PlayUK magazine: weird numbering for some issues 1998/1999?

Started by rygel, Jan 19, 2025, 09:47 AM

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rygel

Hi all,

I was organising the PlayUK mag scans on my server today and had a closer look at the numberings and month/year notes. I noticed that specifically around 1998 and 1999 some issue numberings were a little strange - maybe someone knows better.

Were really that many issues in those two years released, as seen in the Retromags database? (https://www.retromags.com/magazines/uk/play-uk/?d=5) Retromags lists some issues for the same month, e.g. issue 30 + 31 and 44 + 45:




Is this accurate?

Also I noticed that Issue 43 + 44 are according to Retromags database from January 1999 and February 1999. However, when you look in the editorial of the magazine for both issues, it says "1998":



Did the editors"overlook" this back then?

I'm just curious ;-)

kitsunebi

No one who has ever contributed information to the databases at Retromags lives in the UK, owns many UK mags, or knows much of anything about them.  Almost all of Retromags' database information regarding UK mags was directly copied from magazinesfromthepast.com.  You can see their database for this mag HERE if you scroll down a bit, which is where Retromags got its dates from.

Anyone living in the UK with actual first-hand knowledge of these mags is welcome to contribute with additions/corrections to the RM databases.  Anyone who registers as a member can do so.  Since UK mags have a particularly annoying penchant for eschewing using cover dates, any dates assigned to many UK mags are by necessity merely approximations, but any help making them as accurate as possible is welcome.

theassassin

It was just called Play, not "Play UK" (never heard anyone else call it that). And to answer your question, issue numbers were always printed on the magazine but they did NOT always have coverdates. So people online are probably filling in coverdates to some scans/databases purely from guesswork and/or coverdates on other issues.

rygel

Thanks kitsunebi-san for clarifying and sharing the info of magazinesfromthepast.com - wasn't aware of this. Since 1998 was the beginning phase of the first PlayStation, it might explain why there were apparently more than the "usual" 12 monthly mags for this (and the following) year as there were simply more news to cover.

@theassasnin: it is called "Play UK" over at Retromags, not sure why they explicitly added the UK for this mag (I don't think there was a similar publication from a different country). Anyway, that's why I mentioned the name this way. Issue 30 was by the way the last issue of PLAY where they listed the month in the editorial...

OK then ... Overall I guess unless someone proves different, we have to assume that the ordering as mentioned in magazinesfromthepast.com is accurate.

Thanks for your input!

Peter

There was a magazine called Play in the USA which is why it is primarily called Play (UK) here. Files on the seedbox are nested together rather than via system etc so differentiation is required.