hyperspace is now the fan club

[jokabofe]

anybody else catch this bit of news today? hyperspace and the fan club are merging, and both are going to be run directly by lucasfilm. good idea? bad idea?

merger

if you ask me, they did this because of lack of people who forked over the additional money for hyperspace. god knows that if i didn't win the membership in the jedi master points auctions, i wasn't about to pay for it. but guess what? now i don't have a choice.

thoughts?

[SilverZ]

There were probably a lot of issues in how to organize content that was Hyperspace exclusive, Insider exclusive, and so on, that made timing content releases to each component a pain for some coordinator schmuck at LFL. This probably eases it.

What's lame is this, from the FAQ:

Can I subscribe to just online or just the magazine?
No. We've united the best of our online and offline benefits into one great package. Save over 25% off of regular subscription prices. U.S. and Canada membership is available only as a complete package.

I actually like Hyperspace, and gave up on the Insider ages ago. Now I have to pay extra to get that rag in the mail.

Such is life.

[Morgbug]

I'm not too keen on this bit of news.  I like the Insider, though I get it about a month after readers in the US do.  I'll just consider it as though they jacked up the price by $10.  Or wait, $12.50 Canadian actually. That makes it $62.50 a year in Canadian dollars, which is what I earn.  

I'm patient enough to wait for stuff to come, so hyperspace was no big deal.  I guess now I'll get to access it if I want to.  Big whoop.  It's the association with shopstarwars.com that makes me nervous.  Wonder how they can screw up fan club exclusives in new and exciting ways

[Jesse James]

Eh, I dunno what to say personally.

I get Insider anyway because I genuinely like parts of it...  They've had decent "news" lately about collecting too, and some decent articles for the nerds that nitpick everything in a scene like myself.

I dont' have Hyperspace though, nor have wanted it as I think it sucks the sweat from a deadman that we should have to pay ANYTHING to Lucasfilm to view their website(s), considering the vast fortune they (they being Lucas) control and the very minimal ammount of $ that could possibly be bringing in for them.  Maybe I'm just underestimating it though?

Or maybe this whole thing is a tactic to force people to buy into it since I think the Fan Club DOES have a strong subscription base, and HS doesn't?  I dunno.

HS hasn't shown me anything to jump in and get it no matter what it's cost, so I'm a bit miffed that if I wanna get what I actually enjoy I now have to do so at an inflated price it would seem, and am forced to buy something I could give two ***** about.

Lucas has done one thing well since he stopped making good films.  He's learned how to piss HUGE masses of people off at once.  A skill I've not quite mastered.  I usually can only piss off 3 or 4 at a time.

[Ben]

I guess they want to continue charging for Hyperspace after Episode III has come and gone, and this is one way to do it.

[Jeff]

And... after soaking everyone for both Insider and Hyperspace for a few years, the experiment is over.

As of April 2007, Hyperspace becomes completely separate from the Insider. 

New Directions for Star Wars Insider and Hyperspace in 2007

[JesseVader08]

All I can say is

[Jediknight760071]

As there is no Anthony Daniels column anymore, I do not get the Insider or Hyperspace. I'm living it up here though.

[Jesse James]

I have to give credit where it's due and say I knew this was coming a while back...  A friend of mine on these boards knew about all this a while back and was telling me how in the ******* the fan club rag still is...  He was apparantly right.

I hate the Fan Club but actually don't mind the magazine, so since I enjoy the magazine they basically have always had me by the balls in that I want to get it but hate the routine up and down of the group in general.  If we actually got like a 25% off all orders at the store or some other crap on a semi-routine basis, I'd love it...  Hell I'd order stuff with a 25% off coupon!  They just never do stuff like that to entice people.  I'd love it though... 

I hope the club takes a new turn and is more interesting...  I mean the new publishers run a magazine for Star Trek which hasn't had media support for some time.  They have to be doing something right.

[Angry Ewok]

I let my subscription go after tiring of the bull**** with the website exclusives and the Fan Club President buyout bull****. I haven't any desire to renew, either - it's a waste of money through and through.

[Darth Broem]

The only thing I really want it for is the convention this year.  However, I doubt that I will go now.  It's just a big ripoff for what you get.  I like the Insider magazine but everything else is stuff they could just put on a regular website and not charge us for it.