Namco Community Magazine NG

Namco Community Magazine NG[lower-alpha 1] was a video game magazine distributed in Japan by Namco. It was published quarterly from 1983 to 1986, and bimonthly from 1986 to 1993. Based on a suggestion made by company president Masaya Nakamura, NG provided information and other content relating to Namco-published video games. Additional content was added as the magazine progressed, such as crafts, developer interviews, fan mail, and two manga series illustrated by Hiroshi Fuji.

Namco Community Magazine NG
The cover for NG Issue 1 (1983)
EditorEsuko
CategoriesVideo games magazine
Frequency
  • Quarterly (1983-1986)
  • Bimonthly (1986-1993)
FormatJournal, magazine
First issueFebruary 15, 1983 (1983-02-15)
Final issue
Number		April 4, 1993 (1993-04-04)
52
CompanyNamco
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese

NG, which stood for "Namco Games", was created as a way for Namco developers to connect with the company's fans. The magazine was sold primarily through Namco-owned video arcades across the country, though it was also made available through other arcades and mail-order delivery. The magazine endured several financial difficulties, before it was retired in 1993 and replaced with Nours, a similar publication that continues to the present day. NG is fondly remembered by its fans, and has received praise retrospectively for its content and overall quality. The name was repurposed for a video game brand in 2010 and its manga series have since been reprinted as standalone novels.

History
Old NG logo (1983—1989)

Namco Community Magazine NG launched in Japan on February 15, 1983.[1] Its creation was suggested by Namco founder and president Masaya Nakamura as a way for the company's developers to connect and interact directly with its fans.[1][2] The magazine was headed by new-hire "Esuko", who also provided mailing duties.[3] NG, standing for "Namco Games",[4] was published quarterly in its early years and sold primarily at Namco-operated video arcades free of charge.[5] The original goal of the magazine was to promote and provide the latest information on Namco's video games, merchandise, and other products to its readers, while simultaneously allowing company developers to interact with fans of their games and vice versa. Namco specifically designed the format of NG in a way that made it easy-to-understand and flow properly for readers.[1]

Early issues of NG were presented as more of a newsletter, featuring advertisements and information on Namco-related goods.[1] Additional content was added as the magazine continued, including fan letters, developer interviews, papercraft models, and drawing workshops hosted by sprite artist Hiroshi "Mr. Dotman" Ono.[6] Among the most notable additions were Mei Rou Yakata no Chana (Labyrinth of Chana) and GoGo no Kuni (Afternoon Country), two manga series illustrated by Valkyrie no Bōken character artist Hiroshi Fuji.[6][7] NG also provided information regarding Namco's overseas operations, such as the impact of Pac-Man in North America.[4]

After the first fourteen issues, NG switched from being distributed quarterly to bimonthly in November 1986.[6][4] The magazine started being sold through retail stores, in addition to other competing video arcades. The switch from quarterly to bimonthly resulted in a reset in the issue number on the front cover, alongside a page size increase from A5 to B4 and issues now costing a small fee.[4] Readers were able to receive previous issues directly from Namco via mail order, however budget constraints prevented mass-production.[4] As such, NG issues became increasingly harder to find, while video arcades began giving away older issues for free.[4]

With little income being generated from the magazine, Namco chose to retire NG on April 4, 1993; its final issue featured a congratulatory letter from the writing staff and other designers within the company.[8] It was succeeded months later by Nours, a similar magazine that featured many of the same writers and staff members.[6][8] When Namco merged with Bandai to form Namco Bandai Holdings in 2005, Nours was renamed B-Nours, continuing until it was merged with sister publication Side-B in April 2009. The current iteration of the magazine, Side-876, is available as a digital newsletter on the company's website.[4]

Legacy

Namco Community Magazine NG is fondly remembered by its readers for its content and way of distribution.[9] Retrospective feedback on the magazine has been positive; Ranbu Yoshida, a writer for Famitsu, described the magazine's content as "really rich in variety" with plenty of interesting, provocative material. He believed NG was an influential publication for the way it was distributed, in addition to its overall quality. Yoshida showed appreciation particularly towards Afternoon Country with its detailed imagery and plot, calling it "something that cannot be expressed in words will remain in my heart."[6] Gaming Alexandria founder Dustin Hubbard enjoyed its interesting write-ups and overall quality, writing that "they do not disappoint" for its small size. However, he commented on the "bit of a mess" that is the issue numbers, due to the way it was originally distributed.[4]

In 2010, Namco Bandai Games (Namco's successor) announced the creation of a brand named Namco Generations, which was used for modernized remakes of classic Namco video games such as Pac-Man and Galaga. Each Namco Generations game came with a free digital newsletter that provided information on current and upcoming projects,[10] a move believed to have been inspired by NG.[11] The brand was discontinued in 2012 due to a lack of updates and the quality of its releases.[12][13] In August 2019, Fuji revived Labyrinth of Chana in the form of a graphic novel. As the original manga left on a cliffhanger as a result of NG's discontinuation, the novel begins after the events of the magazine's final issue, with Fuji claiming that additional novels are in production.[7]

Notes
  1. Japanese: ナムコーコミューニッティーマガジーンエヌジー, Hepburn: Namukō Komyūnittī Magajīn Enujī

References
  1. "「NG」創刊号" (PDF) (in Japanese) (208). Amusement Press. Game Machine. 15 March 1983. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2020. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  2. Kurokawa, Fumio (July 28, 2018). "ビデオゲームの語り部たち 第7部：Mr.ドットマンこと小野 浩氏が，制約の中で追求した自由". 4Gamer.net. Archived from the original on March 31, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  3. "ナムコ伝 08: NG（エヌジー）" (PDF) (in Japanese). Bandai Namco Entertainment. 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 August 2020. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  4. Hubbard, Dustin (31 March 2020). "NG – Namco Community Magazines". Gaming Alexandria. Archived from the original on 22 April 2020. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  5. Yamamura, Tomomi (13 July 2020). "エムツー堀井氏、コンポーザー並木学氏が語る"ワシらが愛する赤いロゴ ナムコ"【ゲームの思い出談話室・第2夜】". Famitsu (in Japanese). Kadokawa Corporation. Archived from the original on 17 August 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  6. Yoshida, Ranbu (24 March 2002). "第12回　NG ゲーム人生回顧録 - 乱舞吉田". Famitsu (in Japanese). Kadokawa Corporation. Archived from the original on 1 April 2016. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  7. Sekai (2 October 2019). "ナムコ『ワルキューレ』デザインの冨士宏氏、『迷廊館のチャナ』連載継続への苦境を明かす。"NG"から25年越しの単行本化". Famitsu (in Japanese). Kadokawa Corporation. Archived from the original on 15 August 2020. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  8. NG Staff (4 April 1993). "「NG」読者のみなさんへ" (in Japanese) (52). Namco. Namco Community Magazine NG. p. 11. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  9. "ビデオゲーム CLASSIC GUIDE - ナムコ NG の思い出" (in Japanese). Dempa Publishing. Micom BASIC. October 1990. pp. 277–278. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  10. Stuart, Keith (18 November 2010). "Namco Generations seeks to update retro gaming". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 13 September 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  11. "バンダイナムコゲームス、新プロジェクト「ナムコジェネレーションズ」始動". Inside Games (in Japanese). 16 November 2010. Archived from the original on 28 November 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  12. JG Fletcher (19 October 2012). "Dancing Eyes and the death of a Generation". Engadget. Verizon Media. Archived from the original on 25 March 2020. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  13. Devore, Jordan (8 December 2012). "Namco Generations game Aero-Cross canceled". Destructoid. Archived from the original on 1 November 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
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