Publisher blames console transition for poor mag sales

Future Publishing executive James Ashton blamed the console transition and growth of mainstream video game coverage for poor magazine sales today. Said Ashton in speaking with Games Industry, "[Transitions] always depress the magazine market... Game magazines sell to the most committed members of the gaming community, and with PlayStation in a transition, the numbers are what the numbers are." But overall game mag sales continue to decline, so let's just state the obvious; print doesn't lend itself well to ephemeral news anymore. Focus on "compelling and rich" editorials, and the medium will still hold a seminal place in the industry. But I can't guarantee the discontinuance of a waning audience.