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Chris Pranger, Out-Spoken Nintendo Treehouse Localizer, was Fired
- Thread starter Tom Nook Sawyer
- Start date
kitchenmotors
Banned
Also, reading some of the reactions here on NeoGaf... heh, guys... good luck for when you'll finish school and enter the work world. You'll REALLY need it.
This really needs to be said multiple times, because I feel like people without jobs or those that would need clearance to discuss things as a representative of your company, simply do not get it.
When you speak as a representative of your company, as it was displayed and came across on the description of the podcast, then you better have had approval. He said a lot of things that made me cringe because it just seemed like information that shouldn't have been shared. In the thread, people were also responding to his comments directly as if Nintendo said them. That is an issue and it was dealt with like any other company would when NDA is being broken, dismissal.
The Facebook post was not thought out and no wonder he took it down. Dude makes terrible decisions.
dreamcastmaster
Banned
It was thought out alright. Thought out very cynically to get some social media campaign to get him reinstated or new employment by appealing to as many groups as possible while playing the victim.
Conkerkid11
Member
Uhh... Can't really feel bad for him. NoA sucks largely in part because people there have opinions as dumb as his.
Can't imagine things will go well for him now that he's bitching about it online.
Can't imagine things will go well for him now that he's bitching about it online.
Because doing something similar to what got him fired is likely to get him a similar job elsewhere. Dude doesn't learn from his mistakes.
Theanine3D
Member
Breaking an NDA is grounds for legal action, so it sounds like he might have actually gotten off lucky. Being fired is a whole lot more merciful than facing a wealthy multinational corporation in court.
What opinions were dumb?
Was it that some franchises don't have a big enough audience to make it worthwhile to port them over?
That doesn't sound idiotic
I mean, the way he said it weren't the best.
TheAutomator
Banned
We get it. That does not mean we have to approve how utterly inhumane corps conduct themselves.
Vincent Grayson
Member
Do many people here approve of how corporations conduct themselves?
I sure don't like it, but I know it, and I operate with that knowledge. This guy should've known better the reality of who he was working for and what would happen when going on air representing his company without permission.
It sucks that this is how it is, but this *IS* how it is, and you have to work with that information.
choodi
Banned
I didn't participate in that thread, but my first thought was, "he's gonna get fired if he did that without clearing it with PR first".
Maybe it's because I work in pr that it seems like an obvious beach of his employment conditions to me.
I wonder how many people who think he shouldn't have been fired have ever worked in a corporate environment?
Some of you have got some very hard lessons coming if you think you can go out and speak as a representative of a company without approval.
Hell, you can be fired for shit you say on Facebook if you can be identified as an employee and your comments are seen to be representing your employer in a bad light. Doesn't even have to be about your employer...
Going on a Nintendo focused podcast as a Nintendo Treehouse employee without permission is dumb. And I think the main reason he was fired. You can not have employees who think it's ok to speak to the public in a unofficial capacity without explicit permission to do so.
Also, I found this just now: http://geekswithwives.com/gww-podcast-135-chris-pranger-escapist/
So it wasn't even his first time doing this. I haven't listened to it, but from the description: "He cautiously goes on a fantastic rant about the state of Nintendo from his own perspective."
TheSlySoul
Member
Should have not broke NDA.
Not sad in the slighest.
Also this is karma for dissing your own fanbase.
Not sad in the slighest.
Also this is karma for dissing your own fanbase.
DryvBy
Member
That Facebook post is depressing. But man, $100,000 in debt to start life just to go to college? No wonder we have so many people depressed even when they're living their dream. I'm almost debt free because I hated being in debt that I got myself into when I got married. I can't imagine failing my family and having that kind of money lingering over me without a job.
level1
Member
Now if only pretty much everything he said wasn't actually opinion, but fact.
Joe Shlabotnik
Banned
But if he wasn't disciplined or warned then, then it actually makes more sense that he thought this appearance would be OK too.
Several insiders (I don't feel like digging up specifics) seem to have confirmed that NOA has NDAs, and that they're even stricter about them than similar companies. Nintendo very much wants to control the message that they put out.
