Paragon Publishing Ltd (or Paragon for short) was a
magazine
A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), content forms. Magazines are generally fin ...
publisher
Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refers to the creation and distribu ...
in the
UK, which published
computer game
A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual feedback from a display device, mo ...
s and other entertainment titles from 1991 to 2003.
Brief history
Paragon Publishing Ltd was formed in a small office in
Trowbridge, Wiltshire by ex-
Future Publishing
Future plc is a British publishing company. It was started in 1985 by Chris Anderson. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.
History
1985–2012
The company was founded by Chris Anderson a ...
staff Richard Monteiro and Diane Tavener. With a small team of staff they began work on their first publication ''
Sega Pro
''Sega Pro'' was the first publication from Paragon Publishing and catered for the Sega consoles: the Master System, Game Gear and the Mega Drive. Early editorial staff included Dominic Handy (editor), Les Ellis (games editor), Dave Perry (de ...
''.
With the success of ''Sega Pro'' the company began expanding and launched several other titles, hiring more staff to produce these new titles. It was not long before the company moved into new premises in
Bournemouth
Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest ...
.
The company continued to publish magazines for the video games market as well as other areas for the next decade.
In July 2003 Paragon Publishing and its 30-odd magazine titles were sold to Highbury House Communications for £32m.
Imagine Publishing
Imagine Publishing was a UK-based magazine publisher, which published a number of video games, computing, creative and lifestyle magazines. The company was acquired by Future plc on 21 October 2016.
History
It was founded on 14 May 2005 wi ...
, which was formed by ex-Paragon staff Damian Butt, Steve Boyd and Mark Kendrick, would buy back most of these titles when Highbury themselves went into liquidation in early 2006.
Later, in 2016 Imagine Publishing itself was acquired by Future Publishing.
Key titles
Paragon published many titles during its decade run, mainly computer or video games based, but later moved into other areas of entertainment.
''Sega Pro''
The company's first magazine publication and a big success. Covering the early 90s explosion in popularity of
Sega
is a Japanese video game company and subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings headquartered in Tokyo. It produces several List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises for arcade game, arcades and video game cons ...
's
Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Sys ...
as well as the
Master System
The is an 8-bit Third generation of video game consoles, third-generation home video game console manufactured and developed by Sega. It was originally a remodeled export version of the Sega Mark III, the third iteration of the SG-1000 series ...
and
Game Gear
The is an 8-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth-generation handheld game console released by Sega on October 6, 1990 in Japan, in April 1991 throughout North America and Europe, and in 1992 in Australia. The Game Gear primarily ...
. Well-known names on early issues included Dominic Handy, Les Ellis, Dave Perry, James Scullion and Damian Butt. Ran for many years up until
Sega
is a Japanese video game company and subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings headquartered in Tokyo. It produces several List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises for arcade game, arcades and video game cons ...
themselves disappeared.
''Mega Power''
Following the success of ''
Sega Pro
''Sega Pro'' was the first publication from Paragon Publishing and catered for the Sega consoles: the Master System, Game Gear and the Mega Drive. Early editorial staff included Dominic Handy (editor), Les Ellis (games editor), Dave Perry (de ...
'', a new title focusing on the
Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Sys ...
and in particular the
Mega-CD was launched in 1993. The magazine was the first console publication to include a covermounted CD.
''Console XS''
A bi-monthly games console tips magazine launched in 1993. Featuring game cheats, tips, and guides for the consoles of the early 90s. After four issues, the title was split into two: ''Sega XS'', which focused solely on Sega platforms, and ''Super XS'', covering Nintendo games.
''Games World: The Magazine''
''
Games World'' was a video games based TV show broadcast on satellite in the early 90s. The show's producers, Hewland International, gave the rights to produce ''Games World: The Magazine'' to Paragon. The multi-format magazine content was generally centred on
Sega
is a Japanese video game company and subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings headquartered in Tokyo. It produces several List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises for arcade game, arcades and video game cons ...
and
Nintendo
is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles.
The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi ...
's consoles.
''Nintendo Pro''
As with ''
Sega Pro
''Sega Pro'' was the first publication from Paragon Publishing and catered for the Sega consoles: the Master System, Game Gear and the Mega Drive. Early editorial staff included Dominic Handy (editor), Les Ellis (games editor), Dave Perry (de ...
