Strategy Guide Maker Prima Games to Shutter Next Spring

Megalith

Megalith

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With the internet being such a vast resource, the inevitable has come to pass: Prima Games, the largest video game strategy guide publisher, is closing next year due to “the proliferation of game guide websites over the past decade.” Many say it’s incredible they lasted this long.

"During a year-long extensive review, many new ways were explored to diversify Prima Games publishing; however, the dynamics for us of this fast-paced landscape have continued to prove difficult," Ian Hudson, DK's CEO, wrote in a memo. "This enormously dedicated team has made every effort to turn the business around, but challenging market conditions have unfortunately worked against them."
 
Really sucks. Used to buy their stuff back in the day all the time. Like Paul said - end of an era.
 
This is a pity. I understand that there are plenty of guide websites today, but relatively few of them are done anywhere near as well or as comprehensively as a quality guide from "old school" Prima, Piggyback, or a few others. This is to say nothing for the kind of neat exclusive artwork/making of stuff that you'd usually get included. M The majority of guide-related websites today are a piecemeal setup of varying pages and stacked with ads (if you don't have good ad/tracker blockers); there is also a place for old school GameFAQs style text-only comprehensive guides, but both of those differ from the kind of experience you would get as an overall package from a professional class guidebook.

Granted, I get that people don't want to spend $20-40+ on these books any longer when something "good enough" can be searched, but I thought that these guide makers could have evolved as well, taking their strengths along with them. Transition to e-guides of the same quality, in basic formats like PDF or EPUB, frequently update them as the game is developed and DLC is released, and give them a reasonably low price - I think many would buy a $5-10 guide rather than churn through poorer quality sites; at least enough to support the ongoing development.
 
last guide I ever bought was the nice hard cover one for FO4. I actually still kind of like using book guides.
 
I have a couple floating around. The last one is from Manhunt 2 I think.... I prefer them to websites because they don't have pop ups and they have tidbits about the making of or history of the game that the website guides don't have.

They should shift from game guides to "Making of" books.

I don't know how many times I've read The Making of Doom 3 or Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar.
 
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For console fighting games back in the day (PS1 & PS2) these guides were invaluable. So many fond memories learning all the characters moves in Tekken 2 from my Prima guide.
 
Megalith said:
many new ways were explored to diversify Prima Games publishing
Click to expand...

I wonder if Prima Games considered striking deals with indie devs to publish and distribute "after market" game manuals? I'd gladly pay an extra $5-$20 at the local game/book store/amazon for a flashy Factorio manual, or Stardew Valley, or RimWorld, Subanutica, Don't Starve, and a dozen other games I played to death.

You'd need to iron out the Early Access & Added Content wrinkles, but I really miss those full sized manuals from "back in the good old days". Was one of my favorite and most memorable experiences in gaming that seems to have faded away. Now, even when you pay full release price for the boxed game, you get box with a download code printed on a narrow strip of recycled toilet paper.

/Getoffmylawn
 
I still have my Fallout 3 and Bioshock guides at my parents house. I used to buy them for the screenshots and artwork, not so much for the guide.
 
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Huh, thought they were dead already. Last one I bought was Starcraft. The first one. Maybe I had one for Fallout 2, I think a friend gave that one to me. Late 90's stuff.

Like so many other businesses, the internet ate their lunch.
 
Perhaps they could have moved to an online forum and charged a monthly fee for early access to guides, then releasing them for free after a set amount of time. That way, you get the quality for free if you wish, you just have to wait. Have tasteful add placement on the website.

i like the idea of the "making of..." videos. Also, some professionally done walk throughs would be great.

something else that would be pimp AF IMO, would be walk throughs that you could download and add in to the game so it could alert you to achievements or hard to find/do things in that area. make it non intrusive, just a simple button press to activate a voice over or link that would pause the game and go to a site.

ah who knows, thats prolly been done and failed miserably lol.
 
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