Retailers have "lost faith" in PC games sector

Retailers have "lost faith entirely" with the PC games sector, with the shrinking market affecting sales of related games magazines, according to Imagine Publishing.

The company has told GamesIndustry.biz that it is currently considering the future of its PC gaming magazine Total PC Gaming, although managing director Damian Butt labelled recent internet gossip of a full closure of the title as "mischief" by a former employee.

"I'm looking at Total PC Gaming at the moment, because although it's a profitable magazine for Imagine, it's future potential is limited because retailers and magazine stockists have lost faith with the PC games sector entirely," admitted Butt.

"We have had fantastic support from our advertisers on Total PC Gaming, and outperformed our expectations, but I would much rather have a talented team working on a magazine where there is a greater future upside, such as our new launch How it Works, because it takes as much effort to make a magazine that generates a good profit as one that makes very little."

Imagine isn't the only media outlet publishing magazines for a shrinking market – ABC results from Future Publishing last week showed that monthly sales for PC Gamer and PC Zone were down dramatically during 2009.