Remembering Jason Brookes: The Legacy of Super Play and EDGE Magazine in Nintendo Journalism

This week, the gaming community mourns the loss of Jason Brookes, celebrated for his pioneering work in video game journalism and particularly his impact on coverage of Nintendo’s iconic platforms.

Brookes, who served as a key figure at Super Play and EDGE magazines, passed away at the age of 52 after a prolonged illness.

His legacy endures through his contributions to shaping UK games media and informing generations of Nintendo fans during a transformative era for the industry. Brookes began his journey into games journalism in the late 1980s while attending Manchester Polytechnic.

What started as a passion for Japanese console gaming and a side project writing for the fanzine Electric Brain soon led him to the forefront of video game media.

His early exposure to industry news via translated content from Weekly Famitsu offered a significant edge, setting a precedent for the timely and authoritative reporting his future work would be known for. Super Play, launched by Future Publishing in 1992, became an essential voice for Nintendo’s Super Famicom (SNES) audience in the UK.

Brookes joined the team after responding to a job listing and quickly became an integral part of its tight-knit staff, working under publisher Steve Carey, editor Matt Bielby, and alongside Jonathan Davies.

In Brookes’s own words, Super Play strove to create a “Japanese-styled SNES magazine”—an ambition that set it apart from contemporaries by directly connecting Western readers to the fast-moving world of Japanese gaming, anime, and manga long before the internet era. Brookes recalled the rapid expansion of Future Publishing at the time, with new magazines launching nearly every week and an exciting, socially driven office environment in Bath.

The dedication of the Super Play team was evident, as they invested weekends into reviewing freshly arrived Japanese copies of Famitsu Weekly and gathering the latest screenshots and news to keep readers ahead of the curve.

"We lived and breathed games magazines at that time," he reflected, highlighting their relentless focus on exclusive content and a unique house style—warm, witty, and welcoming—that fostered a sense of club-like inclusivity among readers. Super Play’s import-heavy approach, particularly its enthusiasm for Japanese gaming culture and software, sometimes put the magazine at odds with official Nintendo distributors and competing publishers such as EMAP.

Nonetheless, its authoritative previews and features on titles like Super Mario Kart, Street Fighter II, Super Mario World, and A Link to the Past ensured its place as the go-to source for hardcore Nintendo fans.

At its peak, the magazine reached sales of approximately 30,000 copies per month, a testament to its popularity amidst a crowd of rival publications. After leaving Super Play, Brookes transitioned to EDGE magazine, eventually becoming editor and guiding the publication through its first 50 issues.

His career later took him to the United States where he reported for LOGiN and Famitsu Weekly before returning to the UK to pursue graphic design and retro-inspired creative projects.

In a 2017 interview, Brookes reflected on Super Play’s reunion issue and the “club-like” bond it fostered: “Buying the console and subscribing to the mag felt like joining a group of friends excited about the future of Nintendo.” Brookes’s vision and expertise left a lasting mark on Nintendo journalism, helped define the unique voice of Super Play, and bridged cultural gaps at a time when access to Japanese gaming news was rare.

His work continues to be fondly remembered by fans and industry professionals alike, underscoring the influence of dedicated, passionate journalism in the evolution of the video game landscape.

Jason Brookes Super Play EDGE Famitsu Future Publishing Nintendo Super Famicom SNES EMAP Jonathan Davies Matt Bielby Wil Overton Bandai Guardian Japan Airlines LOGiN Retro Gamer PC Engine Mega Drive NEO GEO Super Mario Kart Street Fighter II Super Mario World A Link to the Past Super Metroid Secret of Mana Yoshi’s Island Super Tennis EarthBound Nintendo 64 N64 Magazine