'', ''Nintendo Pro'' focused on the
Nintendo
is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles.
The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi ...
range of consoles. It was originally known as N64 Pro and was one of the titles Paragon Publishing acquired with the acquisition of the Macclesfield-based titles of IDG Media.
''Play''
Launched in 1995 by Paragon with
Dave Perry as editor. One of the first
PlayStation
is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...
magazines released covering
Sony
is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...
's PlayStation products, later including the
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...
, PlayStation Portable and the PlayStation 3. It is the UK's longest-running PlayStation magazine, and final issue released in 2016 under
Future Publishing
Future plc is a British publishing company. It was started in 1985 by Chris Anderson. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.
History
1985–2012
The company was founded by Chris Anderson a ...
.
''PowerStation''
Originally a
PlayStation
is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...
magazine and now a
PlayStation
is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...
and
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the Xbox (console), original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detail ...
tips magazine launched at the same time as sister title ''
Play
Play most commonly refers to:
* Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment
* Play (theatre), a work of drama
Play may refer also to:
Computers and technology
* Google Play, a digital content service
* Play Framework, a Java framework
* P ...
'' by
Dave Perry. As with ''Console XS'' content included games cheats, tips and guides. Along with its sister title, ''PowerStation'' was bought by
Imagine Publishing
Imagine Publishing was a UK-based magazine publisher, which published a number of video games, computing, creative and lifestyle magazines. The company was acquired by Future plc on 21 October 2016.
History
It was founded on 14 May 2005 wi ...
in 2006.
''Saturn+''
A short-lived
Sega Saturn
The is a home video game console developed by Sega and released on November 22, 1994, in Japan, May 11, 1995, in North America, and July 8, 1995, in Europe. Part of the fifth generation of video game consoles, it is the successor to the succes ...
magazine that ran for six issues, from Christmas 1995 to February 1997.
''X Gen''
A short-lived multi format magazine in the style of ''
ACE
An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or a club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the ...
'' and ''
EDGE
Edge or EDGE may refer to:
Technology Computing
* Edge computing, a network load-balancing system
* Edge device, an entry point to a computer network
* Adobe Edge, a graphical development application
* Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed by ...
''.
''64 Magazine''
Launched in 1997, ''64 Magazine'' covered
Nintendo
is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles.
The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi ...
's
N64 console.
''Dreamcast Magazine''
Covering
Sega
is a Japanese video game company and subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings headquartered in Tokyo. It produces several List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises for arcade game, arcades and video game cons ...
's
Dreamcast
The is the final home video game console manufactured by Sega. It was released in Japan on November 27, 1998, in North America on September 9, 1999 and in Europe on October 14, 1999. It was the first sixth-generation video game console, prec ...
, ''Dreamcast Magazine'' was launched in 1999.
''DVD Review''
Launched in 1999 and later purchased by
Future Publishing
Future plc is a British publishing company. It was started in 1985 by Chris Anderson. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.
History
1985–2012
The company was founded by Chris Anderson a ...
.
''CUBE''
Launched in 2001 to cover
Nintendo
is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles.
The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi ...
's
GameCube
The is a PowerPC-based home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, in Europe on May 3, 2002, and in Australia on May 17, 2002. It is the suc ...
console.
''Windows Made Easy''
A beginner's guide to Windows, including step-by-step guides and tutorials about using the platform.
''Web Pages Made Easy''
A beginner's guide to creating web pages, including step-by-step guides and tutorials..
''Digital Photography Made Easy''
A beginner's guide to digital photography, launched in 2000, covering camera skills and photo editing.
''PC Essentials''
A quarterly title, launched in 2000, devoted to software that can be downloaded from the internet.
''PC Home''
Launched in November 1992,
PC Home provided articles and tutorials for creatives and gamers on a PC.
''PC Basics''
A magazine dedicated to computing, software and hardware, including step-by-step guides, reviews and features.
References
{{Reflist
External links
Dave Perry talks about his time at Paragon Publishing.(
Wayback Machine
The Wayback Machine is a digital archive of the World Wide Web founded by Internet Archive, an American nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California. Launched for public access in 2001, the service allows users to go "back in ...
copy)
Imagine Publishings website
Computer magazine publishing companies
Magazine publishing companies of the United Kingdom
Publishing companies established in 1991
1991 establishments in the United Kingdom
2003 disestablishments in the United Kingdom