UK publication Play Magazine is shutting down after 29 years

PLAY Magazine’s upcoming 46th issue on October 15 will be its last.

“The unfortunate truth is that at some point all games must come to an end,” wrote editor Oscar Taylor-Kent. “That time has now come for PLAY as well.”

The original incarnation of PLAY released in June 1995, and has focused on Sony’s PlayStation systems and games. It was initially considered a rival to Future Magazine’s Official PlayStation Magazine.

PLAY marks the second major video game publication to end in 2024. In August, Game Informer was closed down by GameStop after 33 years.

A short history of PLAY MagazineDuring its first run, PLAY became the longest-running PlayStation magazine in the UK. It stopped selling print editions in 2016, and briefly became a digital-only publication before shutting down later that year.

Then in 2021, Future (which had acquired PLAY’s owner Imagine Publishing in 2016), resurrected the magazine as a replacement for Official PlayStation Magazine UK (OPM). Staff from that team were brought over to head up the new PLAY.

According to Taylor-Kent, the revived PLAY was initially meant to be named PSM, owing to Future’s then-magazines PSM2 and PSM3, which focused on Sony’s respective consoles and shut down in 2012.

Instead, a sudden pivot led to the name change, which he says “means every PLAY issue has been secretly moonlighting as PSM as well. It’s why I’ve always considered this version of the magazine a combo of the legacies of Official PlayStation Magazine, PSM, and PLAY.”

The final PLAY issue on October 15 will feature eulogies from current and past staff at the magazine, along with alumni from PSM and OPM.

We hope you enjoy reading this historic issue,” wrote Taylor-Kent. “It’s been a blast, truly. For now, I’m signing off. Enjoy playing the next one!”

About the Author

Contributing Editor, GameDeveloper.com

A Kansas City, MO native, Justin Carter has written for numerous sites including IGN, Polygon, and SyFy Wire. In addition to Game Developer, his writing can be found at io9 over on Gizmodo. Don’t ask him about how much gum he’s had, because the answer will be more than he’s willing to admit.