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I have a hard time understanding why more people complain about a possibly-unprofessional interview than they do about the hype campaigns and PR-dictated preview blowouts that drive so much of video game coverage even today.

molyneux puts a lot of himself out there in the interview, which it makes it easy to empathize with him as a person, then seeing a person be directly attacked in such a frank way is clearly going to set off people's sense of injustice.

hype campaign previews are a nuisance but they just wash over you and don't provoke the same visceral reaction. it's the accumulation that's the problem, but you don't see that day to day.

 

[Toxi]

Wow, the developer publisher community really doesn't like this. On facebook and twitter several of them are having meltdowns. I'm not exactly sure why either. They feel its an attack on their entire career.

I can understand why. Peter Molyneux is an industry veteran who made some of the most respected games ever. This is also an attack on the developer instead of the publisher, which hits a lot closer to home for some people. Not to mention that he apparently is a really nice guy to talk to.

But this needed to happen.

 

[ZombieSupaStar]

for a second I though they photoshopped him being shot in the back with an arrow till I saw it was the microphone.

 

[Mael]

If you think he is or was the only one consistently over-promising, you have not been paying attention.

Please enlighten us on the individuals who bullshitted to the magnitude and for the length PM did.
You couldn't possibly pull a Molyneux and just bullshit your way through an argument would you?

 

[Flavius]

Wow, the developer publisher community really doesn't like this. On facebook and twitter several of them are having meltdowns. I'm not exactly sure why either. They feel its an attack on their entire career.

If I'm in the industry and this completely unprofessional approach to interviewing is deemed acceptable?

Fuck you guys. I'll stay over here and do my thing. This isn't about PM. Not sure how some of are so deaf to that.

 

[Caronte]

for a second I though they photoshopped him being shot in the back with an arrow till I saw it was the microphone.

Can't unsee now.

 

[Fuu]

this is a false dichotomy. we can have a games press that holds peoples' feet to the fire without being aggressive assholes about it.

This. People keep concluding that whoever has a problem with the tone Walker went with in this interview would rather have fluff pieces and PR-filled articles, and that's just fallacious. Middle grounds exist, we all want quality journalism.

 

[Saint of Killers]

RPS link not loading. Maybe they've taken it down?

For anyone that missed it: http://web.archive.org/web/20150213...yneux-interview-godus-reputation-kickstarter/

 

[Branduil]

If I'm in the industry and this completely unprofessional approach to interviewing is deemed acceptable?

Fuck you guys. I'll stay over here and do my thing. This isn't about PM. Not sure how some of are so deaf to that.

Well if you consistently lie about everything for at least a decade it's probably your own fault.

 

[DoktorEvil]

Just a few kickstarters off the top of my head...

Unsung Story got $660k. They've been silent for almost 3 months now. I don't think they've shown a screenshot in the year since they got funded.

Spaceventures got $539k. They're 2 years past their deadline now with no firm release date set.

Hero-U got $409k. They're over 2 years past their deadline now with no firm release date set.

Project Phoenix got $1 million. The prototype video looked drastically different than their concept & is generally agreed to be quite terrible.

These are all projects that got a lot of money from Kickstarter, that have famous or semi-famous developers attached to them, and that have delivered far less than Godus has. And yet, now Molyneux is public enemy number one 'cause his Kickstarter has only created a so-so beta while lots of other developers who have taken large amounts of money and overpromised and underdelivered are left alone. It's ridiculous. Hold everyone accountable but at the same time realize that game development is a tricky business and things don't always go according to plans.

John Walker from RPS said "But the rules change when it's the players' money being messed with." If that's the case, then the people in charge of the various disastrous game launches that we've seen lately should be getting grilled far worse than Molyneux. The amount of money that Godus has made from KS & from Early Access is miniscule compared to something like the Halo Collection or latest Assassin's Creed.

How many of those devs are willing to be interviewed? They're protected because they're private entities out of the general public spotlight. Has KS ever prosecuted people who abuse their platform?

