming fansites

By: Robin Wauters

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:27:17 +0000

Oops, fixed, thanks. Hope I didn’t make too many people hopeful for a story on EMG dying

By: Matt

Matt — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:22:39 +0000

Electronic Gaming Monthly = EGM … EMG is a major music label. Whoops. (see: the headline)

By: inguaribile

inguaribile — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:12:38 +0000

Good news