It’s no secret that gaming websites and blogs such as The Tanooki can provide news to the public much faster than magazines like Nintendo Power can. Sure, they can put much more time into writing their articles in Nintendo Power, and it’s great for freebies like fold-out posters, stickers, and occasional DVDs with Zelda trailers in Dolby 5.1.
According to IGN’s sources, Nintendo of America has told those involved with the Nintendo Power publication to look for new work by this September. It has been suggested that Nintendo Power may be undergoing a restructuring (separate from their reimaging a mere couple of years ago) or worse – the magazine publication may be shutting down after a nearly 20-year run.
It’s still a rumor, of course. If it turns out to be true and Nintendo is indeed underway with mass layoffs and the shutting down of Nintendo Power, it raises the question of “Why?” Nintendo may have been at a severe low back in 2003, but they’ve more than rebounded by now and Nintendo Power isn’t likely a financial burden so much as a hindrance. Perhaps Nintendo Power will become an online entity, providing news to the internet public and competing with the likes of IGN, GameSpot, and The Tanooki.
