If you are like myself, you are of the generation that grew up eagerly awaiting the next issue of Nintendo Power to come in the mail. Without a doubt, for quite a while, Nintendo was the powerhouse of home gaming, very unlike the current marketplace. We live in a world now where Nintendo is one of many companies to release home consoles and often gets lost in the shuffle. When Nintendo was on top of the world, though? Look out. Nintendo’s dominance in the home market was part of what made them so special, and part of what made their flagship magazine, Nintendo Power, such a long-lasting part of gaming history.
It appears that Nintendo Power might be coming to an end, though, as reported today by Ars Technica. Nintendo Power, currently run by Future, who also run such properties as MacLife and GamesRadar, alerted Nintendo Power’s staff last week and will begin transitioning them to other roles within Future. Ars Technica heard from multiple sources about the shutdown, and it appears that Nintendo Power’s run is indeed coming to a halt in the very near future. This shut-down follows the shut-down of GamePro last year, and for many gamers who grew up during the golden age of print magazines, just about puts a few final nails in the coffin.
To be entirely honest, the fact that it is 2012 and a magazine dedicated to one console, and a magazine as old as that still existed is really amazing. On top of that, a lot of the audience for those magazines have dwindled down as gamers age and move on to other interests or even other game consoles. Nintendo Power was truly an interesting part of gaming history and it will be sad to see it go. Its departure really solidifies just how much the world of gaming has changed in the past 15 years.
