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[BennyBlanco]

edit- he deleted the tweets, naturally

So Ben Kuchera got fired from Polygon and is in the midst of a bizarre twitter meltdown. But I find this part pretty spicy. He was their "reviews editor" so you would think the guy could assign a game any score he wanted, but he's claiming management rewrites reviews and completely dictates scores. They have definitely had some head scratching scores over the years. Then again Ben Kuchera is a well known douche and could certainly be lying.

If mods don't think this appropriate or newsworthy - I get it. I just always see people cry conspiracy about review scores and maybe they weren't all crazy.

 

[Sakura]

I hope he has receipts because those are some pretty damming accusations.

 

[0neAnd0nly]

 

[TGO]

I don't know what's more shocking.
That this guy actually had the balls to tell the truth or that they actually think people read their reviews....

 

[SF Kosmo]

This sort of thing definitely happens in the industry and it's really frustrating to see a piece with your name in the byline that you don't stand by. I would say it was rare in my time, but it did happen.

I remember once a publication published multiple versions of my review for different platforms. What I submitted was more or less identical (minus some platform specific stuff), but because of there were different editors in charge, one was edited to be much more negative and given a lower score and one was run basically as I submitted it, so basically they told on themselves.

 

[CatLady]

I hope he has receipts because those are some pretty damming accusations.

His allegations about Polygon management dictating review scores are plausible, but yeah, I hope he has receipts because he's making some pretty wild statements and it seems like he's having a breakdown.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Pretty direct accusations of review changing. But if it's true, I'm not surprised.

Always remember what happened to Jeff Gertsmann's Kane & Lynch 6/10 score. And how the past around 20 years, game reviews all skewed to that 6-10 / 10 rating scale to suck up to devs and their previews and free games. It was never this bad during the old school video game and PC game mags in the 80s and 90s. I remember old game mags giving games an F or 20/100 kinds of scores. PC Gamer used to always grill games with low % ratings during the 90s talking about bad graphics and bugs. I'm positive I saw some games get a single digit % score out of 100.

Money talks. You dont get these kinds of scores anymore. A bad game likely still going to get a 6/10 avg score among MC critics.

 

[Topher]

His allegations about Polygon management dictating review scores are plausible, but yeah, I hope he has receipts because he's making some pretty wild statements and it seems like he's having a breakdown.

This is firsthand. These are the receipts.

Chickens coming home to roast roost, I'd say. This isn't really shocking considering it is Polygon.

 

[Jinzo Prime]

This sort of thing definitely happens in the industry and it's really frustrating to see a piece with your name in the byline that you don't stand by. I would say it was rare in my time, but it did happen.

I remember once a publication published multiple versions of my review for different platforms. What I submitted was more or less identical (minus some platform specific stuff), but because of there were different editors in charge, one was edited to be much more negative and given a lower score and one was run basically as I submitted it, so basically they told on themselves.

Please tell us more. Was this a video-game review or movie review? I think a lot of people would like a peek behind the curtain of the media industy, as long as that info doesn't personally identfy yourself, of course.

 

[SF Kosmo]

Pretty direct accusations of review changing. But if it's true, I'm not surprised.

Always remember what happened to Jeff Gertsmann's Kane & Lynch 6/10 score. And how the past around 20 years, game reviews all skewed to that 6-10 / 10 rating scale to suck up to devs and their previews and free games. It was never this bad during the old school video game and PC game mags in the 80s and 90s. I remember old game mags giving games an F or 20/100 kinds of scores. PC Gamer used to always grill games with low % ratings during the 90s talking about bad graphics and bugs. I'm positive I saw some games get a single digit % score out of 100.

Money talks. You dont get these kinds of scores anymore. A bad game likely still going to get a 6/10 avg score among MC critics.

I think this is different than that. Not better, but more common. The money hat stuff is actually really rare in the business, what happened to Gertsmann wasn't normal and that's why he took a stand on it.

This is an editor insisting on content changes. Which isn't always bad -- an editor can say "You know, I really think you were remiss for not mentioning this or that" and that's valid. Or even places that will push back if your score is a real outlier against the popular opinion of the rest of the staff.

Where it becomes a problem is when it's just one guy letting his opinions override everyone else's. And like I said I have seen this. And what's frustrating is that usually, as a reviewer, you will have sunk 40 hours into a game to review it or something and the editor who wants to change your score played it for like 30 minutes. And it's not really valid. That sounds like what Ben is accusing Chris of here and that kind of thing sucks.

 

[Topher]

God help us. Could this be the start of another #metoo movement with game reviewers?