At it's most basic level, an NDA means "don't talk". The specifics of it are in your NDA contract, but usually you're only allowed to talk when the PR department says you're allowed to talk, and you're only allowed to say what the PR department tells you to say.
Chris said in his deleted Facebook post...
That makes it really clear that he talked without permission, and got scared when he realized that his bosses might notice what he had done.
The GAF thread hating on him/Nintendo for his stance on Xenoblade and the Wii U name (which was apparently a small part of what he talked about) would have been pointed to as an example of "You see? THIS is why we need to have the PR department controlling the message!" but it would've been secondary to the basic mistake which was that he talked at all.
He might have got off with a slap on the wrist (maybe not, NDAs are serious business), but apparently he disrespected Sakurai and SquareEnix during his unauthorized interview, and his candid words made headlines in Japan.
kitchenmotors
Banned
This is every company ever with an NDA. Don't worry, once you get into the real world you'll understand.
Everything he said was dumb. What's wrong with you? Other than you not understanding the situation correctly.
ultratruman
Banned
Then as now, he sounds more like a whiney fanboy than a professional employee of a multinational.
I took what he said to be his own perspective, because if he were high up enough in Nintendo of America to really know the reasons behind localisation decisions etc I doubt he would be trying to show off on such a podcast at all.
I took what he said to be his own perspective, because if he were high up enough in Nintendo of America to really know the reasons behind localisation decisions etc I doubt he would be trying to show off on such a podcast at all.
PrivateRyan
Member
I don't really get what people are (still) misunderstanding here.
Man joins company. Company outlines terms of employment in contract and/or NDA. Man signs contract agreeing to those terms. Man then breaks terms. Man then subject to punishment as outlined in contract and/or NDA.
Conkerkid11
Member
This is the same GAF who attacked someone for posting the Gamertag of the one who leaked images of the Halo 5 menus, despite that person being under an NDA.
kitchenmotors
Banned
That's another thing, he wasn't very professional. I knew, when I actually listened to the podcast instead of commenting only on the thread title, that he wasn't speaking on behalf of Nintendo, even though he was on that podcast as an official Nintendo employee.
Reptars Revenge
Member
If you are replaceable then good luck breaking the rules.
test_account
XP-39C²
Did anyone here get offended regarding the whiny fans comment? Nintendo also did this publically last E3 with Reggie and Mother 3. I didnt see anyone get offended then, but maybe i missed something.
WanderingWind
Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
That's a bit different, yeah? People hate tattletales. But Chris, right or wrong (that's for the fat cats in Washington to decide), snitched on himself.
Personally, I think nobody would have remembered this in a week, so if Nintendo fired him partly to save face they're just a wee bit out of touch. If they did so because of a broken NDA, well, that's more or less Chris' fault. Not that I can't feel bad for a guy who - in the grand scheme of things - did something innocuous and lost his dream job. But people blaming others for what was ultimately his decision are way off base.
Poetic.Injustice
Member
You should all be grateful for the PR talk from guys like Reggie, no straight talk allowed.
On the podcast he sounded manic. Talked a mile a minute and the other voices didn't get a chance to fit a word in edgewise.
People seem to think that the objectionable things he brought up were how fans expect things to be localised when they are a financial risk. No, the things he said that the company would have found objectionable are things like top executives, namely Miyamoto make poor decisions, mentioning he makes the localization team do a guessing game of 'guess what name I want for this game' and gets his own way just because he has the company clout. He states examples of inter-company disagreements and disharmony between US and Japan.
While that may or may not be true, That's extremely bad PR and anyone in an HR role would have alarm bells ringing, check him out, ask colleagues and management and find an excuse to fire him.
I feel bad for him, he acted stupidly, from the way he came off in the podcast I doubt it will be the last time he acts stupidly tho. But if he's actually good at his job he should be able to find another one like it. Good luck to him.
People seem to think that the objectionable things he brought up were how fans expect things to be localised when they are a financial risk. No, the things he said that the company would have found objectionable are things like top executives, namely Miyamoto make poor decisions, mentioning he makes the localization team do a guessing game of 'guess what name I want for this game' and gets his own way just because he has the company clout. He states examples of inter-company disagreements and disharmony between US and Japan.
