DPReview Saved: Gear Patrol Acquires the Publication From Amazon
Nearly three months after DPReview announced its imminent shutdown, and more than two months after DPReview was initially slated to shut down and go offline, the beloved publication has found a new lease on life.
DPReview is now owned and operated by Gear Patrol, a publication and content studio that focuses its coverage on broader consumer products, but now has the tools to focus heavily on the camera space as the current “core” editorial, tech, and business team are being retained.
DPReview‘s general manager Scott Everett announced the transaction in a news story on DPReview this afternoon.
“We’re thrilled to share the news that Gear Patrol has acquired DPReview. Gear Patrol is a natural home for the next phase of DPReview’s journey, and I’m excited to see what we can accomplish together,” he says.
“I want to reassure you that we remain firmly committed to what makes DPReview great: the best camera reviews in the business, industry-leading photography news and features, and one of the most active photography communities anywhere on the internet. This is just the beginning of a new chapter for DPReview and we don’t have all the answers yet, but I’m sharing what we know below and will continue to share information about this change as we get more acquainted with our partners at Gear Patrol.”
The Timeline: From Closure to New Ownership
On March 21, DPR’s General Manager, Scott Everett, posted on the website that after 25 years of operation, DPReview would be closing as a result of Amazon’s annual operating plan review, a massive wave of layoffs and closures that affected tens of thousands of jobs.
At that time, Everett said that DPReview would cease operations on April 10 and that the website’s treasure trove of incredible content and camera reviews would be taken offline.
PetaPixel’s editor-in-chief, Jaron Schneider, wrote that “How I feel about losing DPReview is difficult to put to words. The brand has been a mainstay since I took up a camera, and the space that they leave now is one that I don’t think will ever be properly filled again.” This sentiment was shared with many around the industry, as DPR always felt like a monolith in the photography space.
In the immediate weeks following the initial bombshell news that DPReview would close its doors, archiving efforts popped up to save the website’s important content before it vanished forever.
On April 7, just days before Digital Photography Review was meant to wind down its operations and stop publishing new content, Everett posted a fresh update on the website, assuring readers that its content would remain available as an official archive. At that time, Everett also said that because the archival efforts would extend beyond the initial shutdown date of April 10, the editorial team that remained would continue to publish new stories for the immediate future.
The days and weeks went by, and suddenly the closure update on DPReview, a brightly-colored mainstay on the homepage since the initial closure was announced, vanished. Also, the website seemed to be working back into a regular publishing schedule, including new camera previews, reviews, and image galleries. While it’d be misleading to suggest that it was back to business as usual, DPReview stopped looking like a site on life support.
On May 11, Everett posted another update, which until today stood as the last concerning DPReview’s fate and future. In that brief post, Everett said that the team would let readers know when there was news to share and, in the meantime, write longer-form content about camera technology and do some fun posts for the community.
Since May 11, DPReview has published fresh sample galleries, editorial content, hands-on previews, and reviews.
What Does the New Ownership Mean for DPReview?
After existing in limbo for months, with its fate unclear to outsiders, DPReview has new ownership and if the promises the publication is making on its website are held up, nothing should change.
“The site will continue to operate as it was before, with all editorial coverage and site features remaining the same, and all historical content accessible. That being said, we are excited to begin a new chapter working within and alongside an editorial company like Gear Patrol and expect to continue evolving DPReview based on customer feedback and the rapidly changing state of the publishing industry,” Everett writes.
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.
