After 33 years, the last official games mag has published its final issue

Future Publishing has officially “retired” its UK Official PlayStation Magazine, thus ending a 33-year stretch of official game publications.

In a note sent to subscribers on Friday, Future said that from its next issue, OPM UK would be rebranded as Play and maintain the same editorial team.

No reason was given for the change, but the rebrand suggests Future has not renewed its license with PlayStation.

OPM UK was the last of the official games mags, after Official Nintendo Magazine was closed in October 2014, followed by the shuttering of Official Xbox Magazine in April 2020. Both of those magazines were also published by Future.

The first official games magazine was Nintendo’s in-house Nintendo Power magazine, which operated from July 1988 until December 2012.

Future had held the license for the Official PlayStation Magazine since Sony’s first games console in 1995.

In the age before a mass-market internet, OPM was the world’s best-selling games magazine, peaking in 1999 with its 42nd issue which sold 453,571 copies, according to ABC.

The magazine was launched by veteran print journalist Steve Jarratt, who also oversaw the launch of Total!, Edge and the 2006 iteration of Official Nintendo Magazine.

According to Future’s website, the modern version of OPM had a print circulation of around 20,000.

The US version of Official PlayStation Magazine closed in 2012.

Future said in an e-mail sent to subscribers on Friday: “We’re getting in touch to let you know that the Official PlayStation Magazine has taken a well-earned retirement, and we’re making an exciting fresh start.

It added: “Our aim is for Play to go farther and deeper than ever before into the world of PlayStation gaming. And crucially, it’s made by the same team of writers, editors and designers, with the same deep industry access, quality writing, and pass for all things PlayStation.”