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John Davison leaving 1up/Ziff Davis

bry-bry

Member
SHIT. As bad as it was when Luke left (and the podcast took a noticeable hit in quality imo), at least Mark and a few others at 1up could take his spot with some competence. John is, however, absolutely irreplaceable. I have a hard time imagining anyone at 1up coming close to matching his reason, humor, and sense of structure on the show. As much as I love Garnett, the 1up Yours that I look forward to every week is likely gone after next Friday.

FUCK. :mad:
 

Tieno

Member
This is horrible news :( He made the podcast really good and he did a good job with 1up network (except for the actual code). 1up is my favorite gaming website when it comes to original content so I'm sad to see one of the main guys responsible for that leave.

Very depressing.
 

666

Banned
A positive out of this is that he could be leaving to make something even better, and will poach the cream of the 1up crop, perhaps?

Perhaps a website where the website part actually works would be a start.
 

voltron

Member
666 said:
A positive out of this is that he could be leaving to make something even better, and will poach the cream of the 1up crop, perhaps?

Perhaps a website where the website part actually works would be a start.

Why would that be a positive? 1up is already established and to start from scratch is always tough no matter who you are.
 

Tieno

Member
voltron said:
Why would that be a positive? 1up is already established and to start from scratch is always tough no matter who you are.
+ no way he's able to get all the good 1up guys to go along with him. It's better to have them all under one roof and feed off each other than spread them thin over too many websites.
 

Eric WK

Member
And if he's really starting a family friendly and focused site, I'd rather he not take 1UP's talent. I mean, I like John and I hate to see him go, but I'm simply not interested in casual, family oriented gaming right now.
 

666

Banned
Eric WK said:
And if he's really starting a family friendly and focused site, I'd rather he not take 1UP's talent. I mean, I like John and I hate to see him go, but I'm simply not interested in casual, family oriented gaming right now.

He can take Shane & prod him with a stick to drop "this shit's for bay-bies" at regular intervals.
 

Doel

Member
This is horrible. Bad for 1up and bad for 1up Yours.

I don't know who can possibly replace him. I guess it's between Hsu, Mark, and Garnett (but what exactly is Garnett's current position?).
 

GhaleonQ

Member
Um, screw the podcast for the moment. His management of the 1-Up Network was fantastic. I trusted him immensely. *weeps*
 

Patrick Klepek

furiously molesting tim burton
This wasn't announced sooner because it was supposed to be tied to another announcement. Obviously, we've all known for a little while now, and have been suitably upset -- but proud to see John moving onto something that he's truly passionate about, and now just happens to be the time for him to move on it -- but we're ready to go forward, all the same.

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3162237
 

Pikelet

Member
:( he was in my top 5 podcasters

1) Luke Smith
2) Gary whitta
3) Shawn Elliot
4) John Davison
5) Jeff Green

I still hold out hope for a podcast supergroup. One podcast future ftw
 
eXxy said:
This wasn't announced sooner because it was supposed to be tied to another announcement. Obviously, we've all known for a little while now, and have been suitably upset -- but proud to see John moving onto something that he's truly passionate about, and now just happens to be the time for him to move on it -- but we're ready to go forward, all the same.

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3162237
Make that last PAX podcast epic. Looking forward to it.
 

ElyrionX

Member
eXxy said:
This wasn't announced sooner because it was supposed to be tied to another announcement. Obviously, we've all known for a little while now, and have been suitably upset -- but proud to see John moving onto something that he's truly passionate about, and now just happens to be the time for him to move on it -- but we're ready to go forward, all the same.

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3162237

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

So, I assume the other "announcement" is about the appointment of someone else who's going to fill the void that John leaves? Now, who would that be? Any hints?
 
eXxy said:
This wasn't announced sooner because it was supposed to be tied to another announcement. Obviously, we've all known for a little while now, and have been suitably upset -- but proud to see John moving onto something that he's truly passionate about, and now just happens to be the time for him to move on it -- but we're ready to go forward, all the same.

