THE Games Closed

As is fairly obvious, in order for us to review games at the rate at which we do, we need a lot of support from the publishers. Companies like Eidos, Take2, Virgin, Sega etc, all make our lives easier by supplying games for review well ahead of release so we can get in there and bring you the best coverage we possibly can. However there are one or two companies who aren't quite so eager to help us out - Sony is one of them; we spoke to a representative recently and after a lively conversation we were promptly put onto hold then dropped as soon as we broached the subject. Similarly, Nintendo's UK distribution arm, the John Menzies-backed THE Games has always been completely disinterested in supporting us. That's one of the reasons big games like Mario Tennis have yet to find a home on these pages. Frankly, in the 21st Century with the Internet driving the face of gaming forward, this attitude is archaic and outdated, and one that most publishers have overcome in their efforts to help gain publicity for their software. As you can probably see we do feel strongly about this, but ultimately there is little we can do. Which is why when misogynistic companies like THE decide to close up shop we don't really shed any tears. The peculiar thing here, is that Menzies pulled the plug on THE in a year where it posted operating profits of £5.5m and had net assets of £3.2m (according to The Register). The closure will result in the loss of some 90 jobs and £3m in shutdown costs. Scary stuff. The reason according to Menzies is that the business was too seasonal for its own good, especially compared to such money-grabbers as newspapers and magazines.