Game Informer published its first issue back in 1991 and it’s still going strong today as one of the most recognizable games journalism outlets in the industry. It’s also one of the few to still put out a print issue. Editor-in-Chief Andy McNamara has been with the publication since that first issue, but announced today that he will be stepping away from Game Informer after 29 years.
Hard to believe, but this is my last week at Game Informer. After 29 years, it is time for a change. I’m leaving games journalism. I wanted to thank everyone who made this dream possible. It has been an amazing experience. My final letter: https://t.co/SklmJMKBIo (1/3)
— Andy McNamara (@TheRealAndyMc) June 30, 2020
McNamara has been Editor-in-Chief since 1994 and has helped get 327 issues of the magazine out the door (along with the massive amounts of change that came over the years including the creation of the Game Informer website/web coverage, ownership by GameStop, and GameStop recently letting a large chunk of the staff go). As McNamara himself says in his goodbye post, it wasn’t always easy, but he found that the Game Informer team could “fight through anything” and overcome every challenge in the last 29 years.
Game Informer will continue on, despite its owner GameStop facing an uncertain future. Andrew Reiner, who has been with Game Informer for 26 years, will be taking over at the helm of the magazine. McNamara isn’t leaving the games industry, but is stepping away for the journalism side of it. For now, we just know that he’s moving out to LA for a new opportunity that he will detail at a later date.
McNamara spoke with former Game Informer writer Elise Favis for the Washington Post about his tenure and finally stepping away. He started looking for other opportunities with the first round of layoffs that occurred last year. “I just felt like that was the end of my run. I started to look for something new to do and started talking to game companies just to see where I might fit and what I could do.”
He’s also hoping that his leaving provides some room for new voices in games journalism. “When you have the same job for 29 years, there’s not a lot of room at the top,” he said. “There wasn’t room for growth. And I think, you know, I think I’m hoping that me getting out of games journalism opens up the door for new voices, for some change in diversity in games journalism.”
“I never wanted to leave, but it was the right time,” he said. “I felt like I owed it to the team and I owed it to the readers. You know, I felt I owed it to Game Informer. But maybe I had done all I could do and it was time for me to move on. Game Informer will live on without me.”
[Source: Game Informer]