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3162237

This is why i love GAF

(And this is why i fucking hate joyshit!)
 

Eric WK

Member
ElyrionX said:
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

So, I assume the other "announcement" is about the appointment of someone else who's going to fill the void that John leaves? Now, who would that be? Any hints?

That sounds likely. It'll be interesting to see who John's successor is.
 
Oh fuck it, he was the best guy on 1up yours. I liked him a lot–very well-spoken, funny at the best times, and not a complete douchebag at times when Shane and others brings the douche.
 

Tieno

Member
eXxy said:
This wasn't announced sooner because it was supposed to be tied to another announcement. Obviously, we've all known for a little while now, and have been suitably upset -- but proud to see John moving onto something that he's truly passionate about, and now just happens to be the time for him to move on it -- but we're ready to go forward, all the same.

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3162237
Makes that scene between Kathleen and John on 1upshow really weird. Sad to see him go, best of luck to him!
 
On a less depressing note, this means the entirety of the previous 1UP Yours crew will be reunited on Friday at PAX in Seattle for a nostalgia-filled edition of 1UP's flagship podcast. If you're going to be in the area, don't miss it. And if you aren't, it'll be online soon enough.

this is gonna be so Epic that it might get sued.
 

fallout

Member
eXxy said:
This wasn't announced sooner because it was supposed to be tied to another announcement. Obviously, we've all known for a little while now, and have been suitably upset -- but proud to see John moving onto something that he's truly passionate about, and now just happens to be the time for him to move on it -- but we're ready to go forward, all the same.

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3162237
:(

He was pretty fucking awesome on 1Up Yours and I always noticed it the most when he was missing. Sort of like a bass player in a band, I guess, heh. I didn't always agree with him on things, but I certainly respected his opinions and appreciated the way that he presented them.
 
John Davison was a very important part of the 1up Network, going all the way back to EGM.

As a pre-teen, I occasionally picked up EGM at the newstand. The caricature reviewers, strategy guides, reader-participation, and previews really drew me in; the magazine had character. But it wasn't particularly mature. When Sendai sold EGM to Ziff Davis, Ed Semrad bailed rather quickly, and EGM took a new direction under John Davison's helm.

Issues #108 - #120 are favorites of mine. Flush with personality -- like EGMs of the early to mid-90s, the staff was static and very small: you knew who wrote every section, and each reviewer was easily identifiable since they often reviewed 10+ games a month -- but now far more mature, this was EGM at one of its peaks. Although the staff at the time played a big part in making it a quality mag, John Davison was a very important addition.

He oversaw some great features. EGM's "How-To" guides on cheating, importing games, etc. were great, and its cover story on Zelda, parodying gossipy trash mags, was creative, informative, a bit funny, and obviously memorable. When the Dreamcast was set to launch, EGM's coverage was unparalleled. Not only did it present as much information as you could possibly want about the Dreamcast, it did so in a supremely entertaining way. Lord knows how much time and effort went into putting together such quality articles when EGM has such a small staff: good employees and good managers.

John's letter to the readers, opening each mag, wasn't particularly ground breaking, but it was more along the lines of something you'd read in a news magazine -- it summarized the content or focused on a particular story. Though unspectacular, these intros really set the tone for the magazine.

It's disappointing to see him go. As the leader, you get to take most of the praise when things go well, and you get to take most of the shit when things go wrong. That's why I attribute much of EGM's success in the early part of this decade and the late part of the 90s to John Davison. He was one of the better writers, and he must have been a good manager, because he brought a lot of quality people into EGM, OPM, and 1up and he oversaw a lot of great articles and reviews. As a member of the 1up Show, there were no surprises -- the personality you read on paper is the one you get in real life (or at least the one that's presented on the show).

I could literally go on for pages, and if I stopped to think about this a bit, remember a few great examples of reviews he's done, feature's he's co-written, or quips he's come up with, but I'll digress. It was a pleasure being a reader of yours. Good luck in the future.
 
