GameStar

GameStar is a monthly-released PC gaming magazine in Germany. It is the best-selling German-language magazine focused on PC gaming and it also hosts the largest video gaming-related portal in the German-speaking internet.

GameStar
Editor-in-chiefHeiko Klinge
Former editorsJochen Gebauer
Michael Trier
Gunnar Lott
Circulation63.189 (01/2015)[1]
PublisherWebedia
FounderJörg Langer
FoundedSeptember 1997
CountryGermany
LanguageGerman, English (US division)
Websitegamestar.de
gamestar.com
OCLC315108087

GameStar.de is the largest PC gaming web portal in the German-speaking internet and one of the largest web portals in the entirety of the German-speaking internet.[2] The magazine also comes with a DVD, which features Demos, Mods, video-reviews as well as a full retail version of a videogame.[3]

Content

GameStar has been in published in various versions with different features. This includes the magazine version (which does not include any DVDs and is thus cheaper), a "normal" edition, which includes one DVD, and a XL Version, which contains 2 DVDs. The magazine for subscribers has less advertisement and shows a larger front-page picture. Until mid-2005 a CD-only version was also available, but it was decided that DVD-readers in Computers had become widespread enough, and so the CD-version was deemed unnecessary. Instead the XL version appeared for the first time.[3]

GameStar also hosts a large internet forum, the GSPB (GameStar Pinboard). It is one of largest internet forums in the German-speaking internet.[4]

History and editorship

GameStar was founded by Charles Glimm, Jörg Langer und Toni Schwaiger with the IDG Entertainment Media GmbH as publisher and debuted in September 1997, with Jörg Langer as editor-in-chief.[5][6]

The new magazine soon gained a lot of popularity. By the fourth quarter of 1999 it sold about 333,000 issues per month, in 2000 it overtook competitor PC Games as the largest German language videogames magazine in Europe.[7]

Original Gamestar.com logo
The original logo of GameStar

IDG also started GameStar sister magazines in Italy, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic[8] and the United States. The US version was, quite differently from the rest, positioned as a magazine for adults, about PC and console games, similar to inCite. However they all folded after a few months due to disappointing sales. The only long term launch was achieved in Hungary. In 2005, GameStar spawned a sister magazine called /GameStar/dev which is targeted at European Game Developers. GameStar also has a sister magazine named GamePro, which focuses on console games. Incidentally its headquarters are right next-door to the GameStar office.[9][10]

In April 2015 GameStar and its sister magazine GamePro were sold by IDG to the French publisher Webedia.[11]

Jörg Langer was succeeded by Gunnar Lott as editor-in-chief, followed by Michael Trier on 1 December 2007. As of June 2016, editor-in-Chief is Heiko Klinge.[12][13]

GameStar also held a popular known E-Sports-League, the GameStar Clanliga, featuring games such a Warcraft III, Counter-Strike as well as Tactical Ops.[14]

Sales and popularity

After it launched, GameStar was able to steadily gain in popularity. By the fourth quarter of 1999, it had sold about 331.535 issues per month and in 2000 it overtook its competitor PC Games as the largest German-language PC game magazine in Europe.[7] Since then, GameStar has kept the spot as the best-selling German-language PC gaming-focused magazine in Europe.[6][1]

Like the whole print market, GameStar was affected by diminishing sales. In 2008, the average monthly circulation was 250,000 copies, but by January 2015 sold issues per month had dropped to 63,189. Despite the drop, GameStar remains the highest-selling German -language PC gaming-focused magazine in Europe.[1][15]

References
  1. IVW statistics (database), GameStar for IV/1997 – IV/2015
  2. "AGOF digital facts: website statistics February 2016" (PDF). agof.de. Arbeitsgemeinschaft Online Forschung. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  3. "GameStar archive" (in German). Gamestar.de. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  4. "Big-Boards ranking". Archived from the original on 2 May 2013. Retrieved 11 June 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. "GameStar history" (in German). Gamestar.de. 29 August 2012. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  6. "IDG press release: IDG Launches GameStar Magazine In Germany". International Data Group (IDG). Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  7. IVW statistics (database), GameStar for IV/1997 – IV/2000
  8. ".:: GameStar ::". 15 June 2006. Archived from the original on 15 June 2006. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  9. Gunnar Lott (5 September 2012). "German GamePro history". GamePro (in German). GamePro.de. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  10. "/GameStar/dev launch" (in German). PCWelt.de. 15 July 2005. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  11. Peter Steinlechner. "GameStar and GamePro sold to Webedia" (in German). Golem.de. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  12. Vanessa Goebel. "IDG: Gunnar Lott neuer Director of Online and New Business" (in German). dnv – der neue vertrieb. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  13. "New editor in chief" (in German). Gamestar.de. 24 October 2014. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  14. Sebastian Stange (17 July 2015). "GameStar Clan League overview" (in German). Gamestar.de. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  15. IDG Communications Media AG, GameStar Mediadaten 2009, 1 October 2008 (German)
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