Game Informer began as a six-page circular handed out for free inside a single video game store in August 1991. David R. Pomijie, the owner of FuncoLand, wanted a better way to spend his advertising dollars than traditional print ads. The first editor-in-chief was Elizabeth Olson, who worked alongside Andy McNamara as her editorial assistant. By 1993, Olson and McNamara became coeditors-in-chief, and McNamara eventually took sole control of the publication. The magazine started as a bi-monthly release before shifting to a monthly schedule in November 1994. This humble beginning would evolve into one of the most influential voices in video game journalism, eventually reaching a circulation of over 8 million copies by 2011. The magazine's success was inextricably linked to its parent company, GameStop, which acquired FuncoLand in 2000. This acquisition allowed Game Informer to become a central part of the retailer's customer loyalty program, Power Up Rewards, driving massive distribution numbers that independent magazines could never match.
The Power Of The Print Run
By 2010, Game Informer had become the fifth largest magazine in the United States, surpassing major publications like Time, Sports Illustrated, and Playboy. The following year, it climbed to third place with 8 million copies circulated, a feat attributed to its strong relationships with game publishers and the lack of competition in the gaming magazine space. The magazine utilized a unique scoring system where staff rated games on a scale of 1 to 10 with quarter-point intervals. A score of 1 to 5 was considered terrible, while a 10 was reserved for rare, outstanding games. The publication also featured an annual Top 50 Games list and an E3 Hot 50 section that reviewed the year's Electronic Entertainment Expo. In 2019, the magazine reached a peak of 7 million copies sold, yet financial struggles began to mount. The decline in circulation and revenue eventually led to significant cuts in 2019, where about half of the staff was let go as part of a larger effort by GameStop to improve its financial performance. These layoffs included veterans who had worked at the publication for over a decade, and the departures triggered a chain reaction of resignations among remaining staff.The Exodus Of The Editors
In late June 2020, longtime Editor-in-Chief Andy McNamara announced his departure to become the Global Director of Integrated Comms for Shooters & Star Wars at Electronic Arts. He returned briefly to give his final review of The Last of Us Part II before leaving the publication. McNamara stated that the layoffs had a significant impact on his decision to move on. Following his exit, former senior editor Andrew Reiner took over as Editor-in-Chief, but the instability continued. In July 2022, three more staff members, including Creative Director Jeff Akervik, were laid off after working at the publication for over 14 years. Reiner himself left in September 2022 to become a game developer, leaving Game Informer with no original staff. Matt Miller, who had been with the magazine since 2004, was promoted to Editor-in-Chief. The situation was further complicated by the departure of long-time staff members like Ben Hanson, who started his own podcast called MinnMax and recruited some of the laid-off Game Informer staff. These events marked a period of significant turnover and uncertainty for the publication, stripping away the institutional knowledge that had built the magazine over three decades.