Edge redesign celebrates videogame culture

20/10/04 - Edge, Future Publishing's internationally respected multi-format videogame magazine, has unveiled its first complete redesign for more than five years.

The award-winning Edge has been considered required reading by consumers and game developers alike since its launch in 1993. The only videogame magazine with a remit that reflects the full scope of gaming's present, past and future, Edge is also uniquely placed to address its widening cultural impact. Under the guidance of its editor, videogame industry veteran Tony Mott, the redesign is intended to preserve Edge's tradition of intelligence, insight and authority while readying the magazine for the future.

On sale Thursday, October 28, issue 143 of Edge introduces a new design which maximises the visual impact of what is a fundamentally graphical medium. Moreover, changing its mission statement from 'the future of electronic entertainment' to 'videogame culture' sees Edge setting a new agenda, aggressively pursuing all that is interesting in gaming and imaginatively assessing its wider significance. With revamped game reviews and a new 'Start' section, Edge also introduces a new perspective on gaming called 'Time Extend'. This series of articles follows significant titles after the pre-release hype and the post-release criticism have died down, examining the influence they had on the people who played them and on the games that followed.

Following the successful introduction of opinion columns in 1999, Edge is bringing on board two new names -- respected industry veteran Gary Penn and academic and author Tim Guest. Penn, who worked on the first Grand Theft Auto and now designs games at Denki, offers an insider's perspective on game development, while Guest focuses on the 'second lives' of gamers, reporting back while travelling the world to investigate online communities and the fascinating culture that has rapidly grown around them.

Commenting on the redesign, editor Tony Mott said: "Once more we face the introduction of a new generation of videogaming hardware, from handheld devices like Sony's PlayStation Portable and Nintendo's DS to fully fledged PS2 and Xbox replacements for the living room, and Edge's redesign puts us in a better position to recognise and appreciate that shift. Edge readers are knowledgeable, dedicated and highly demanding consumers, and we're confident that the new iteration of the magazine will prove an even more essential companion to their pastime."

Edge 143 goes on sale on Thursday, October 28th, with a cover price of £4.

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About Future Publishing

Future Publishing is part of The Future Network plc, which was founded in the UK in 1985. Today, The Future Network publishes over 100 special-interest consumer magazines worldwide, is the world's leading publisher of games magazines and is the fifth largest magazine publisher in the UK. Future employs over 1,000 people in offices in the UK, US, Italy and France. Around 100 international editions of Future's magazines are also published in 31 other countries across the world. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange (symbol FNET).

For more information please contact:

Will Guyatt, Communications, on 01225 822 517

To discuss Edge's redesign please email: - tony.mott@futurenet.co.uk