Blizzard To Publish World of Warcraft MagazineAug 25th, 2009 at 3:37 PM by WaxPaper

One of the "smaller" pieces of news that came out of BlizzCon this year was the announcement that Blizzard will be licensing out an official World of Warcraft magazine. The first issue, due out sometime within the next few months, will be a 148-page quarterly print publication, "packed with fascinating features, in-depth interviews, expert analysis and player points-of-view covering all aspects of World of Warcraft," according to the preview description on the magazine's official website, which just launched recently.

The website is already accepting one- and two-year subscriptions. A one-year subscription is $39.95 USD, and the two-year subscription is $69.95. It appears to be a joint venture between Blizzard and Future US, Inc., a San Francisco-based subsidiary of the international publisher, Future plc. According to its website, Future US, Inc. is the current publisher of Nintendo Power, PC Gamer and Official Xbox Magazine, among others.

One could predict that the quality of the upcoming World of Warcraft magazine will be higher than many other fly-by-night video game rags you've probably seen on supermarket shelves, if for no other reason than it's been licensed out to a more reputable publisher than most. But like any other magazine, it's going to depend on the editors and writing team more than any other factor.

Tags: News, WorldofWarcraft

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# Aug 26 2009 at 6:57 PM Rating: Decent
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"packed with fascinating features, in-depth interviews, expert analysis and player points-of-view covering all aspects of World of Warcraft,"


Meaning exclusive content, not the "news" (rumors) that the free websites put out. Although I'll have little interest in buying it, I'm sure there are plenty of people who will. I'm also quite sure a multi-billion dollar company like Blizzard did plenty of market research to make certain there would be a demand for the product before leaping to the decision to publish. They have proven to be very shrewd at marketing over the years. Your prediction is obviously an overreaction.

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Print media is dead.


Just a bit of an exaggeration there.
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# Aug 27 2009 at 6:07 AM Rating: Decent
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Meaning exclusive content, not the "news" (rumors) that the free websites put out.


Feh. What can they print? Interviews? (A) Who cares and (B) how many issues can they carry that on, when pretty much everyone involved with the game has already been interviewed.

Player points of view? Hello, internet message boards!

Expert analysis? Yep, we get that on-line also.


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Just a bit of an exaggeration there.


Actually, no it isn't. Look at the high number of magazines that are going down the tubes. If you had been watching the industry (which I have been and you obviously have not) you would notice that more and more people are realizing that there's no point in buying a publication that has information 3-6 weeks old due to printing schedules when you can find it up-to-the-minute and free on-line.

Companies have already tried publishing WoW magazines. They've lasted all of one or two issues. And those guys tried it monthly. Now Bliz is going to wait for 3 months between issues? In the information age, that material will be ancient history before it hits the stand.
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# Aug 27 2009 at 1:28 PM Rating: Default
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Yngvie wrote:

Feh. What can they print? Interviews? (A) Who cares and (B) how many issues can they carry that on, when pretty much everyone involved with the game has already been interviewed.

Player points of view? Hello, internet message boards!

Expert analysis? Yep, we get that on-line also.


The point is that YOU and YOUR views do not represent the 12 million other people who play WoW and are potential buyers of the magazine. As I stated, I also have no interest in the publication, but I'm smart enough to realize that many other people do not feel the same way I do. Just because YOU don't care, doesn't mean that many other people don't. If you aren't aware that YOU do not speak for the rest of the gaming world by now, I pity you and those who have to deal with you on a daily basis.
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Actually, no it isn't. Look at the high number of magazines that are going down the tubes. If you had been watching the industry (which I have been and you obviously have not) you would notice that more and more people are realizing that there's no point in buying a publication that has information 3-6 weeks old due to printing schedules when you can find it up-to-the-minute and free on-line.

Companies have already tried publishing WoW magazines. They've lasted all of one or two issues. And those guys tried it monthly. Now Bliz is going to wait for 3 months between issues? In the information age, that material will be ancient history before it hits the stand.


You obviously did not understand what was stated about the content of the magazine. Nowhere does it say that the magazine would publish any time-sensitive information that would be out-dated by your assumptions. In your rush to trash something that you know absolutely nothing about you try to pass your OPINION off as fact. Also, for your information, magazines come and go all the time. Always have, and always will. The publication industry survives and even flourishes in many quarters despite massive internet usage. By no means is "print media dead" as you stated with your broad I-know-everything-you-know-nothing paintbrush.

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Companies have already tried publishing WoW magazines.


Were any of those companies named Blizzard?

Lastly, I see you did not address my point that Blizzard would not launch such a project without consulting PROFESSIONAL market research to reasonably ensure that there was a market for such a publication. Have you done this to prove otherwise? No? Just trying to pass off your opinion as fact again? I have no idea whether or not this thing will be a success. Only time will tell. Obviously Blizzard thinks it will go, and their track record of success is quite impressive. But what do they know. Maybe they should consult you before launching any new products that are doomed to failure like all the other massive failures they've had previously. I'm sure you can set them straight.
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# Aug 27 2009 at 4:58 PM Rating: Decent
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Just because YOU don't care, doesn't mean that many other people don't. If you aren't aware that YOU do not speak for the rest of the gaming world by now, I pity you and those who have to deal with you on a daily basis.


Didn't even bother to read the rest of your drivel after that. By attacking me instead of my opinion, it shows that you have no confidence in what you are saying.

Try again when you can act like an adult, ok?
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# Aug 27 2009 at 5:53 PM Rating: Decent
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I'm literally laughing out loud at who's calling who not an adult. I'm not going to attack your opinion because you are entitled to that, like everyone else. It's your insistance that your opinion is fact that is in question. If you can't understand that, then I think this discussion is over. And by the way, everyone knows you read the rest of my "drivel".
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The problem
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# Aug 26 2009 at 3:08 PM Rating: Decent
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As I see it the biggest problems is that a world of warcraft would get very dated quick as the game is in constant change with patches and hot fixes, I still like reading magazines and im a bit tempted to get a subscription on the magazine.
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Gimme an F-A-I-L! What does it spell???
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# Aug 26 2009 at 9:36 AM Rating: Decent
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MASSIVE FAIL!

QUARTERLY? Good god, Bliz... so you're thinking that people will buy a magazine that's loaded with news that the FREE web sites posted a month or more previously?

Just what can you put in this magazine that the web sites won't have? The only thing that can be done is that Bliz can use it to push the company line.

Print media is dead.
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