The Games Machine
The Games Machine is a privately held Italian video game magazine and media brand, founded in 1988 and operated by Aktia srl in Milan. It serves Italian-speaking gaming enthusiasts with monthly print, digital, and web editorial coverage across PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo, and mobile platforms.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1988
- HeadquartersMilano, Italy
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What The Games Machine does
The Games Machine (TGM) is an Italian video game media brand owned and operated by Aktia srl, a privately held Italian limited liability company headquartered in Milan. Founded in 1988, TGM is described as the longest-running PC video game magazine in the world and has continuously published approximately 418 issues through May 2026. The publication serves Italian-speaking gaming enthusiasts with a particular focus on the PC Master Race audience, while also covering PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and mobile platforms.
The product surface spans a monthly print edition distributed through Italian newsstands (edicola), a digital edition available globally via the Magzter app on iOS and Android, the thegamesmachine.it news website, video content on YouTube and Twitch, a dedicated esports sub-brand at esports.thegamesmachine.it, and an active forum community. Editorial coverage includes news, previews, reviews, special dossiers, technology articles, cinema/TV series coverage, esports, and editorial opinion pieces. The publication also operates the annual TGM Awards recognizing the best games of the year across categories including GOTY, RPG, Action, Horror, Platform, Adventure, Sports/Simulation, and VR.
The revenue model is consumer-direct: print sales through Italian newsstands, digital subscriptions managed through a dedicated subscriber portal (La Mia Edicola), back-issue sales (arretrati), merchandise (Giochi & Altro), and advertising. The company also leverages third-party aggregator placements (Metacritic, OpenCritic, VR Game Critic, Google News, MSN) for distribution and credibility. No enterprise, programmatic, or institutional revenue streams are disclosed, and the company is independently owned with no parent company, subsidiaries, funding rounds, M&A, or management team publicly disclosed.
The Games Machine firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Games Machine
- Legal name
- Aktia srl
- Website
- https://thegamesmachine.it
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1988
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Games Machine is a privately held Italian video game magazine and media brand, founded in 1988 and operated by Aktia srl in Milan. It serves Italian-speaking gaming enthusiasts with monthly print, digital, and web editorial coverage across PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo, and mobile platforms.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where The Games Machine is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Milano
- HQ country
- Italy
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Games Machine business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Print edition sold monthly at Italian newsstands |
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels11 records
The Games Machine product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Games Machine is an Italian video game media publication that produces a monthly print and digital magazine alongside an online news portal (thegamesmachine.it). It covers news, previews, reviews, dossiers, editorials, technology, cinema/TV series, and esports content for PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and mobile platforms. The publication has been in continuous operation since 1988, making it the longest-running video game magazine in the world.
Product overview
The Games Machine is a multi-platform video game media company operating since 1988, consisting of a print and digital magazine (The Games Machine), the thegamesmachine.it news website, and esports.thegamesmachine.it coverage. The product portfolio centers on editorial video game content including news, previews, reviews, and special features across PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo platforms, delivered through physical magazine, digital subscriptions via Magzter, and the primary website.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- TGM Awards: Annual awards ceremony recognizing the best video games of the year, voted by the TGM editorial team.
Products and services
- The Games Machine Magazine
- Digital Edition Subscription
- thegamesmachine.it Website
- TGM Awards
- The Games Machine eSports
Companies that use The Games Machine
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
The Games Machine technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Games Machine partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Games Machine competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- The Games Machine: Self-reference omitted — replaced below with a thematic ecosystem participant.
Direct peers
- Multiplayer.it: One of Italy's largest dedicated gaming news and review websites, covering PC and console gaming for Italian-speaking audiences — the closest direct competitor to TGM in the Italian gaming media market.
- Everyeye.it: Major Italian gaming media outlet providing news, reviews, previews, and videos across PC and console platforms, directly competing with TGM for Italian-speaking gamers and gaming advertisers.
- Spaziogames: Italian gaming news, reviews, and editorial site serving the same Italian PC and console gamer audience as TGM, making it a direct competitor for both readers and advertising spend.
- PC Gamer: International PC-focused gaming magazine with both print and digital editions; its PC-centric editorial positioning and multi-channel distribution closely mirror TGM's content strategy.
- Edge Magazine: Long-running premium gaming magazine with both print and digital editions, covering games with in-depth editorial features — a structural analog of TGM's print-plus-digital magazine model.
Broad incumbents
- IGN: Global gaming media giant offering news, reviews, video, and guides across all platforms; competes for Italian gaming audience attention and publisher marketing budgets but at a vastly larger international scale.
- GameSpot: Major international gaming editorial site featuring reviews, previews, and video content, comparable to TGM in editorial scope but operating at global scale with significantly greater resources.
- Eurogamer: European-based gaming media outlet covering PC and console gaming with deep editorial coverage, serving as a broader regional incumbent comparable to TGM in editorial orientation but larger in reach.
Regional players
- Famitsu: Japan's iconic and longest-running weekly gaming magazine with print and digital editions; serves as the most direct historical analog of TGM's long-running, single-language, print-led gaming publication model.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Games Machine social profiles
Digital presenceThe Games Machine financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Games Machine leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
The Games Machine funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Games Machine M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Games Machine
What does The Games Machine do?
The Games Machine is an Italian video game media publication that produces a monthly print and digital magazine alongside an online news portal (thegamesmachine.it). It covers news, previews, reviews, dossiers, editorials, technology, cinema/TV series, and esports content for PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and mobile platforms. The publication has been in continuous operation since 1988, making it the longest-running video game magazine in the world.
Is The Games Machine a public or private company?
The Games Machine is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Games Machine founded?
The Games Machine was founded in 1988. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Games Machine based?
The Games Machine is headquartered in Milano, Italy, in the Europe region.
Who are The Games Machine's main competitors?
The Games Machine is listed as an others. Direct peers are Multiplayer.it, Everyeye.it, Spaziogames, PC Gamer and Edge Magazine. Broad incumbents are IGN, GameSpot and Eurogamer. Famitsu is listed as a regional player.
Does The Games Machine have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Games Machine.