PlayStation magazines lose readership compared to Xbox and Nintendo
Future, a large publisher of gaming magazines in Europe, has posted some interesting figures regarding the performance of their platform-specific periodicals. The Official Xbox 360 magazine has increased its circulation 17%, from 56k to almost 66k for the six months ending December 2006. The Official Nintendo magazine has seen about a 12% rise in circulation, with numbers growing from about 43k to 48k.
However, their PlayStation publications have been suffering. The Official PlayStation numbers have dropped about 42%, down to 44,200 from 76,300. Does this mean that interest in Sony's platform is declining?
Not necessarily. These numbers were calculated before PS3 gained momentum. Also, the magazine's PS2 focus may be hurting it, as that platform starts its slow move into retirement. As the PlayStation library of games finally grows, we're willing to bet that magazine sales will increase in tandem. Also, a look at our readership shows that there is a huge demand for PS3 coverage -- demand that has increased significantly since E3 and Sony's price drop. It's undeniable that Future will most likely experience the same surge.
