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- Location
- New Phaleo
- Frequency Bi-monthly
- Publisher Enterbrain
- First issue December 8, 1999
- Final issue February 28, 2015
- Number 168
- Company Enterbrain
- Country Japan
- Based in Tokyo
- Language Japanese
- Website archive.today/www.arcadiamagazine.com
https://archive.org/search?query=creator:"Enterbrain"+arcadia&sort=title
The predecessor of "ARCADIA" was the monthly magazine "Gamest," which ceased publication due to the bankruptcy of its publisher, Shinseisha. It was relaunched by former editors of "Gamest" who had moved to Enterbrain, along with former writers of the also defunct magazine "Neo Geo Freak." The first issue was published in December 1999. The first editor-in-chief was Hisanori Hayashi. Initially, the magazine was published as an irregular mook (magazine/book hybrid) up to Vol. 3, while articles were also featured as a guest section in "Famitsu." In June 2000, it was rebranded and launched as the monthly magazine "Monthly Arcadia."
Although it was a new magazine, the content was edited using the know-how developed during the "Gamest" era, earning the support of many readers who had been eagerly awaiting the launch of a replacement information magazine after "Gamest" ceased publication. Like "Gamest," the new magazine also published strategy guides and mooks related to specific game titles.
Compared to the "Gamest" era, where the content was more niche, the new magazine became more mainstream, particularly after its renewal, with a clearer focus on casual gamers and female gamers. Additionally, there was a significant increase in articles related to music games, medal games, and prize games, which had been less prominent during the "Gamest" era. The magazine also devoted considerable effort to a fan page for Konami's "BEMANI series."
In the early days of its launch, as the only arcade information magazine, sales were strong, but over time, the circulation began to decline. One reason was the increasing pressure from the internet, where information could be easily disseminated and gathered at an individual level, affecting the entire gaming publication industry. As a countermeasure, the magazine underwent a complete overhaul starting with the February 2006 issue (released in December 2005), switching from a right-to-left reading format with vertical text to a left-to-right reading format with horizontal text, along with a logo change and updates to some sections. Later, a version with a DVD included was also released.
In the fall of 2006, rumors began circulating on the internet that "Arcadia" would be discontinued or merged. However, in an article in the December 2006 issue, the editor-in-chief completely denied these rumors. It was also mentioned that there were very few direct inquiries to the editorial department regarding this matter.
In the June 2009 issue (released in April 2009), the magazine celebrated its 10th anniversary with its second renewal, featuring a complete redesign of the cover and magazine layout, and a change in editor-in-chief from Masashi Saruwatari to Tetsurou Sugita. Along with this, the supplementary publications "Tougeki Spirit" and "Arcadia Card Game Complete" were discontinued, with their content being integrated into the main magazine.
From the issue released on April 30, 2013, the publication frequency was changed from monthly to bi-monthly.
With the issue released on February 28, 2015, regular publication ended, and subsequent issues were published irregularly. Future information distribution was announced to be handled through "Weekly Famitsu" and Famitsu.com.
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