While that may or may not be true, That's extremely bad PR and anyone in an HR role would have alarm bells ringing, check him out, ask colleagues and management and find an excuse to fire him.
I feel bad for him, he acted stupidly, from the way he came off in the podcast I doubt it will be the last time he acts stupidly tho. But if he's actually good at his job he should be able to find another one like it. Good luck to him.
I won't comment on whether he should have been fired or not because I don't know the details. But I won't dance on anyone's grave either.
His "controversial" statements (to those of us here, not necessarily to Nintendo) were not that surprising. As I said in the other thread, he had only said what NOA's actions had already told us. His way of doing so came off as condescending and I don't think their approach (strict profit/loss assessments on individual titles) will always be the right one because Nintendo has a platform to support unlike third parties. Xenoblade would never have been funded if Nintendo, as a whole, were thinking that way.
Anyway, I suspected that some of his statements would not be appreciated by higher-ups but I can't say I expected termination to be the outcome. That's a harsh way to learn to watch your mouth.
His "controversial" statements (to those of us here, not necessarily to Nintendo) were not that surprising. As I said in the other thread, he had only said what NOA's actions had already told us. His way of doing so came off as condescending and I don't think their approach (strict profit/loss assessments on individual titles) will always be the right one because Nintendo has a platform to support unlike third parties. Xenoblade would never have been funded if Nintendo, as a whole, were thinking that way.
Anyway, I suspected that some of his statements would not be appreciated by higher-ups but I can't say I expected termination to be the outcome. That's a harsh way to learn to watch your mouth.
He spoke to the media and is not part of Nintendo's publicity team. He was not authorized to speak to the media as part of his contract. The things he said about Smash and Xenoblade are enough.
He literally could have said anything and breached his NDA though. Even discussing the office layout and whatnot would qualify. Regardless of the nature of his comments, the fact that he said them is enough to force Nintendo to terminate him otherwise they run the risk of other employees underestimating the severity of the NDA.
No. He was fired because he spoke to the media when he is not allowed to do so as per his (and literally everyone else at NIntendo's) contract.
1482 posts later and it's still happening
Drac84
Member
1) yea, he fucked up. But surely you just give the guy a major dressing down rather than firing him and ruining his life? WTF NOA?
2) holy HELL US education system!? $100,000 for an English degree!? Why aren't you all rioting in the streets??
3) as others have posted, I now completely understand Shan B's absence from podcasts.
2) holy HELL US education system!? $100,000 for an English degree!? Why aren't you all rioting in the streets??
3) as others have posted, I now completely understand Shan B's absence from podcasts.
kitchenmotors
Banned
Read the thread instead of commenting on the title.
Interceptor
Banned
We're still on the "evil megacorporations!1" track?
Try pulling that shit as an employee of an organic fruit shop. Guess what - find yourself a new job.
Try pulling that shit as an employee of an organic fruit shop. Guess what - find yourself a new job.
JailDesigner
Member
Welcome to the real world. No mushrooms or princess here. Seems that he just finished college and it was his first job so no surprise on what happened here. He just need some years of grinding exp levels.
I'm sorry for him.
I'm sorry for him.
It's only getting worse. Berklee wanted 200k for a jazz studies degree when I applied years back.....and that included a $10,000/year scholarship....and didn't include room and board.
Yautja_Warrior
Member
Really harsh by Nintendo if he really was fired just because of that podcast.
Maybe a verbal or written warning would have been better for this matter, if Nintendo didn't like him talking about that stuff, but to just be fired for being honest about how the gaming industry is, wow. I mean come on Nintendo, it's not like he was spilling all of your secrets, we all know this kind of stuff already.
Hopefully he will be able to get a job with MS or Sony or another games publisher / developer.
Maybe a verbal or written warning would have been better for this matter, if Nintendo didn't like him talking about that stuff, but to just be fired for being honest about how the gaming industry is, wow. I mean come on Nintendo, it's not like he was spilling all of your secrets, we all know this kind of stuff already.
Hopefully he will be able to get a job with MS or Sony or another games publisher / developer.