 

[brian!]

this video is still good
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmTUW-owa2w

 

[MHWilliams]

I have a hard time understanding why more people complain about a possibly-unprofessional interview than they do about the hype campaigns and PR-dictated preview blowouts that drive so much of video game coverage even today.

You and I both know that first question would've gotten most of our interviews killed then and there, Jason. Don't let people think that's the norm.

Couldn't agree more. I've never encountered an industry where "journalists" are just PR puppets as much as this one.

See above.

 

[The Blackrose]

These are all projects that got a lot of money from Kickstarter, that have famous or semi-famous developers attached to them, and that have delivered far less than Godus has. And yet, now Molyneux is public enemy number one 'cause his Kickstarter has only created a so-so beta while lots of other developers who have taken large amounts of money and overpromised and underdelivered are left alone. It's ridiculous. Hold everyone accountable but at the same time realize that game development is a tricky business and things don't always go according to plans.

John Walker from RPS said "But the rules change when it's the players' money being messed with." If that's the case, then the people in charge of the various disastrous game launches that we've seen lately should be getting grilled far worse than Molyneux. The amount of money that Godus has made from KS & from Early Access is miniscule compared to something like the Halo Collection or latest Assassin's Creed.

The problem with your comparison is that Molyneux has a history of talking up the world and then failing to produce when the time's up. History being the key word there. This is his time as a designer starting around Lionhead coming back to haunt him.

However, I do agree with you in regards to holding more groups' feet over the fire. Molyneux is being taken to task because he's the epitome of low hanging fruit in the situation. He's also being taken to task because of his tendency to talk. How many of those other groups are just itching to talk to the press about how they've overshot their estimated time of delivery? Especially after this interview?

 

[Mastadon]

The first question devalues the entire interview. The interviewer comes off as someone who has an axe to grind and Molyneux's on the defensive for the rest of it. What's the point? People are really lauding this amateurish approach as a great interview technique? I'd expect this kind of interview if a Gaffer were conducting it.

If this is what's considered good gaming journalism, then the field is hopeless.

Don't agree at all. Questions of this ilk are used all the time to unbalance an interviewee to get them off the script.

It reminds me of the famous interview of Boris Johnson by Eddie Mair when he was asked "you're a nasty piece of work, aren't you?". This was widely regarded as one of the best British political interviews in years.

When people are so media savvy and have a script they want to stick to, you need questions like this to get a different response.

 

[Willy Wanka]

I'm not saying a lot of those questions didn't need to be asked but it's fair to say that if Walker ever leaves RPS then he would fit right in at a shite rag like the Sun. What a wanker.

 

[WhatsintheBox]

site isnt loading for me

 

[jschreier]

you trying to derail the thread brah?

and people complain about that all the time.

Yeah, I won't go on much more because I don't want to derail, but it's interesting to compare the reactions in this thread to, say, threads about the Bloodborne PR trickle. Nothing wrong with criticizing the RPS interview, of course. I certainly wouldn't have started out a conversation that way -- sets a hostile tone and turns the subject defensive right from the start.

 

[Freeman]

give me some specific examples of individuals who have done it for as long and as badly as molyneux. i am genuinely curious.

I don't know about individuals, I know about companies, Sony, MS, EA, Ubisoft, etc. Why does it need to be individuals?

 

[WhatsintheBox]

RPS link not loading. Maybe they've taken it down?

For anyone that missed it: http://web.archive.org/web/20150213...yneux-interview-godus-reputation-kickstarter/

you're awesome.

 

[Robert at Zeboyd Games]

How many of those devs are willing to be interviewed? They're protected because they're private entities out of the general public spotlight. Has KS ever prosecuted people who abuse their platform?

He agreed to be interviewed because people are out for his blood & he wanted to share his side of the story. If the Internet was out for the blood of another problematic Kickstarter, chances are they'd be willing to do some interviews as well.

