PlayStation: The Official Magazine

PlayStation: The Official Magazine was a United States video-game publication devoted to Sony's PlayStation platform family. The magazine began in September 1997 under the name PSM, initially presenting itself as an independent PlayStation-focused title rather than as Sony's official publication. Its launch issue featured Final Fantasy VII, reflecting the magazine's emphasis on major games and the rapidly expanding audience for the original PlayStation. PSM covered PlayStation home consoles, handheld systems, games, accessories, and platform-related developments. Like many specialist game magazines of its period, it combined previews, reviews, news, features, strategy material, platform commentary, and promotional extras. Its publishing program also extended beyond the printed magazine through cover-mounted media, websites, online forums, a podcast, stickers, posters, and other inserts. Early issues were associated with a range of promotional items, including PlayStation lid stickers and memory-card label stickers. Unlike Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine, which was known for including demonstration discs, PSM used other forms of supplementary material during much of its run. The title became a significant specialist publication. The supplied reference material states that, according to independent ABC audits, it consistently outsold other PlayStation-dedicated magazines in the United States and abroad. PSM marked its tenth year of publication in 2007 and had undergone several redesigns, including a major redesign associated with its June 2006 issue. Its early visual identity included the anime-style mascot Banzai Chibi-Chan, created and illustrated by Robert DeJesus, as well as a smiley-face character wearing a star-patterned eyepatch. Both elements were later discontinued as the magazine's presentation and perceived audience evolved. The magazine's status changed during 2007. After Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine was discontinued, Sony Computer Entertainment announced on October 1, 2007, that PSM would become PlayStation: The Official Magazine. The final issue using the PSM name was the December 2007 issue, after which the Christmas 2007 issue adopted the new title. The change aligned the publication with the official-magazine naming used by Future's United Kingdom PlayStation publication, although the American title retained a distinct editorial history. Some original staff remained during the transition, but the remaining core editors eventually departed, and the official-magazine period became editorially distinct from the earlier independent PSM era. As PTOM, the magazine continued to cover PlayStation products and games while supporting Sony-related digital promotion. From the July 2008 issue through the June 2009 issue, it carried promotional codes for free versions of Qore, Sony's subscription-based interactive online magazine distributed through the PlayStation Store. The promotional versions did not contain every feature of the paid editions, including playable demos. PTOM also periodically included pullout posters used to promote forthcoming game releases. Future plc discontinued the magazine after 15 years of publication. Its final issue was the Christmas 2012 issue, ending a run that began with PSM in 1997 and continued for approximately five years under the PlayStation: The Official Magazine name. The publication is therefore a defunct magazine brand rather than an active PlayStation product line. Its documented legacy lies in its long-running specialist coverage of the PlayStation ecosystem, its transition from an independent magazine to a Sony-authorized official title, and its use of print, promotional, and online extensions during the transition from traditional game publishing to digital platform media.

PlayStation: The Official Magazine originated as PSM, a United States magazine dedicated to Sony's PlayStation ecosystem. Its first issue was dated September 1997 and featured Final Fantasy VII on the cover. At launch, PSM was positioned as an independent publication rather than as Sony's official magazine. Its editorial scope covered PlayStation consoles, handheld systems, games, accessories, and the surrounding platform community. The magazine developed during a period when dedicated console publications were important sources of gaming news, reviews, previews, strategy information, and buying advice. PSM built its identity around PlayStation-specific coverage and, according to the supplied reference material, consistently exceeded the circulation or sales performance of other PlayStation-dedicated magazines in the United States and abroad according to independent ABC audits. The publication was produced by Future plc, a company that also published the United Kingdom's PlayStation Official Magazine. The British PSM3 title was a related Future publication, but it was not the same American magazine. PSM's publishing model extended beyond the bound pages. Over its run it supported websites, online forums, cover-mounted material, and eventually a podcast. Early promotional features included stickers designed for PlayStation console lids, memory-card label stickers, and video-game tip sheets. The magazine also had a recognizable character program. Banzai Chibi-Chan, an anime-style mascot created and illustrated by Robert DeJesus, appeared prominently in the early period and was associated with merchandise and accessories. A smiley face wearing an eyepatch with a star was another recurring visual element. Both mascots were eventually retired as the publication redesigned itself and adjusted its presentation. The magazine experienced several redesigns, with the most recent major redesign before the title change associated with the June 2006 issue. PSM celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2007. That same year brought the central institutional change in the title's history. After Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine ended, Sony Computer Entertainment announced on October 1, 2007, that PSM would become PlayStation: The Official Magazine. The December 2007 issue was the final issue published as PSM, and the next Christmas issue carried the new official title. The transition did not simply constitute a cosmetic rebranding. Some members of the existing staff remained from December 2007 into January 2008, but the magazine subsequently lost its remaining core editors. As a result, the PTOM period became editorially separate from the earlier PSM era even though the new publication inherited the PlayStation subject focus and a continuity of brand recognition. The title's official status placed it within the broader family of PlayStation-branded publications while it remained published by Future plc. During its official period, PTOM continued to cover PlayStation games, hardware, and services and participated in promotional activity connected with Sony's digital offerings. From the July 2008 issue through the June 2009 issue, it provided codes for free promotional versions of Qore, an interactive online magazine sold through the PlayStation Store. These complimentary editions did not include every feature available to paying subscribers, including playable demos. PTOM also used occasional pullout posters to promote upcoming game releases. The magazine ended amid broader difficulties affecting Future's video-game magazine portfolio. The supplied reference material identifies the cancellation of other Future titles, most prominently Nintendo Power, as part of the wider circumstances surrounding the closure. PlayStation: The Official Magazine ceased publication with its Christmas 2012 issue. Its total life was approximately 15 years, counting the PSM years and the later official-magazine period. The result was a defunct United States magazine brand whose historical importance rests on its long-running PlayStation specialization, its independent-to-official transition, and its adaptation of print publishing to web, podcast, promotional, and digital-download formats.

