Prima Games

Prima Games

Company type	Private
Industry	Publishing, Video game journalism
Founded	1990 (1990)
Founder	Ben Dominitz
Headquarters	Shreveport , United States
Area served	Worldwide
Products	Video game strategy guides, digital strategy guides, gaming news
Owner	GAMURS Group

Prima Games is a United States-based publishing company that focuses on producing video game strategy guides. Initially operating as an imprint under Dorling Kindersley, a division of Penguin Random House, Prima specialized in printed strategy guides that included comprehensive walkthroughs, character profiles, and move listings. In March 2019, ownership transferred to Asteri Holdings, which redirected the company’s efforts toward digital strategy guides and gaming-related news. Subsequently, in January 2022, the GAMURS Group acquired the firm.

History

Founded in 1990 by entrepreneur Ben Dominitz in Roseville, California, Prima Publishing launched its operations with a contract involving author Rusel DeMaria. This collaboration gave rise to the "Secrets of the Games" imprint, initially releasing five titles that addressed popular platforms such as Nintendo and Sega. DeMaria played a vital role as both executive and creative director until 1996, contributing to prominent guides including Myst: The Official Strategy Guide, which achieved sales exceeding 1.25 million copies, alongside manuals for The 7th Guest,, X-Wing, and Prince of Persia.

By 2005, Prima had ventured into distributing guides electronically. The following year, it refined its approach through a partnership with The Syndicate, a leading online gaming community, to elevate MMORPG strategy content by incorporating expert insights rather than relying solely on raw data. This methodology broadened by 2009 to encompass genres such as FPS, RTS, and RPG.

In 2007, Prima established a key alliance with Nintendo, creating official strategy guides for major titles including Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Odyssey. These guides featured gameplay advice along with exclusive concept artwork, thereby enhancing Prima’s prominence within the gaming publishing sector.

Adjusting to the rise of digital marketplaces, Prima began offering guides on Steam starting in 2010. After the 2013 merger between its parent company Random House and Penguin Group—owner of rival BradyGames—Prima unified both imprints under its own name in 2015 to strengthen its competitive position.

The company also engaged directly with game developers on projects such as Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar, showcasing its leadership in producing authoritative content.

Towards the end of 2018, Penguin Random House announced intentions to shut down Prima Games by mid-2019; nonetheless, Asteri Holdings’ acquisition ensured the brand’s continuation by pivoting exclusively to digital products and expanding coverage into gaming news—aligning with evolving industry preferences for online content delivery.

Prima’s eGuides platform remained operational until November 2024 when it was discontinued due to declining user engagement, marking the conclusion of its presence in digital strategy guide publishing.