Games Media Profile: Future

Daniel Dawkins, group editor-in-chief for games, tells MCV about Future Publishing’s major transition and the challenge of good journalism

What are your main campaigns at the moment?

We’re busy with the Golden Joysticks Awards, which move to a fantastic new venue this year, Indigo at 02. We’ve already broken a million votes, and are hoping to beat last year’s whopping 10 million votes before the awards on October 24th.

Our social media presence has rocketed: OXM has over 2.7m Facebook followers, OPM is budging toward a million – having been on less than 50k eight months ago – and PC Gamer is closing in on 3m. Kotaku UK welcomed its millionth visitor only four months after launch, and we’re working on another volume of our successful Minecraft bookazine before Christmas. PCGamer.com debuts its new responsive site design in early October, with a renewed focus on hardware and kit.

"The challenge facing the industry is its popularity, and the diversity that creates: you need to pick your battles, and know how to delight your audience."

Daniel Dawkins, Future

How is ‘New Future’ coming along?

I don’t want to make wild promises, but I’m delighted by our renewed clarity of focus, especially in digital, which will allow us to showcase the brilliant work of Future’s 50-plus world-class games journalists in one place.

What are the biggest challenges you are currently facing?

‘New Future’ is the response to our biggest challenge: how do we structure our multiple successful brands – or rather, our volume of fantastic journalists – to face the myriad demands of the new games industry? I’m hopeful we can showcase our best content when and where people want to find it – be that online, print, video or on mobile.

The wider challenge facing the industry is its popularity, and the diversity that creates: you need to pick your battles, and know how to delight your audience.

Of course, there’s a small, but militant, section of the audience that believes all journalists are foie gras-munching servants of the illuminati, but great journalism stands on its own two feet.