• 2012

  Publication ends

  [1]PlayStation: The Official Magazineen.wikipedia.org

  Future plc publishes the Christmas 2012 issue as the magazine's final issue.

• 2009

  Qore promotion concludes

  [1]PlayStation: The Official Magazineen.wikipedia.org

  The documented run of Qore promotional codes ends with the June 2009 issue.

• 2008

  Qore promotion begins

  [1]PlayStation: The Official Magazineen.wikipedia.org

  The magazine begins carrying codes for promotional Qore downloads through the PlayStation Store.

• 2007

  Tenth anniversary and official-title announcement

  [1]PlayStation: The Official Magazineen.wikipedia.org

  PSM reaches ten years of publication, and Sony Computer Entertainment announces that it will become PlayStation: The Official Magazine.

• 2007

  Final PSM issue

  [1]PlayStation: The Official Magazineen.wikipedia.org

  The December issue is the final issue published under the PSM name.

• 2007

  PTOM title debuts

  [1]PlayStation: The Official Magazineen.wikipedia.org

  The Christmas 2007 issue is published as PlayStation: The Official Magazine.

• 2006

  Major redesign

  [1]PlayStation: The Official Magazineen.wikipedia.org

  The magazine undergoes a major redesign associated with its June 2006 issue.

• 1997

  PSM launches

  [1]PlayStation: The Official Magazineen.wikipedia.org

  The first issue of PSM is published in September, establishing a United States magazine devoted to PlayStation consoles, handheld systems, and games.

A specialist PlayStation-focused video-game magazine that evolved from an independent enthusiast publication into an officially branded United States magazine associated with Sony's PlayStation platform.

• Print magazine · 1997

  PSM

  The original title of the magazine, launched in September 1997 as an independent United States publication focused on Sony PlayStation consoles, handheld platforms, games, accessories, news, reviews, previews, features, and strategy material. PSM also developed associated websites, forums, podcast content, and physical promotional inserts.

• Official print magazine · 2007

  PlayStation: The Official Magazine

  The official-title successor to PSM, beginning with the Christmas 2007 issue. Published by Future plc, it continued specialist coverage of PlayStation hardware, software, games, services, and upcoming releases while adding promotional activity connected with Sony's PlayStation Store and Qore.

• 2008Qore promotional download-code program

  United States

  PTOM included codes for free promotional editions of Qore, Sony's interactive online PlayStation magazine, distributed through the PlayStation Store. The documented promotion ran from the July 2008 issue through the June 2009 issue.

  Outcome. The promotion ended after the June 2009 issue. The free editions had fewer features than paid Qore editions, including the absence of playable demos.

  Source
• PlayStation game poster promotions

  United States

  During its PTOM period, the magazine periodically used pullout posters to promote forthcoming PlayStation game releases.

  Source

• 2012

  End publicationStrategy

  Background

  Future plc faced setbacks affecting several of its video-game magazines, contributing to the decision to discontinue the title.

  Action taken

  Future published the Christmas 2012 issue as the final issue of PlayStation: The Official Magazine.

  Aftermath

  The magazine ended after approximately 15 years, including its PSM period and its later official-magazine period.

  Source

• 2008

  Add Qore promotional accessOther

  Background

  Sony was distributing Qore as a subscription-based interactive online magazine through the PlayStation Store.

  Action taken

  PTOM included codes for free promotional Qore editions in issues from July 2008 through June 2009.

  Aftermath

  The program connected the print publication with Sony's digital PlayStation media offerings, while the promotional editions remained more limited than paid Qore editions.

  Source

• 2007

  Adopt the PlayStation: The Official Magazine nameStrategy

  Background

  Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine had been discontinued, creating an opening for a new official United States PlayStation publication.

  Action taken

  Sony Computer Entertainment announced that the independently established PSM would become PlayStation: The Official Magazine. The December 2007 issue was the final PSM issue, followed by the Christmas 2007 issue under the new name.

  Aftermath

  The title entered an official-brand phase, although staff departures meant that the later magazine eventually became editorially distinct from the earlier PSM publication.

  Source

1. 1PlayStation: The Official Magazineen.wikipedia.org