Hyper is a multi-platform Australian video game magazine and Australia's longest running gaming magazine, published from 1993 to present day.
History
Hyper was launched in 1993 by Next Media with Stuart Clarke in the editor's seat. Clarke had previously edited Megazone; a then multi-platform magazine published by Sega Ozisoft, before being taken over by Mason Stewart publishing in September 1993 and being made Sega only. Clarke left Megazone at the time of the Mason Stewart takeover, when he was asked by Next Media publisher, Phil Keir, to start a new multi-platform gaming magazine. Clarke recounted the events in Hyper's 100th issue:
"Just as I was starting to relax, Phil Keir, owner of Next Media and publisher of Rolling Stone, rang me at home one night to ask a few questions. Before I knew it he had asked me to set up a brand new games magazine – one that I created and controlled completely! So after a few nano-seconds of thought I said, 'Um, okay then'. One of the first decisions was to make it a true multi-format title, covering the best games on all platforms." - Stuart Clarke, February 2002 issue 100 of Hyper
On 28 April 2010, Hyper Magazine released its 200th issue. Daniel Wilks was the then editor of Hyper since 2007 and the 200th issue was his last. He then passed the baton onto deputy editor Darren Wells, after the success of the 200th issue release.
"I started on the magazine about six years ago, and during that time we had competition come and go, as well as all the horror stories and nay-saying that print was dead," says Wilks. "I'll admit there were a few times that I thought the end days may have been coming – especially during the peak of the GFC when every publishing company seemed to be shedding staff and magazines like it was going out of style, but I've always believed that the magazine could weather anything thrown at it. All of us who have worked on Hyper feel the same way. 200 is a pretty huge milestone for a magazine."
The launch issue of the magazine was created in two months with Clarke as editor, Andrew Humphreys as deputy editor, and Aaron Rogers as art director. Despite numerous competitors entering the market at various stages, such as ACP's Gamestar, Australian GamePro, and the relaunched Megazone, all these titles folded within 12 months of launch while Hyper remained a strong title. Since its inception, Hyper has developed and maintained a reputation for being independent and honest with its readers. It is known for its irreverent sense of humour and both entertaining and informative features, reviews, and previews. Next Media announced in late 2014 that Hyper would become a quarterly publication from 2015 onwards. However, Hyper is still published, the latest issue available August 21st, 2018. In 2018, only two of the quarterly issues were published by nextmedia, issues 269 and 270, published February 7 and August 8 respectively. Issue 269 was Daniel Wilks last issue as editor, replaced by David Hollingworth in issue 270. On August 11, 2019, issue 271 was published by Future Australia. The issue was notable for losing the "100% Australian, 100% Independent" slogan, replaced with "100% Gaming, 100% Independent." The editor for this issue remained David Hollingworth As of June 2020, no further issues have been published by Future Australia, and subscriptions to the magazine are no longer available. Hyper also has a sister magazine, the PC gaming oriented PC PowerPlay, also published by Future Australia.
Features
In addition to coverage of all current major video game systems and game releases, Hyper also covers anime, DVD movies, arcade and classic games, and features in-depth interviews with industry professionals and articles on game-related content such as game classifications, computer hardware and video game music. The magazine also features 100% Australian content. The magazine contains regular sections such as: news, features, previews, reviews, opinion pieces, and a letters page. The website has hosted an internet forum since 1996 that serves as a link between editors and readers of the magazine. The site also encourages feedback about game reviews through a comments section while is also linked to a Twitter feed and Facebook page. Latest information on industry events, games development programmes and competitions is also linked to the site.
