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Post by leunas on Jan 22, 2007 18:24:05 GMT -5
 GameSetWatch's Kevin Gifford published a piece that finally explains what the big deal is with Japanese game magazine Famitsu. Not caring what Famitsu thinks about games is a big faux pas in the industry. Those who dare state publicly they could care less what some random Japanese magazine thinks are shunned in some circles. Most of the time journalists who cite the magazine for being über have never even read it -- but apparently it's respected as the holy grail of game journalism, so in the words of the Beatles, we'll follow their words of wisdom and "let it be." Gifford explains that the multi-editor score card originated with Famitsu and EGM went on to copy it. According to the article, Famitsu's scores actually matter though because they've been said to directly influence sales. The magazine has also not been immune to the shrinking print publishing industry, losing almost 40 percent of its circulation in the last six years. Gifford's piece gives a great rundown of this supposedly venerable magazine. He should have called the article: Everything you always wanted to know about Famitsu* but were afraid to ask pretentious geeks. feeds.joystiq.com/~r/weblogsinc/joystiq/~3/79216528/ |
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Post by leunas on Jan 23, 2007 3:32:14 GMT -5
The Meaning of FamitsuFamitsu might have sold its soul for exclusives. And yes the magazine often reads like a press release. But, it does matter. GameSetWatch has a great column from Kevin Gifford on why. Writes Gifford: Famitsu is still the largest game mag in Japan, although its claimed circulation has dropped mightily — from 800,000 in 2000 to 500,000 today, although in a marketplace dominated by newsstand sales, the number of copies actually sold is undoubtedly much lower. It's the only game mag routinely on sale in newsstands and train-station kiosks in Japan, and its name is so trusted that Famitsu's editors have written game-industry articles in the past for national newspapers in Japan. This prestige is mainly thanks to a revolutionary (for its time) page structure and its weekly sales rankings — Famitsu was the first mag in Japan to attempt to estimate actual product sales instead of simply giving a general game ranking. There's also a look back at the first issue of the then called Famicon Tsushin, which included a Top 30 with sales figures based off only three stores in Tokyo and two in Osaka. The magazine even had a US correspondent back in 1986. No matter what you think of Famitsu, this GSW piece is a must-read. kotaku.com/gaming/famitsu/the-meaning-of-famitsu-230289.php
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