How do they do it?

[william12123]

Hi,this is my first post on this forum despite coming to the escapist for years. I've come to this strange and unusual place ( I dont usually go on forums) to aks a simple question: how does the escapist make money? Now, I dont mean it in a derogatory sense (like "how can something so bad make money) because the site is AWESOME but because I havent seen a single commercial ad on the site for about two months now. I'm not kidding! I've seen ads for the shows, for contests, and for the escapist store, but never for anything else. Maybe I'm simply lucky not to be bombarded by ads, but it makes me wonder how the mere escapist store can produce enough money to pay for games, consoles, women jumping out of cakes and ssd's while still paying their numerous employees and contributers. Just curious- because if the escapist went bankrupt, it would really put me down.

 

[fenrizz]

I'd imagine it comes from advertising and some from t-shirt sale and such.
But I cannot offer you any great insight on the subject I'm afraid.

 

[wrecker77]

welcome to the escapist!

Luck is powerful.

 

[teisjm]

By signing up to the forum you give your soul to the escapist (small print at the bottom)
They sell our souls to satan, he pays well for gamers.

 

[Jedoro]

You could always ask them. Honestly, I doubt anyone here has any idea.

 

[SniperWolf427]

Ah yes, welcome and whatnot...

That, my dear boy, is called magic.

 

[effilctar]

www.escapistMAGAZINE.com its a website about a magazine

 

[Puzzles]

I've seen some advertising on some of the regular videos. I think things like ZP attract alot of people. Aside from that, I'm stumped but not complaining.

 

[The_Prophet]

T-shirts, hard work, and hordes of ZP fans.

 

[SnootyEnglishman]

They secretly charge us a dollar for posting in the forums it a secret conspiracy. /sarcasm

Seriously i dont know and i really dont care as long as its still up and running. Welcome the escapist guy

 

[Kajt]

They probably make money by selling Escapist, Zero Punctuation and Forgotten Realms merchandise.

By signing up to the forum you give your soul to the escapist (small print at the bottom)
They sell our souls to satan, he pays well for gamers.

What if we already sold our souls to someone else?

 

[teisjm]

They probably make money by selling Escapist, Zero Punctuation and Forgotten Realms merchandise.

By signing up to the forum you give your soul to the escapist (small print at the bottom)
They sell our souls to satan, he pays well for gamers.

What if we already sold our souls to someone else?

Then you owe one to the escapist, they'll take it from your children, if you fail to provide it before you get kids

 

[walls of cetepedes]

www.escapistMAGAZINE.com its a website about a magazine

Its an online only magazine. You don't pay for it.

 

[EMFCRACKSHOT]

Step1:Make escapist website
Step2:?????????
Step3rofit

 

[sk0lltap]

well they have two ongoing adds and i am not too sure on this one but don't companies pay you to review their products???

 

[Captain Pancake]

Advertising, same as TV shows. The advertisers pay the escapist in part or in full, and in return the said company gets to plaster it's product all over the escapist until you give in and buy it.

 

[Puzzles]

Step1:Make escapist website
Step2:?????????
Step3rofit

This might make me seem a little crazy, but I think I have fork gnomes living in my house. Over the course of a few months our usually massive supply of forks is down to about 6, but knives and spoons are still filling the rest of the draws up to the top.

What am I supposed to do with spoons and knives? EVERYONE KNOWS SPOONS AND KNIVES ARE WORTHLESS!

 

[Vision of Division]

www.escapistMAGAZINE.com its a website about a magazine

Pure genius...

 

[Souplex]

They recruited me to produce awesomesauce which they then sell to the lame-stricken Australian masses.

 

[Rigs83]

I've seen ads for the shows, for contests, and for the escapist store, but never for anything else.

That answers part of your question. As for product advertising The Escapist is full of them but they are just tastefully done unlike IGN and show up at the bottom of the screen for videos or as a top and side panel on the main page and and throughout the site. Remember The Conduit release that had banners or the Halo Wars release that had a banner and a quiz. The Escapist makes some money but they run on a tight budget so they don't do stupid things like G4 which I will never forgive for replacing Diane Mizota with a blond bimbo and ruining Filter.
Notice how they shoot in the office but not in a kitschy soundstage full of LCD panels? Don't travel to Amsterdam for really no reason related to videogames? Or have stupid reality tv shows?