http://www.fox32chicago.com/news/local/235577761-storyQuote:
One year after scrapping nude photos, ending a decades-old tradition for the Beverly Hills-based men's magazine, the March/April issue will again feature women posing in the buff, the publication announced today.
"I'll be the first to admit that the way in which the magazine portrayed nudity was dated, but removing it entirely was a mistake,'' said Cooper Hefner, the son of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner and the magazine's chief creative officer. "Nudity was never the problem because nudity isn't a problem. Today we're taking our identity back and reclaiming who we are.''
Why this struck anyone as a good idea in the first place is beyond me. When you ask a random person what comes to mind when you think of Playboy, the answer is most likely to be naked women. People subscribe to your magazine because they like to look at naked women (and of course, read the articles.) It is like McDonald's deciding to get rid of the Big Mac, because it was around in the 60s and it dates the brand.
On Cooper's behalf, I remember he was completely against this when the magazine decided to do it in February. By May, the CEO was let go.