Tieno said:
Makes that scene between Kathleen and John on 1upshow really weird.

VJTonyavy.jpg
 
I really enjoyed his take on games, the perspective and grounding he brought to the 1UP Yours podcast. If he was as great a boss as everyone says he is, then his team should be self sufficient by now to the point where his presence should not be missed. At least internally. Very good luck in your future endeavor.
 

JavaMava

Member
Although I'd love to see Jeff become a permanent member, he's got kids and a family. I'm pretty sure these podcasts are done on their own time and it's a little much to expect a family man to show up in not one, but 2 podcasts each week.

As much as I love Jeff I think Shawn Elliot would be perfect for a permanent spot. He's snarky and hilarious like Luke, and extremely intelligent like John.
 
JavaMava said:
As much as I love Jeff I think Shawn Elliot would be perfect for a permanent spot. He's snarky and hilarious like Luke, and extremely intelligent like John.
Shawn would definitely be worthy of a permanent spot. He's another one of the editors who's as entertaining on paper as he is on video or radio. When he breaks down a game, he does so more analytically than most gaming critics. Ziff Davis is lucky he returned after he left due to downsizing a few years ago.
 

skip

Member
yes. confirmed. etc.

we are all very drunk tonight celebrating john's last day in the office, so bear with me. official annoucement will go out tomorrow.

he and Ira are starting their own gaming media venture, only one block away from ZD office (near the good lunch spots). from what I hear, john will still be on 1up yours, because it's not a competitive thing. and it's something he's been planning before the 'doom and gloom' ziff anouncements, so you can lay conspiracy theories to rest.

we shall all miss him dearly.

-andrew
 

medrew

Member
Biege for fourth chair.

Shane should just jump over to doing Retronauts and let 1Up Yours RIP.

edit: mods please delete skip's post for my sake and respectibility.
 

Zen

Banned
skip said:
yes. confirmed. etc.

we are all very drunk tonight celebrating john's last day in the office, so bear with me. official annoucement will go out tomorrow.

he and Ira are starting their own gaming media venture, only one block away from ZD office (near the good lunch spots). from what I hear, john will still be on 1up yours, because it's not a competitive thing. and it's something he's been planning before the 'doom and gloom' ziff anouncements, so you can lay conspiracy theories to rest.

we shall all miss him dearly.

-andrew

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
 

skip

Member
also, the "1UP Yours, Live from PAX" should be a treat for those in attendance. a drunken john told me tonight: "jf;ajf;afoiewjfoawej, ajfoej I don' tw ork thereanyomreo FJaf;ldajf"

gamevideos will be filming. stay tuned!
 

Eric WK

Member
skip said:
also, the "1UP Yours, Live from PAX" should be a treat for those in attendance. a drunken john told me tonight: "jf;ajf;afoiewjfoawej, ajfoej I don' tw ork thereanyomreo FJaf;ldajf"

gamevideos will be filming. stay tuned!

:lol
 

Tieno

Member
skip said:
also, the "1UP Yours, Live from PAX" should be a treat for those in attendance. a drunken john told me tonight: "jf;ajf;afoiewjfoawej, ajfoej I don' tw ork thereanyomreo FJaf;ldajf"

gamevideos will be filming. stay tuned!
Luke is there too, right? Yeah, film the entire 1upyours, it'll be fun to watch it.
 

Rlan

Member
skip said:
yes. confirmed. etc.

we are all very drunk tonight celebrating john's last day in the office, so bear with me. official annoucement will go out tomorrow.

he and Ira are starting their own gaming media venture, only one block away from ZD office (near the good lunch spots). from what I hear, john will still be on 1up yours, because it's not a competitive thing. and it's something he's been planning before the 'doom and gloom' ziff anouncements, so you can lay conspiracy theories to rest.

we shall all miss him dearly.

-andrew

I miss hearing you on 1up yours. There is nothing else that adds to a funny scene than someone cacking themselves in the background.
 
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