It has been revealed that three game magazines, IDG's GameStar and Ziff Davis' XBN and GMR, have been shut down or are on the verge of closing this month. This is a record for the U.S. gaming print magazine market, which has never seen three closings in the same month.

Xbox Nation debuted in December 2001 with 48 pages of advertising, making it one of the biggest game magazine launches of the last decade. One year later, XBN increased its publishing schedule from quarterly to bi-monthly. GMR, a monthly video and PC game publication, was a combined effort between Ziff Davis and Electronics Boutique.

IDG's Gamestar magazine focused on the adult gamer and his entertainment interests. The premiere issue of Gamestar was launched at the 2004 Electronic Entertainment Expo.