Two prominent Australian games journalists are launching a print magazine dedicated to video game culture, with zero ads.
They are financing the project with donations. Within four hours of a Kickstarter going live, they were three-quarters of the way to a $25,000 goal.
CONTINUE, created by Mark Serrels and Jackson Ryan, is a 100-page annual magazine combining long-form narrative journalism and illustrated feature writing.
Ryan describes it as a direct response to the collapse of games media in Australia.
"Just last week I published a story about GamesHub — one of the few video gaming websites left in Australia. It was sold, stripped and then filled with gambling and AI authors," said Ryan.
"When Kotaku Australia closed, that hit him [Serrels] hard. He built such an amazing community there."
CONTINUE will carry no advertising. Instead, the magazine will use its pages to offer indie developers a space to showcase their work, without charging for placement.
"We take no cash from them, just the art," said Ryan.
"We're curating that for our audience. Here's what we're hearing and seeing, here's what's getting buzz and here's the studio and artists showing off what they're trying to do."
For issue one, participating studios include Studio Folly, Fuzzy Ghost, Paper House, Ghoulish and Powerhoof.
The no-ads approach extends to CONTINUE's website.
"Our website will evolve but it's unlikely to feature any advertisements in the future and we won't go down the programmatic path," said Ryan.
"What we believe is that the audience who wants this content and are hungry for it, wants to support it."
The pair plan to fund each issue through Kickstarter, modelling the approach on UK magazine A Profound Waste of Time, which has run on the same model for several years.
"We run lean. The overheads are low. We just want to cover the costs of printing, paying our contributors fairly and getting it into the world," said Ryan. "Mark and I both work full-time and so we haven't exactly budgeted in profits for ourselves here. Right now, it's about making space. Then we can think about growing."
The pair estimate printing will cost between $13,000 and $15,000, with postage adding a further $3,000 to $5,000.
The first issue features contributions from Alanah Pearce on the economics of the games industry, Ally McLean on The Sims 2, James O'Connor on the relationship between developers and journalists, and Ryan on the untold story of SEGA World Sydney.
The cover was illustrated by Jack Kirby Crosby, centred on characters from two Australian-made games, Hollow Knight and Untitled Goose Game. Design was handled by Nathan Herbertson.
CONTINUE is expected to ship in August 2026. Issue two is planned for 2027.
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.