PS4, Xbox, Switch SHOCK: Terrible news for gamers as massive gaming company faces closure (Pic: DS)
Casual and hardcore gamers were faced with some quite terrible news this week as an old favourite company within the gaming sphere announced it was to shut down.
An article published by EGM Now reported that the strategy guide company Prima Games will cease production of its guides and close down by Spring 2019.
Prima Games – which is part of the Penguin Random House publishing company – will be closing down as a result of 'market conditions' and Penguin Random House notes that closing the company was an "extremely difficult decision."
The EGM report noted that employees at Prima offices in New York, Indianapolis, and Roseville, California will be impacted by the closure, though the company explains that it cannot yet comment on any potential layoffs.
But what does that mean for gamers?
Guidebooks like these from Prima Games will cease in 2019 (Pic: PRIMA)
Prima Games have for a long time been the first port of call for players who wanted to read up on walkthroughs or strategies for specific games.
The company – who for decades have been the go-to for developers wanting to land the official strategy guides to their games – will no longer commission new strategy guides, and will cease operations by Spring 2019.
This means that, in the short term – especially following Black Friday sales and the run up to Christmas – gamers may be unable to find official strategy guides for the biggest and best new games.
It's quite possible though that another publisher (possibly Scholastic or Future Publishing) will pick up the rights to upcoming titles in the future.
Trending
Unfortunately, the announcement is very much indicative of the current climate associated with print magazines and papers.
Dwindling sales and increased competition with online sites has meant that the need for £10+ glossy back Prima guides has fallen dramatically.
The fact is, there is simply no shortage of online guides to games these days, covering a broader range of titles, and usually accessible online for free.
Likewise, given that sweeping changes to games can sometimes render certain guides obsolete, it's harder than ever for these guidebooks to remain relevant.
For example, Destiny 2, which has been completely transformed compared to game which existed at launch.
Nevertheless, it's a shame to see such a notable gaming institution close down and we wish the employees at the company the best in their future endeavours.
Related articles
[contf] [contfnew]