Wait, what part of this NDA did he break? Discussion about Xenoblade Chronicals localization (did he even work on the game to need an NDA for it), or Nintendo's localization practices in general?
The "Why do they hate money (dumb guy nasally voice)" comment did piss me off, but it really does suck to see a young person's career go down the hole after years of prep.
The "Why do they hate money (dumb guy nasally voice)" comment did piss me off, but it really does suck to see a young person's career go down the hole after years of prep.
I'm sorry outrage culture is so rampant in this community especially amongst Nintendo fans, off the top i could list 5 jncidents this year.Thankfully this wasn't the case in this man's job, hopefully he lands a new one.
kitchenmotors
Banned
Wow, outrage culture? You don't understand at all. Not surprised you're falling back on that excuse as the reason why he was fired.
Pathetic response. Mess. You realize even if the podcast wasn't reported on, and if someone Nintendo found out, he still would've lost his job? He broke NDA and said a lot of things that even sounded far fetched, it wasn't professional at all.
Drac84
Member
Since I don't care about Nintendo please list these example of the outrage culture that's permeating our society.
Interceptor
Banned
Pls don't confuse the need for some trolls to shit in every Nintendo thread with "outrage culture among Nintendo fans".
kitchenmotors
Banned
There are none. It's an excuse children on the Internet use when they don't like something and want to put blame on something other than reason.
1. Contracts/NDAs are sadly for that reason. Companies need to enforce them, otherwise they serve no purpose. If it was something internal then maybe a warning would've been issued, but he went out and talked about things openly in an online podcast.
2. Some in this thread think the number may include other things and not just the degree. Some even from the same state mentioned that the degree could've been under half the number, with the rest in stuff like housing and other things. But only he knows.
3. Yep. When you work for a company you can talk about the experience and general things openly on interviews and the likes, but never go into specifics and much less point fingers.
Sony , MS and every other company enforce similar policies. Examples has been posted on this thread about it, is not something unique to Nintendo. Is why this kind of interviews when it's about the company, are handled through PR. Hopefully he will find a job doing something he enjoys as much.
From talk about Star Fox Zero to not pointing Sakurai in a positive light (and kind of a control freak). Xenoblade stuff, etc. could've been fine if it was general talk, but making fun of owners and talking about the why some games made it and some and providing examples was also out of place.
******
It sucks the way things ended and how some things are been blown out of proportion (like the cost of the degree), but this is normal across every company, not a Nintendo/NoA thing. You can't talk about your job providing too much details, too specific, make fun of aspects/people/superiors... openly on the internet, as you were a voice of the company. Companies includes this in their contracts and enforce it because of (as can be seen in the threads about it) this.
Simbabbad
Member
The guy ridiculed and insulted clients of his company by speaking on his company behalf on social media, and exposed his company's decision process without referring to PR first.
Of course he got fired. He would have been fired anywhere. Whether what he said was valid or not is completely irrelevant, you just don't keep an employee who does this.
Of course he got fired. He would have been fired anywhere. Whether what he said was valid or not is completely irrelevant, you just don't keep an employee who does this.
Raonak
Banned
While what he said wasn't incorrect, it was done in a very abrasive manner. He isn't some random internet guy, he is representing nintendo, it builds a narrative that nintendo doesn't care about niche games, or that NOE is better than NOA. and generally it puts them in a bad light.
That said, being fired is crazy excessive, but not totally unsuprising considering how secretive nintendo generally is.
100k loan is insane. Crazy ass american tuition fees.
I did a bachelors in comp-sci in NZ and it only cost me ~15k USD
That said, being fired is crazy excessive, but not totally unsuprising considering how secretive nintendo generally is.
100k loan is insane. Crazy ass american tuition fees.
I did a bachelors in comp-sci in NZ and it only cost me ~15k USD
kitchenmotors
Banned
Yeah, the Square-Enix talk wasn't smart either. He went on that podcast as an employee of Nintendo and basically said things that were borderline fanboy Twitter rants. Like people have said in this thread, others have been fired for less.
I do hope he learns from his mistakes. I just don't understand why someone working at Treehouse for 3 years could be this stupid.