The contract is initially for three years with an automatic two-year extension, subject to reaching circulation targets, and covers all territories worldwide except Japan. The agreement also provides for Future to distribute a DVD containing game demos with the magazine, produce an official website, and email newsletters covering Xbox.
The Official Xbox Magazine will be launched in the summer of 2001 in the US, UK, Germany, France, and Italy, in advance of the release of Xbox which is scheduled for autumn 2001. Subsequent launches of the official Xbox magazine in additional territories will be managed by Future either directly or via licences with publishing partners such as those operating in a further 23 countries, and beyond. In the UK a new Future subsidiary will be established specifically to publish the Xbox title.
Commenting on the licensing agreement, John O’Rourke, Group Marketing Director for the Microsoft Games Division, said: We chose Future as official Xbox publishing partner after an extensive proposal and review process that involved many of the world’s top magazine publishers. They have a great team and did an impressive job of matching our own ambitions and vision for Xbox in their proposal. Future’s extensive experience and success as a publisher gave us great confidence that the Official Xbox Magazine will be one that gamers will love.
Chris Anderson, Chairman of Imagine Media and The Future Network, commented in a company statement: We consider this to be the most significant games magazine licence ever granted. The vision driving the international roll-out of The Future Network was precisely to allow us to offer global media solutions to key partners. So we are absolutely delighted that Microsoft have entrusted us with such broad-ranging magazine support for Xbox.
This agreement, coming a full year before the launch of Xbox, gives us an extraordinary opportunity to create something very, very special. We will be seeking to expand our network of licensing partners as well as deepen our relationship with existing licensees and increase our games market share in every territory in which we operate. Our goal is to match Microsoft’s breathtaking vision for Xbox with an equally exciting vision for the first truly global games magazine franchise. he added.
