Gamertell

As you may remember, we were pretty skeptical that little known game magazine Hardcore Gamer would find a bidder in its eBay auction.

Not only did Doublejump Books find a buyer, but the New York Times covered the story. The new owner, not named in the Times article because the deal is still being finalized, swooped in an hour before the listing expired. He offered publisher Tim Lindquist more than the the magazine listed for in the auction.

For a listing price of $42,000, the auction included the magazine, its network of contacts and 30 domain names associated with the publication among other goodies. Lindquist said he arrived at the $42,000 figure because that was the profit the magazine turned in 2008.The New York Times says 14 magazines shut down in January including Teen, Country Home, and the one near and dear to us, Electronic Gaming Monthly. The mystery bidder reportedly had just closed down a video game business of his own.

Hardcore Gamer got more publicity from nearly going out of business than it ever did from being in business. It will be very interesting to see if the mag can take all this press and rejuvenate itself in these trying times for magazines and just about every other business. Lindquist told the Times he believes the new owner will allow him to stay on in some capacity.

Read [New York Times] Also Read [Games Are Fun]