And no, I don't think KS has ever prosecuted anyone before. They do put disclaimers on their site saying that backers can prosecute for failed promises but that's about it.

 

[Saint of Killers]

site isnt loading for me

http://web.archive.org/web/20150213...yneux-interview-godus-reputation-kickstarter/

you're awesome.

You're welcome ^_^

 

[Maligna]

Holy crap. That's very aggressive. I hope they aren't surprised when people stop agreeing to be interviewed.

That being said, someone did need to call him on his bull.

 

[SeanTSC]

If I'm in the industry and this completely unprofessional approach to interviewing is deemed acceptable?

Fuck you guys. I'll stay over here and do my thing. This isn't about PM. Not sure how some of are so deaf to that.

If this became a trend and it started popping up all over in interviews it'd be one thing, but it's a single instance of the biggest snakeoil salesman in the industry being called out on his bullshit. What, are some people terrified that their ass is going to get called out for something wrong that they've done too? Frankly, I'd rather that be a thing than all the useless puff pieces we get that do nothing but blow smoke up our asses with questions and answers that are cherry-picked by PR people, which is the vast majority of everything we see now a days.

 

[cj_iwakura]

He was harsh, but journalism today damn sure needs someone to be too hard rather than too soft.

 

[Swarna]

If I'm in the industry and this completely unprofessional approach to interviewing is deemed acceptable?

Fuck you guys. I'll stay over here and do my thing. This isn't about PM. Not sure how some of are so deaf to that.

Implying this is the standard conduction of interviews and not just a special case for a special interviewee known to be able to perpetually spin BS with no end.

This is all about PM. Let's not pretend this interviewer would have taken this approach on your usual industry member.

 

[watership]

Well if you consistently lie about everything for at least a decade it's probably your own fault.

Hey guess what.. good journalistic standards don't matter if your interviewing someone people dislike or are bad.

It's a standard and ethical level because it's supposed to be about the truth, without bias and agenda. This whole piece, regardless who it was or what it was about, crosses that line. I don't care if this was about someone who ripped someone off, or did some really nasty shit like purposely put seizure causing images in his game, interviewing like this is bullshit.

 

[R_thanatos]

Just a few kickstarters off the top of my head...

Unsung Story got $660k. They've been silent for almost 3 months now. I don't think they've shown a screenshot in the year since they got funded.

Spaceventures got $539k. They're 2 years past their deadline now with no firm release date set.

Hero-U got $409k. They're over 2 years past their deadline now with no firm release date set.

Project Phoenix got $1 million. The prototype video looked drastically different than their concept & is generally agreed to be quite terrible.

These are all projects that got a lot of money from Kickstarter, that have famous or semi-famous developers attached to them, and that have delivered far less than Godus has. And yet, now Molyneux is public enemy number one 'cause his Kickstarter has only created a so-so beta while lots of other developers who have taken large amounts of money and overpromised and underdelivered are left alone. It's ridiculous. Hold everyone accountable but at the same time realize that game development is a tricky business and things don't always go according to plans.

John Walker from RPS said "But the rules change when it's the players' money being messed with." If that's the case, then the people in charge of the various disastrous game launches that we've seen lately should be getting grilled far worse than Molyneux. The amount of money that Godus has made from KS & from Early Access is miniscule compared to something like the Halo Collection or latest Assassin's Creed.

If the people running those kickstarters want to give interviews to RPS and be grilled then I'm sure they'd be happy to oblige.....

i think they'll just say that they are working on their games and that it takes time.

(something i can understand ..to a point )

 

[hamchan]

Thinking about it, I think the pathological liar question was one John could ask... but he should have saved it for the end of the interview.

At that point, he could have pointed out the very inconsistencies in the interview already conducted and gotten a more interesting answer. Plus, he wouldn't have set an unnecessarily hostile tone right out of the gate.

I agree with this. While I enjoyed this interview, thought it was great, quite revealing, and that there should be more interviews like this, there is certainly room for improvement. The opening question being one of them.

