The downside of disruption

Game Developer goes the way of Computer Gaming World:

Had I written this editorial two weeks earlier, I’d probably be writing about how enthusiastic I am to introduce our first-ever mobile-themed issue. In the past few years, mobile games have grown into a part of the industry no developer can afford to ignore, and the fact that Game Developer hasn’t ever devoted an entire issue to the topic until now is rather shortsighted on our part.

Then I found out that Game Developer’s parent company UBM Tech was axing all its print publications. That’s right – if you haven’t already heard, Game Developer’s last official issue is the next one (June-July). Stick around for it; it’s gonna be good.

Interesting timing, as I just happened to hear from the immortal Dr. Johnny Wilson last week. I still very much miss the old CGW from its glory days of the early and mid-1990s.  I used to read that thing from cover to cover the moment it arrived in the mail. And I’m still looking for that 1993(?) issue that Mike Weksler wrote about 3D graphics about me and Chris Taylor; if anyone has a copy of it somewhere or can even ID the issue, I would appreciate it.

I can’t say I’ll miss Game Developer anywhere nearly as much, but it was a good magazine, even if occasionally a little too much given to articles stating the total obvious by lesser developers and idiotic demands for more transgendered and Esquimaux developers.  But it is still a loss to the game development world, and demonstrates what too often happens when a small company, successful in its niche, sells out to a larger corporation.