Geoffrey Chaucer, the medieval author and poet, is attributed with writing, “There is an end to everything, to good things as well.” The latest victim to fall prey to this classic idiom is none other than GamePro, the videogame-centric publication thousands of gamers grew up with.
A banner atop the GamePro website reads as follows:
“Thank you for your loyalty, support, and participation in the GamePro.com community. At noon on December 5, 2011, the U.S. version of GamePro online will shut down as an independent site. GamePro will become part of PCWorld.com offering gaming news, reviews, and how-tos from the PCWorld team. Thank you to the entire GamePro staff for their hard work and dedication.”
After more than 20 years in publication, GamePro’s U.S. operations have been laid to rest by parent company, IDG. The number of staffers being laid off is unknown, but GamePro President Marci Yamaguchi Hughes will remain on-board for the transition to GamePro Custom Solutions, which is to be a custom publishing and solutions business, according to IndustryGamers.
GamePro recently cut back on its number of published issues, transitioning from a monthly publication to a quarterly one. And GamePro.com just experienced its highest-ever amount of traffic last week, doubling the previous all-time-high.
“The ad dollars just weren’t there, and unfortunately layoffs of staff are being implemented,” an IDG spokesman told IndustryGamers.