 

[Gestault]

This interview quickly went from blunt, but deserved questions about the gulf between Monyneux's rhetoric and his results to something much less tasteful, and I think the end-product is destructive to creative efforts everywhere. The interviewer's attitude and question structure is bent on rhetorical "hits" more than ideas or getting new information or perspective, which utterly stinks of malice.

I think very little of John Walker as an interviewer, in light of this.

 

[thomasmahler]

Jesus Christ, I feel sorry for the guy

Peter Molyneux and Kickstarter was a bad idea from the get-go... but anyway, he has an enormous legacy and did make some great games, especially in the early 90s. I feel bad that he's being shit on today. Maybe a lot of you will say that he's deserved it after all his craziness, but really, just let the dude make his games and when he's talking big the next time, just remember his history.

I for one hope he's going to make another great game at some point.

 

[watership]

He was harsh, but journalism today damn sure needs someone to be too hard rather than too soft.

I get that. I really do. But it's too far in the other direction. It's an overreaction, not a correction. People are just cheering because of that.

 

[Mael]

this video is still good
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmTUW-owa2w

Interesting.

 

[conweller]

Lets be super clear.

Asking for good gaming journalism does not mean asking for an antagonistic press.

This is the other extreme of what you are talking about.

You want an impartial press that is able to call it like they see it. This is tantamount to watching MSNBC or Fox News because you agree with the bias they are slinging at the TV so it trigger a rush of serotonin to your brain and makes you happy.

It's not journalism. It's a sensationalistic hit piece because someone had an axe to grind and came out swinging.

This is an awesome post. Best of the thread, and a great statement about games journalism in general.

 

[DoktorEvil]

He agreed to be interviewed because people are out for his blood & he wanted to share his side of the story. If the Internet was out for the blood of another problematic Kickstarter, chances are they'd be willing to do some interviews as well.

And no, I don't think KS has ever prosecuted anyone before. They do put disclaimers on their site saying that backers can prosecute for failed promises but that's about it.

Doesn't that speak more to the issue of KS and less to the issue of PM trying to protect his studio?

I don't doubt the man is genuine, but goodness he's had 30 years to perfect management skills and he's coming across like he's never managed a company before,let alone a video game company.

 

[ironcreed]

Wow, they straight eschewed the usual formalities and cut directly to the core with a chainsaw. That is actually kind of refreshing to see, instead of the usual softball questions and fluff pieces that serve more as cover and promotion. It kind of makes you think that just perhaps some of these writers do give an actual fuck about the gaming community beyond their inner-circles.

 

[StoOgE]

I have a hard time understanding why more people complain about a possibly-unprofessional interview than they do about the hype campaigns and PR-dictated preview blowouts that drive so much of video game coverage even today.

This is disingenuous at best.

I get that you are trying to protect one of your own, but don't do this. It's a false choice that doesn't need to exist.

People complain about the fluff PR piece journalism all the time. there is an EA paying money to IGN gif that gets unloaded all the time on this and other forums when a positive preview or review comes out. There was a thread yesterday whose entire conceit was reviews that were clearly paid for. People complain about overly positive preview journalism constantly.

This is a hit piece, and is no more journalism than those. It also isn't "possibly-unprofessional". It is insanely unprofessional, and it's not journalism.

The answer to an overly cozy press is not an equally antagonistic press.

 

[wihio]

Just a few kickstarters off the top of my head...

Unsung Story got $660k. They've been silent for almost 3 months now. I don't think they've shown a screenshot in the year since they got funded.

Spaceventures got $539k. They're 2 years past their deadline now with no firm release date set.

Hero-U got $409k. They're over 2 years past their deadline now with no firm release date set.

Project Phoenix got $1 million. The prototype video looked drastically different than their concept & is generally agreed to be quite terrible.

