GameStop pulls the plug on Game Informer after 33 years as an industry staple

Game Informer has been a cornerstone of gaming coverage for more than three decades, but GameStop officially pulled the plug just months after the publication launched a new standalone magazine subscription. Game Informer posted a final farewell on Twitter, but it was reportedly done without input from the remaining team. After years of spiraling earnings and massive layoffs by GameStop, the fight to keep Game Informer alive has been abruptly ended.

GameStop shuts down Game Informer and lays off entire team

If you walked into a GameStop at any point in the last few decades, there's a pretty high chance that you ended up a Game Informer subscriber for at least a year or two. The longest-running gaming magazine in the US debuted in August 1991 as an in-house newsletter from video game retailer FuncoLand, and GameStop's acquisition of that company also brought Game Informer under their umbrella.

GameStop decided to integrate Game Informer as part of their Power Up Rewards customer loyalty program, and that meant gamers could get an annual magazine subscription along with a regular discount on every pre-owned game in the store. It was an easy call for regular customers, and Game Informer grew into one of the largest magazines in the country featuring regular reviews, news, previews, exclusives, and interviews.

Unfortunately, the shifting nature of video game sales and GameStop's inability to adapt to a largely digital marketplace has led to multiple waves of layoffs. The first major blow for Game Informer came when nearly half of their staff were let go in August 2019, but remaining staff and editors have fought hard to keep the publication alive.

Standing strong through departures and even more layoffs, Game Informer launched a standalone print subscription in March 2024 in hopes of keeping the magazine alive. Less than five months after that effort began, GameStop has put an end to Game Informer.

According to a report by Kotaku, GameStop's VP of HR notified the team on August 2 that the publication would be shut down immediately and everyone was being laid off. The news came so abruptly that "at least one staffer was in the middle of a work trip when the team was told," and their next issue was "about 70% done." With this news, Game Informer Issue 367 featuring a Dragon Age: The Veilguard cover story will be their last.