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Penny Arcade 11/30/2007 Jeff Gerstmann fired from Gamespot, allegedly for K&L review

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B

BobFromPikeCreek

Member
This is the score that got him fired? The least controversial of his controversial scores? Why are controversial scores even grounds for termination? Doesn't this kinda defeat the concept of opinion based review? So many questions with so many dumb answers.
 
L

Link648099

Banned
Did anyone see the video in question, or have a chance to youtube it? That's too bad if they didn't.

In any case, firing someone with over 10 years of experience in this industry is like firing Gandalf from Lord of the Rings. Dumb, dumb dumb business move.
 
V

VibratingDonkey

Member
Ah, beaten. If it wasn't true Aaron Thomas would probably type up some non-legal nonsense. Like "No." for instance.

I feel ashamed for having bought the game in question now.
 
S

Skilotonn

xbot xbot xbot xbot xbot
Well that's just f*cked up if that was the real reason - and that comic seems too exact to be wrong too...

He was Gamespot...

Again, that's f*cked up from all parties involved...
 
W

WrikaWrek

Banned
I'm outraged.

Somebody hack that piece of shit site i pay for. :( i do...i do....i know....

Defuser said:
But they have a semi-poor forum community.
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Gaf is like the official non official forum where the 1up community actually exists.
 
K

Kittonwy

Banned
duckroll said:
Can you really prove that? I enjoy AC quite a lot and I've recommended it to friends who were considering twice because of some of the bad reviews. Am I also on Ubisoft's payroll? You mean it's not possible that some people actually *gasp* like the game? Seriously.
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I don't have to prove anything. It's the appearance of impropriety.

Did Ubisoft pay you to draw a comic for AC?

Have Ubisoft ever paid you any money?

Do you have a business relationship with Ubisoft?

No? Then you're not in the same situation as PA.

Whether AC is in fact a good game or not, you bought the game with your own money and your opinion of the game is based on your playthrough of the game and there isn't a remote possibility that you're supporting the game because Ubisoft has given you money or some other benefit. In PA's case though things are different. They DO have a business relationship with Ubisoft regarding AC, once that is true, there's an appearance issue in terms of conflict of interests and PA should just stay the hell out of the whole review thing, because you can never be sure whether the folks at PA are in fact voicing a genuine opinion or an opinion that is somehow affected by their business relationship with Ubisoft, however minute, even if PA simply had a positive interaction with Ubisoft it could possibly affect their objectivity.
 
E

Evlar

Banned
Kittonwy said:
It's the appearance of impropriety.

Did Ubisoft pay you to draw a comic for AC?

Have Ubisoft ever paid you any money?

Do you have a business relationship with Ubisoft?

No? Then you're not in the same situation as PA.

Whether AC is in fact a good game or not, you bought the game with your own money and your opinion of the game is based on your playthrough of the game and there isn't a remote possibility that you're supporting the game because Ubisoft has given you money or some other benefit. In PA's case though things are different. They DO have a business relationship with Ubisoft regarding AC, once that is true, there's an appearance issue in terms of conflict of interests.
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So you're saying they shouldn't comment on any game if they get money from the parent company? OK.

Shall we shut down all the other news sources now?
 
D

duckroll

Member
skip said:
I want more details before saying anything more, but should these circumstances be confirmed, I hope to see a lot of commentary.
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Hey, what happened to uncovering the mystery behind the 9bargo of AC? Any luck?
 
G

GitarooMan

Member
I was wondering why he wasn't on the Hotspot...if this is true, I won't fucking visit Gamespot ever again, ridiculous. If true, I hope Gerstmann gets a job somewhere else soon, I enjoyed his work on reviews and the Hotspot, guy knows his shit.

Time to ban Gamespot
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fucking QFT.
 
R

reilo

learning some important life lessons from magical Negroes
On a serious note, if Gamespot really has fired Gerstmann over this, then all the conspiracy theorists out there that have screamed "bias" over the past have been, essentially, right.

That's a scary fucking reality.

Gamespot should be banned from NeoGAF for this if true.
 
Z

Zzoram

Member
duckroll said:
And the worst website. :lol
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I also love 1UP's media and personalities. They seem very honest and blunt to me. They often speak about how publishers will try to wine and dine them, and GFW in particular has outlined everything they do and made fun of them (and their own sponsors).

They probably have the worst/slowest website because they aren't on the take :lol
 
H

HK-47

Oh, bitch bitch bitch.
All GS has now is Alex N...I remember when people considered GS the de facto game review site. What happened?
 
F

FartOfWar

Banned
fallout said:
I could swear that you guys were joking about this very scenario on the podcast a few weeks back, when you were talking about publishers calling in about low scores. Anyway, scary shit, if true.

