Ziff Davis files for bankruptcy: Yikes is putting it lightly

In news that has caused a lot of surprised "woah" noises around the Destructoid water cooler, and doubtless water coolers all over the games blogging world, it has come to light that Ziff Davis, the name behind 1UP, EGM magazine and Games for Windows magazine, has filed for chapter 11 in a bid to combat rising debts that collectively amount to almost $400 million. Who knew things were that bad?

One thing that is to be made perfectly clear is that this isn't the end of the company, and that 1UP is still, well, up. It's certainly not the kind of decision that any media network owner would like to have to make, however, and the fact of the matter is that good writers could lose their jobs. 

Destructoid and 1UP have come to blows a little in the past, but we're all essentially on the same side, with the same passion for gaming and writing. Nobody should get stung doing what they love, so we hope the damage isn't too great over there. They broke the news about Darth Vader being in Soul Calibur IV, and that's enough to earn them a pint each from me.

Man, some things you just do not see coming.