4P

4P, formerly known as 4Players, is a German online magazine that provides news and reviews of video games and related content. Established in August 2000, 4Players is owned by the Hamburg-based company 4Players GmbH, an indirect subsidiary of the Marquard Group conglomerate.

== History == The company 4Players GmbH was established in May 2000 by the internet agency Active Newmedia GmbH in association with Freenet AG. 4Players GmbH subsequently launched the website 4Players in August that year. Freenet sold 4Players GmbH to Computec Media in December 2012, with the purchase taking effect on 1 January 2013. On 30 June 2020, Computec Media owner Marquard Group transferred 4Players GmbH to 4Players AG, a newly formed Aktiengesellschaft in Switzerland owned directly by Marquard Group. The conglomerate stated that it expected "extraordinary expansion" of 4Players as a result of the move. However, the site announced in August 2021 that it was to close on 31 October 2021. Consequently, 40 of 4Player GmbH's 50 employees would be laid off, while the remainder would continue to operate the company's other businesses, including the game server hosting service 4Netplayers, the communication software Odin, and the multiplayer tool Scill. Shortly after the last article was published, 4Players AG announced that there had been multiple offers to continue operating the site. Reporting resumed on 11 November with Mathias Oertel as the acting editor and several freelances who nominally work for Computec as writers.