These are all projects that got a lot of money from Kickstarter, that have famous or semi-famous developers attached to them, and that have delivered far less than Godus has. And yet, now Molyneux is public enemy number one 'cause his Kickstarter has only created a so-so beta while lots of other developers who have taken large amounts of money and overpromised and underdelivered are left alone. It's ridiculous. Hold everyone accountable but at the same time realize that game development is a tricky business and things don't always go according to plans.

John Walker from RPS said "But the rules change when it's the players' money being messed with." If that's the case, then the people in charge of the various disastrous game launches that we've seen lately should be getting grilled far worse than Molyneux. The amount of money that Godus has made from KS & from Early Access is miniscule compared to something like the Halo Collection or latest Assassin's Creed.

+1 to this

Molyneux is something of a whipping boy for the industry. There are so many others who deserve the same harsh grilling that he received but will never get it. The fact that he has been over promising so much recently should not overshadow his potential. I don't think anyone could say he hasn't done some amazing things with many of his releases. I hate to think of a game development world without his ability to dream, whether or not he can deliver. Anyone backing his project should have known from the get-go what they were getting into-- funding dreams and a CHANCE at something epic.

Yeah, people can whine all they want, but do your fucking research before you buy something.

I didn't fund this project because I didn't want to gamble on his dreams. I hope his plan to go reclusive works. Molyneux stealth developing a project for 6 years with no hype and no whining would be awesome.

 

[Foggy]

I have a hard time understanding why more people complain about a possibly-unprofessional interview than they do about the hype campaigns and PR-dictated preview blowouts that drive so much of video game coverage even today.

One is far more emotionally loaded. I have hard time understanding your hard time understanding the difference.

Spoiler

Say that five times fast

 

[petghost]

Man molyneux is such an easy target though... It doesn't take a ton of guts to pick on some guy with a reputation like his.

 

[Lucumo]

Hm, the site seems down. Can't read the full interview.

/edit:

RPS link is working again. Interview is still up.

Still doesn't load for me.

 

[iMax]

See above.

Well, that's not entirely true.

It depends on the situation and the culture of the interviewee's organisation/representatives. John probably wouldn't have kicked off an interview with Josh Holmes, for example, in that way—as much as he might like to, for the reason you mention.

Similarly, John isn't going to go down a PR-friendly route with Peter. It wouldn't make sense. But it also depends on the approach of the journalist. You wouldn't expect Paxman, for example, to conduct a pre-approved interview. Powerful interviewing styles, like these, command influence and—despite what some might think—are of mighty value to PR peeps when managed well.

 

[Willectro]

RockPaperShotgun is amazing. This is a great, timely interview.

 

[FryHole]

I have a hard time understanding why more people complain about a possibly-unprofessional interview than they do about the hype campaigns and PR-dictated preview blowouts that drive so much of video game coverage even today.

Not that I align with the complainers on this one at all (Molyneux deserves a bloody good roasting) but could this just be that the former is rather rarer than the latter, so most who might complain about PR guff long since gave up complaining? It's been the background noise of gaming for as long as I can remember, might as well complain about the tide coming back in.

 

[brianmcdoogle]

I hope someone does a roundup of press and developer reactions to the article.

 

[Saint of Killers]

RPS link is working again. Interview is still up.

 

[TsunamiOfSwagger]

I am not aware of a single lie.

 

[Draconian]

I have a hard time understanding why more people complain about a possibly-unprofessional interview than they do about the hype campaigns and PR-dictated preview blowouts that drive so much of video game coverage even today.

You're joking with this, right? Way to throw an unsubstantiated claim out there and continue pumping up that false dichotomy.

 

[Schryver]

Damn this is intense

 

[Dunlop]

The answer to an overly cozy press is not an equally antagonistic press.

+1

That was brutal to watch

 

[someguyinahat]

Spaceventures got $539k. They're 2 years past their deadline now with no firm release date set.

Hero-U got $409k. They're over 2 years past their deadline now with no firm release date set.

Wait, those two actually got funded? Why did I think those two kickstarters didn't meet their goals?