Ziff Davis announced today that the long running Official PlayStation Magazine (aka OPM) will see its last issue hit in January of 2007.

Why end it now, when the PlayStation 3 is on the cusp of launch and over 100 million PlayStation 2's and... um... some PSP's are in gamer's hands? Why, the PlayStation 3, of course. And that new fangled internet.

Let's face it, we certainly weren't buying OPM for the articles. It was for the demos. With the PlayStation 3 featuring an integrated networking platform with an embedded digital distribution center (the Store, natch) to offer up PS3 and PSP downloadables, that pesky printed material just seems like dead weight.

And, with the rise of 1UP and the huge investment in GameVideos.com, what do we need an antiquated paper magazine for? That's right. Nothin'.

Press release fetishists, make the jump for your jollies. Michael McWhertor

Ziff Davis Game Group to Discontinue Publication of Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 14 — Ziff Davis Game Group, the leading integrated media company focused on the video game sector, today announced that it will discontinue publication of Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine after the January 2007 issue. The Game Group is laser-focused on continuing to expand its rapidly growing digital media presence and on further strengthening its multiplatform properties and powerful integrated network. As such, the Game Group has determined that Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine, a property licensed from Sony Computer Entertainment America and limited to print, no longer fits its strategic vision.

"Ziff Davis has had a great run with Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine for the past nine years," said Scott McCarthy, President of Ziff Davis Game Group. "We are very proud of the magazine and its outstanding editorial team, and we're obviously sad to see it go. Unfortunately, given where we are taking the Game Group, it doesn't easily fit into our integrated media network or afford us digital media opportunities."

Mr. McCarthy continued, "In addition, it's a new world. The powerful online capabilities of the exciting PlayStation 3, coupled with ever- increasing broadband penetration in the U.S., allow for much more efficient distribution of game demos, videos, and trailers. With this next generation of game consoles, the days of having to bundle a disc with a magazine to distribute games-related content are over. And the disc has clearly been a major driver for consumer interest in premium-priced, platform-specific magazines in the past, when the magazine disc was the only way gamers could get such content."

Sony Computer Entertainment America will remain a key content and marketing partner for Ziff Davis Game Group, which will cover SCEA's PlayStation 3 and first-party games extensively across all of its media outlets, including EGM, 1UP.com, and GameVideos.com. The Game Group editorial team will also work closely with SCEA in the development of digital content for the PlayStation Network, accessible only through the PS3.

"We are as excited about the PlayStation 3 as the rest of the world, and gamers will be sure to see us reporting extensively on the platform — and on the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable — across our various media assets," said John Davison, Senior Vice President and Editorial Director of Ziff Davis Game Group. "We enjoy working with SCEA and look forward to continuing our relationship for many years to come."

Ziff Davis Game Group's digital media presence has expanded greatly over the past year. The reach of the 1UP Network in the third quarter of 2006 was nearly six times larger than in the same quarter in 2005, and the Game Group has launched several new online properties including GameVideos.com, MyCheats.com, the 1UP Show video podcast, and the ESPN.com Video Games Channel in partnership with ESPN.

The Game Group is also aggressively integrating its print and online media properties wherever possible. For example, its flagship multiplatform magazine EGM, the leader among videogame magazines, is now closely aligned with 1UP.com in terms of visual design, content, and its games rating system.