After 17 years, NAG Magazine will soon be no more

The closure of PC Format last year, NAG’s only real rival in South Africa, highlighted the events of things to come.

The online medium is a dastardly, unapologetic jerk with little to no time for the likes of print publications.

In the eyes of the digital space, print media is expensive, slow, inaccessible and a generally archaic form of press. While NAG has done well to survive the gauntlet thrown at it thus far, it inevitably had to end.

According NAG’s big cheese, Michael James, the June 2015 issue of NAG will be its last. They’ve essentially run out of steam.

The print industry is diminishing quickly and because NAG speaks to a very connected, early adopting reader it has seen a faster than predicted drop-off in advertising and readers. We’re kind of in the middle of a storm of fewer people buying magazines, fewer companies spending money on print advertising, and an ever-volatile gaming industry.”

It’s an understandable and a, frankly, indubitable situation. It’s also, in some way, for the fans of NAG.

Granted, they’ll be losing their beloved printed copy, but the magazine was becoming “an anchor that drags the rest of the company down,” said James.

As far as the future is concerned, much of what NAG did will pass on over to NAG Online as well as a few supposed forthcoming ventures.

There’s also rAge of course.