Future US
Future US started life not in New York or San Francisco, but in Greensboro, North Carolina, where a struggling video game magazine publisher called GP Publications was putting out a title called Game Players. In 1994, Future plc acquired that small outfit and set a chain of events in motion that would eventually make the company the publisher of official magazines for every major console on the market. The questions worth asking: how did a niche games press operation become a sprawling media corporation with offices in four American cities? And what did the boom years of the late 1990s internet economy have to do with both its rise and its near-collapse?
GP Publications sat in Greensboro, North Carolina, when Future plc bought it in 1994. The new owner wasted little time moving the operation west, relocating to the San Francisco Bay Area and setting up at various properties in Burlingame and South San Francisco. The company launched PC Gamer during this period, a title that would become one of its most durable. Chris Anderson, the founder of Future plc, sold Future to Pearson plc but kept hold of GP Publications rather than letting it pass to the new owner. He renamed the retained company Imagine Media, Inc. in June 1995 and ran it as his sole enterprise for several years. That decision to hold on to the American operation would shape everything that followed.
Business 2.0 became the engine that carried Future through the late 1990s internet surge. The magazine succeeded first in the United States, then spread to the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Germany, giving the company a multinational footprint it had not previously held. During that same boom period, Future won the exclusive worldwide rights to produce the official magazine for Microsoft's Xbox video game console. That deal positioned the company as a recognized authority in the games market at a moment when console gaming was attracting mainstream attention and advertiser money in volumes the trade press had rarely seen before.
Spring 2001 brought a reckoning. Economic factors and a broad market downturn forced Future Network USA into what the company described as a strategic reset. Titles and internet operations closed. Business 2.0, the publication that had fueled the company's international expansion, was sold to AOL/Time Warner. The scale of the contraction was significant: in 2001 the company shut down 20 magazines spread across the US, the UK, France, and Germany, along with five websites. More than 350 employees, representing over 17 percent of the workforce, were laid off. The company that had ridden the internet economy skyward now had to rebuild on a narrower foundation.
On the 19th of September 2007, Nintendo and Future US jointly announced that Future US would take over publishing rights to Nintendo Power magazine. The arrangement took effect with issue 222, the December 2007 edition. Less than two weeks later, on the 1st of October 2007, it was announced that Future US would launch PlayStation: The Official Magazine, replacing the existing PSM and reaching newsstands in November 2007. That second deal completed a remarkable sweep: Future US was now the American publisher of official magazines for Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft, all three major console manufacturers at the time. No other publisher in the US market held that position.
In February 2008, Future US invested in N4G, a video game news aggregator owned by Vegard and Havard Aure. 2012 brought two significant changes: NewBay Media purchased the Music division of Future US, and PlayStation: The Official Magazine closed. Six years later, in 2018, Future reversed course and bought NewBay outright, reacquiring the majority of assets it had previously sold. The company used that purchase to strengthen its US presence, particularly in the business-to-business segment. In May 2021, Future US acquired the rights to Marie Claire from Hearst Communications; the parent company, Future plc, had already secured the UK rights to Marie Claire through its 2020 acquisition of TI Media. In August 2024, Future US announced that Broadcasting and Cable and Multichannel News would both close on the 30th of September 2024.
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Common questions
What is Future US and what does it publish?
Future US, Inc. is an American media corporation specializing in magazines and websites covering video games, music, and technology. It is headquartered in New York City, with additional offices in Alexandria, Virginia; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Washington, D.C. It is owned by Future plc, a specialist media company based in Bath, Somerset, England.
When was Future US founded and what was its original name?
Future US was established in 1994 when Future plc acquired GP Publications, a struggling video game magazine publisher based in Greensboro, North Carolina. The company was later renamed Imagine Media, Inc. in June 1995, and subsequently became known as The Future Network USA before taking its current name.
Did Future US publish the official Nintendo Power magazine?
Future US obtained the publishing rights to Nintendo Power magazine following an announcement made on the 19th of September 2007. The arrangement began with issue 222, the December 2007 edition.
How many employees did Future US lay off during the 2001 downturn?
Future US laid off more than 350 employees in 2001, representing over 17 percent of its total workforce. The company also closed 20 magazines across the US, UK, France, and Germany, along with five websites.
What console official magazines did Future US publish in the US?
Future US published the official magazines for all three major console manufacturers in the US: the Nintendo Power magazine for Nintendo, PlayStation: The Official Magazine for Sony, and the official Xbox magazine for Microsoft. The Nintendo Power and PlayStation deals were both completed in late 2007.
When did Future US acquire the Marie Claire brand in the United States?
Future US acquired the rights to Marie Claire from Hearst Communications in May 2021. Parent company Future plc had already secured the UK rights to Marie Claire through its acquisition of TI Media in 2020.