Frequently asked questions about our gaming and tech history magazines

Simulant Systems Ltd is a UK-based publisher of tech, gaming and computing magazines.

Page count. Most of our magazines run to around 60 pages.

Release schedule. Timing varies by title but most are released at least quarterly, and often more frequently. We'd rather take the time needed to make each issue something special than rush it out to meet an arbitrary deadline.

Subscriptions are based on the number of issues rather than a fixed period of months, so you won't miss out if you subscribe in advance. We also occasionally publish special Collectors Edition Magazines.

Some issues (especially Amiga Addict) come with a digital coverdisk - a downloadable disk image (ISO, ADF etc) you can write to your own blank floppy. Subscribers get a sticky coverdisk label to finish the job properly, and we sell physical coverdisks separately in the shop.

We aim to reply as quickly as we can, but we're a small team who work on the magazines around day jobs. Most emails get a reply within a couple of days - please bear with us and we'll get to you.

Starting a subscription. Subscriptions are a purchase option on every magazine's product page. Head to the current issue in the shop and use the dropdown to pick either an ongoing subscription or a fixed block of 6 or 12 issues.

Which issue you'll get first. Subscriptions always start from the current issue. If you already have that issue, we suggest waiting for the next one before starting so you don't receive duplicates.

Renewing. A manual renewal is treated as another purchase - when the next issue you don't yet own goes on sale, buy it with the subscription option selected.

Ongoing billing. If you're on our ongoing subscription plan, we'll charge your payment method automatically shortly before each new issue is released, and ship your copy as soon as it arrives in stock. No need to log in and re-order each time - you can cancel anytime from your account.

Direct Debit. At checkout, select 'Bank Transfer' as the payment method - you'll get a link to set up the Direct Debit.

Finding out about new issues. Subscribing is the easiest way to guarantee a copy. Otherwise we announce every new issue on the site, on X and on our Discord first. We also have a mailing list if that suits you better (account required).

Are they printed to order? No - we order print runs in bulk based on current subscribers and recent single-issue sales. We try to leave plenty of headroom for back issues, but a particularly popular issue can sell out, so get in early if you don't want to miss out.

Yes, absolutely. We offer gift certificates - head to our gift certificate page to set a value and a recipient. You'll need an account to do this.

Yes - both our digital PDF and postal delivery systems need a registered account to work.

The digital delivery is a semi-manual process, so it isn't instant - normally you'll see the PDF in your account within a day of your order.

Don't worry - "Shipping Preparation Started" is the final status in our system. Once your magazine is in an envelope, it heads to the post office shortly after and is on its way to you.

UK orders: shipped by Royal Mail 2nd class. It should arrive around three working days after we post it, but if it's still not with you after 13 days please get in touch with your order number - we'll claim with Royal Mail and send a replacement. Let us know within 80 days or we can't claim.

International orders: shipped via Royal Mail International Economy to keep costs down. Delivery times vary by location - see the Royal Mail International Economy delivery aims for guidance. If your magazine hasn't arrived within the delivery aim plus 25 extra days, drop us a message with your order number and we'll arrange a replacement. Claims must be made within six months.

Contact us about a missing magazine

Plastic waste is a real environmental issue and we prefer to keep our packaging recyclable. Most other publishers have moved to paper too, so we're in good company. We'll keep an eye on how it performs and adjust if needed.

We run a range of advertising opportunities across our print magazines, digital PDF editions, websites and social channels. Whether you're a games developer with a launch, an indie hardware maker, a specialist retailer or a publisher with an ongoing campaign, Hannah will work with you to put together a package that fits your budget and reaches the right readers - from a single ad in one issue to a joined-up presence across all our titles.

Drop us a line and we'll take it from there. Contact Hannah

Yes please - we want to know about Steam-related, classic-computing and retro-gaming products. Send Amiga-related pitches to amiga@simulant.media, other computers and tech to pixel@simulant.media.