PlayStation: The Official Magazine
PlayStation: The Official Magazine began its life under a different name and a fiercely independent identity. Launched in September 1997 with Final Fantasy VII on the cover, the publication known then as PSM: 100% Independent PlayStation Magazine carved out a niche covering every Sony PlayStation console and handheld platform on the market. Its boast of independence was not mere marketing; independent ABC audits confirmed it consistently outsold every other PlayStation-dedicated magazine in the United States and abroad. How did a scrappy independent title become the official voice of one of gaming's biggest brands, and what brought that voice to silence just five years later?
PSM launched in September 1997 with a cover story on Final Fantasy VII, a release that was itself reshaping what players expected from console role-playing games. Published by Future plc, which also put out the UK-based companion title PSM3, PSM operated without Sony's direct backing for a full decade. That independence shaped its identity. The magazine accumulated multiple redesigns over the years, with a notable refresh arriving in its June 2006 issue. By the time PSM marked ten years of publication with its 2007 issue, it had grown well beyond print pages, adding cover-mounted DVDs, websites, online forums, and a podcast near the end of its independent run.
On the 1st of October 2007, Sony Computer Entertainment announced that PSM would transform into PlayStation: The Official Magazine. The trigger was the discontinuation of Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine, which left Sony without an officially sanctioned print outlet in North America. The final issue under the PSM name arrived in December 2007; the Christmas 2007 issue carried the new title for the first time. The transition preserved the existing staff for a window running from December 2007 through January 2008. That continuity did not last. The magazine eventually lost its remaining core editors, leaving PTOM a publication that shared a lineage with PSM in name only.
Early issues of PSM featured an anime-style mascot named Banzai Chibi-Chan, created and illustrated by Robert DeJesus. The character appeared prominently enough to inspire branded apparel and other accessories. He was eventually dropped; the stated reason was that the character gave readers the wrong impression about the magazine's intended audience. A second mascot, a smiley face with an eye-patch bearing a star, also circulated through the magazine's pages and appeared on circular "lid-sticker" inserts designed to be placed decoratively on the lid of a PlayStation console. The very first issue included one of these stickers. Some lid-stickers featured characters from PlayStation games covered in that issue, while others offered memory card label stickers and game tip sheets rather than playable demo discs, distinguishing PSM from its rival Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine, which was known for bundling demos.
From the July 2008 issue through the June 2009 issue, PTOM bundled promotional codes for free downloads of Qore, a subscription-based interactive online magazine for the PlayStation 3 available through the PlayStation Store. The promotional editions of Qore provided to readers did not include all the features of the paid version, most notably playable demos. PTOM also periodically included pullout-style posters promoting upcoming video game releases, keeping a physical collectibility to the magazine even as digital platforms were beginning to absorb readers' attention.
PTOM ceased publication with its Christmas 2012 issue after 15 years of continuous printing across both its identities, 10 as PSM and 5 as PlayStation: The Official Magazine. Future plc cited the same pressures that had already ended Nintendo Power and other video game magazines it published. The Christmas 2012 issue closed a run that had opened in September 1997 with a Final Fantasy VII cover, weathered a rebranding, lost its founding editorial team, and outlasted most of its print competitors before the format's economics finally made continuation impossible.
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Common questions
What was PlayStation: The Official Magazine and when did it launch?
PlayStation: The Official Magazine (PTOM) was a US print magazine covering Sony PlayStation consoles and handhelds. It began in September 1997 as the independent PSM: 100% Independent PlayStation Magazine before rebranding as PTOM with its Christmas 2007 issue following a Sony announcement on the 1st of October 2007.
Why did PlayStation: The Official Magazine shut down?
PTOM ceased publication with its Christmas 2012 issue after 15 years of printing. Future plc, its publisher, attributed the closure to the same industry pressures that had already ended other video game magazines it published, most prominently Nintendo Power.
How long did PlayStation: The Official Magazine publish?
The magazine ran for 15 years in total, 10 as the independent PSM and 5 as PlayStation: The Official Magazine. It published 13 issues per year under the PTOM title.
Who created the PSM mascot Banzai Chibi-Chan?
Banzai Chibi-Chan was created and illustrated by Robert DeJesus. The anime-style mascot appeared in early PSM issues and inspired branded apparel and accessories before being dropped because editors felt the character gave the wrong impression about the magazine's intended audience.
What were the lid-stickers included with PSM magazine?
Lid-stickers were large, circular stickers bundled as inserts with PSM issues, designed to be placed decoratively on the lid of a PlayStation console. Some featured characters from games covered in that issue; the first issue of PSM included one. The magazine also offered memory card label stickers and game tip sheets as inserts, rather than the demo discs its rival Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine was known for providing.
What was Qore and how was it connected to PlayStation: The Official Magazine?
Qore was a subscription-based interactive online magazine for the PlayStation 3 available through the PlayStation Store. From the July 2008 issue through the June 2009 issue, PTOM bundled promotional codes for free Qore downloads, though the promotional editions excluded certain paid features such as playable demos.