Pfft. It's not like they'd fire him or anything.
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The pressure is always there ( http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/1542/pr_and_the_game_media_how_pr_.php ). Only the maintenance of a firewall between advertising/sales and editorial departments protects readers. Even when these protect editors, publishers are always able to discourage negative press by shutting off the access tap (see the Trip Hawkins element of the story linked above). His or her own ethics notwithstanding, you guys/our audiences are the critic's only counter to this strong force that only gets stronger as making and marketing games becomes ever more costly and the chances of turning a profit diminish in proportion. And this is why I pull my hair out over "why so low?" syndrome.
 
A

ant1532

Banned
Fuck Eidos up the ass to even thinking about it. And fuck CNET for taking it.

This shit is getting me pissed. I say people near CNET HQ go there and cause some shit.
 
E

Edag Plata

Banned
...I dunno, I always thought the guy was a dick.

Then again, I do like IGN'd podcasts and such, so I guess that says something about me. :lol
 
S

shintoki

sparkle this bitch
Pretty much as everyone has said. All signs seem to be pointing that the rumor is true. The forums are not allowed to discuss about any rumor of the sort, and it looks like they are even going to start suspending account from the sound of it who do bring it up.
 
N

Nab

Member
thetrin said:
Um...you went somewhere else besides 1up in the past? They have the best videos, podcasts and content in the business.
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I used to visit 1up every now and then but their site always loads super slow for me. In addition I always enjoyed On the Spot more than the 1up show and tended to disagree with 1up's review scores more often than I disagreed with Gamespot's so I sorta.. Gravitated towards GS rather than 1up.
 
D

disappeared

Banned
mosaic said:
Considering all I've done is post the PA link and confirm that Jeff was let go, it'd be a real bitch move to lose my freelance work for pointing out a comic and news that Penny-Arcade and other sites had already put up. Someone would have posted a link to the comic on GAF eventually.

But, if it happens, so be it. And if it does happen, that'd confirm the worst, wouldn't it?

Again, let me be clear, I've not spoken to anyone from any news site, and I've taken great strides not to spill inside info here. I'll continue to do that. Not just to protect myself, but others too.
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Well, your information is appreciated.
 
A

AGFlamey

Member
"Eidos" is going to replace "Atari" in our podcast theme song.

This is beyond pathetic. A pox on all of Gamespot and Eidos' houses. A POX.

For once I'm glad I work for a site that makes no money and publishers avoid acknowledging like the plague.
 
D

duckroll

Member
Kittonwy said:
It's the appearance of impropriety.

Did Ubisoft pay you to draw a comic for AC?

Have Ubisoft ever paid you any money?

Do you have a business relationship with Ubisoft?

No? Then you're not in the same situation as PA.
Click to expand...

So..... they're not allowed to even express that they enjoy the game? You're crazy, it's not even like they reviewed the game. :p
 
Z

Zzoram

Member
Defuser said:
But they have a semi-poor forum community.
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The only gaming forum community I like is NeoGAF. 1UP for media/reviews. IGN occasionally for a second (and longer) opinion. Metacritic scores are what I generally look at though if I'm really undecided.
 
Agent X

Agent X

Member
This is a real shame. I though Gerstmann was a great reviewer, even if I didn't agree with him 100% of the time. I'll surely miss him, and hope that he resurfaces somewhere soon.
 
Z

Zzoram

Member
WrikaWrek said:
I'm outraged.

Somebody hack that piece of shit site i pay for. :( i do...i do....i know....



Gaf is like the official non official forum where the 1up community actually exists.
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So true, they've even said that a few times on the 1UP Show. :lol
 
T

thetrin

Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
duckroll said:
And the worst website. :lol
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Journalistic integrity comes with bad site programming!
 
K

Kittonwy

Banned
The Sphinx said:
So you're saying they shouldn't comment on any game if they get money from the parent company? OK.

Shall we shut down all the other news sources now?
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I'm saying that once you have a business relationship with the publisher SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO THE GAME IN QUESTION, while you can play the game and enjoy it and express this sentiment, you're off the fucking high horse and really shouldn't be telling other people how not to judge games because your judgement is possibly tainted.
Indifferent2.gif
 
J

jonabbey

Member
Man, Gerstmann was Gamespot for me, on the podcasts, the video bits, everything.

I guess I haven't read his "controversial" reviews, but he's one of my favorite guys to listen to every week.

Guess I'll have to pull the HotSpot off of my iTunes.
 
G

Grecco

Member
Wow. Im still shellshocked by this. The growing power of game makers on the gaming media is scary.

So..... they're not allowed to even express that they enjoy the game? You're crazy, it's not even like they reviewed the game. :p
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They do have a vested interest in Ubisofts games being well recieved, with their good buisness relationship and all. So you will excuse me for taking their enjoyment of the game with a grain of salt
 
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