Following the announced shut-down of Realms of Fantasy magazine (see this article, where we first broke the news), rumors have been circulating that death might not be so permanent for the fifteen-year-old, full-size, full-color magazine. Sources indicate that there are up to a handful of bidders lining up to take over the magazine, though no details of the actual bids are available.
The magazine is owned by Sovereign Media, and Sovereign’s head, Mark Hintz, told SFScope that the magazine has been profitable in every one of its fifteen years, including the most recent. The closure comes not, he said, due to business failings, but rather because of the economy and economic uncertainty about the future. He expressed the need to focus corporate efforts on their most profitable publications.
Hintz did say that the magazine is near and dear to Sovereign, and he expressed sorrow over its demise. While he was unwilling to comment on any specifics of a potential change in ownership, he did say a “purchase is possible.” Whatever the magazine’s final disposition, Hintz promised more information by early March, saying “we won’t let this drag out.”
Sovereign’s other magazines include: Otaku USA (a magazine that covers manga, anime, computer games, cosplay, and other J-Pop, written from an American point of view), Organic Beauty, WWII History, and Military Heritage.