Originally posted on GameStooge.com by Johan Falcon.
Special thanks to Jonah Falcon for the article.

Life in the video game world will never be the same again, as UGO.com has officially purchased 1UP.com from Ziff-Davis, and confirmed that Electronic Games Magazine would be discontinued, leaving few print gaming magazines for the consumer, like GamePro, PC Gamer and Game Informer. In the press release by Ziff-Davis:

Ziff Davis Media, one of the nation’s leading technology media businesses, announced today the sale of the 1UP Digital Network, including 1UP.com, MyCheats.com, GameVideos.com and GameTab.com to UGO Entertainment, a division of Hearst Corporation

Ziff Davis Media’s EGM Magazine will be discontinued. The January ‘09 issue will be the final printed issue.

UGO issued its own press release stating:

1UP.com will stand beside UGO.com as a flagship brand within UGO Entertainment’s robust portfolio of sites targeting 18-34 year old gamers. The combined entity will reach an audience of more than 40 million monthly unique visitors.

An all-star cast of 1UP editors will carry on the site’s tradition of engaging hardcore gamers with insightful commentary, comprehensive information and breaking news from the games industry.

For many, a large chunk of their childhood just died today. What the future holds for video game journalism remains to be seen – right now, it’s a frickin’ mess.

Image courtesy GameStooge.com