Short answers, pulled from the story.
Next Generation was a US video game magazine published from January 1995 to January 2002 that focused on the video game industry rather than individual games. Unlike competitors GamePro and Electronic Gaming Monthly, it covered game development, business, and industry trends from an analytical perspective.
Next Generation was published by Jonathan Simpson-Bint and edited by Neil West. Other editors included Chris Charla, Tom Russo, and Blake Fischer. It was published by Imagine Media, formerly GP Publications, and was affiliated with the UK magazine Edge.
Next Generation magazine ran from January 1995 until January 2002. It was first published by GP Publications, which rebranded as Imagine Media in May 1995, and ceased publication after seven years.
Next Generation did not use bylines on most content because the editors felt the entire staff should share credit or responsibility for each article and review, even those written by individual contributors. This collective authorship policy was a deliberate editorial choice.
After closing in January 2002, the Next Generation brand was revived in 2005 by Future Publishing USA as the website Next-Gen.biz, which carried similar industry-focused editorial and reprinted articles from Edge. In July 2008, Next-Gen.biz was rebranded as Edge-Online.com.
Next Generation used a one-through-five star rating system that judged games based on their merits compared to other games already available, rather than against an abstract standard. The magazine also avoided screenshots, walkthroughs, and cheat codes, focusing instead on game development from an artistic perspective.