 

[blackjon24]

After all these years their last of us review score finally makes sense, terrible website

 

[SF Kosmo]

Please tell us more. Was this a video-game review or movie review? I think a lot of people would like a peek behind the curtain of the media industy, as long as that info doesn't personally identfy yourself, of course.

Video game review. The game came out on PC and Xbox, and the PC review ran with my original review text and score, while the Xbox version was given some changes, had the score lowered a point, and (most frustrating to me) had the image captions changed to be really snarky and sarcastic in tone. But it was funny because it was the same game and the same reviewer on the same site with these two different score and tones.

Don't want to name names, but I'll say these editors moved on to roles on the publishing side of the industry (as many game journos do when they get tired of being underpaid), so it's no one who works there today.

 

[Thaedolus]

well this is the kind of shit that got us Giant Bomb…so not exactly new…

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

What is polygone?

 

[StreetsofBeige]

I think this is different. The money hat stuff is actually really rare in the business, what happened to Gertsmann wasn't normal and that's why he took a stand on it.

This is an editor insisting on content changes. Which isn't always bad -- an editor can say "You know, I really think you were remiss for not mentioning this or that" and that's valid. Or even places that will push back if your score is a real outlier against the popular opinion of the rest of the staff.

Where it becomes a problem is when it's just one guy letting his opinions override everyone else's. And like I said I have seen this. And what's frustrating is that usually, as a reviewer, you will have sunk 40 hours into a game to review it or something and the editor who wants to change your score played it for like 30 minutes. And it's not really valid. That sounds like what Ben is accusing Chris of here and that kind of thing sucks.

I dont think it's as blatant as writing a cheque. But when sites got ad revenue, free games and swag, I think some of that has to rub off on game reviewers.

Then again, I've never worked in the game biz, so maybe youre right. It's a non issue.

All I know is my buddy used to run a game site after dinner as a hobby. Zero intention of making money off it or making it a career. Rockstar sent him a box full of swag, collectibles and free copies of GTA4. Rockstar never said to him "give us a good score or else", but pending the game reviewer's intentions can treat that as a scratch my back and I'll scratch yours thing for the future next time Rockstar has a new game coming.

 

[Aguero9320]

Fucking internet. What a crybaby, took the money until he was fired (if the OP’s facts are accurate) then develops morals when the cash stops rolling in.

‘Disgruntled former employee talks shit online after being fired’ is a damning indictment on 2022.

Buck up. Not everything matters equally.

 

[Shifty]

All of those from-the heart legitimate takes, which always seemed so honest and not at all designed to stoke the fires of outrage for clicks, a fabrication?

Say it ain't so.

 

[Punished Miku]

Guess I was right about that one. Kudos for admitting it 10 years late. I was commenting on Polygon before they even officially launched.

I got banned for talking shit on whatever his name was that gave Bayonetta 2 a low score because of sexual objectification. I posted that the dude had a profile on Suicide Girls with his real name and picture. What kind of creeper makes a real life profile on a porn site with low paid exploited girls in real life and then looks down on a female power fantasy video game from Japan starring multiple women all designed by a female character designer?

Everyone has known Polygon was a joke for years. Glad to hear it finally admitted. Better late than never.

 

[Pedro Motta]

This explains a lot, lol.

 

[BreakOut]

I hope he has receipts because those are some pretty damming accusations.

Took them words right out of my brain. sounds like a drunk kid with a permanent marker. But maybe it’s true who knows.

 

[PonyStation4]

I think there's a lot of exaggeration going on those tweets. A lot of game reviews have issues where the score doesn't match up to the review, a solution to that complaint is that the reviews need to be reviewed

It makes sense to me that reviews would get edited to remove bias and to get an accurate matching score to be more professional

 

[SF Kosmo]

I dont think it's as blatant as writing a cheque. But when sites got ad revenue, free games and swag, I think some of that has to rub off on game reviewers.

That happens a lot more with fansites and smaller publications that really depend on review copies and press access, and who are perhaps more easily charmed by things like studio tours and swag boxes.

Professional game publications with a large audience don't generally give a fuck about that, and have a lot more leverage to push back, and they're smart enough to silo the business and the editorial so they aren't really interacting much. I honestly never ever saw anything like that in my time working for larger game publications.

 

[BadBurger]

Well, Chris Plante co-founded Polygon so he isn't going anywhere. Games journos are probably already all aware of this, and they can't really be fussy about their contracts. It's not like they earn a ton of money and have "fuck you" money - if Polygon offers them a gig they're going to take it.

This is just the industry they work within. It's not real journalism. Remember that brief period in which some of them referred to themselves as "the enthusiast press" in order to drive that fact home?

 

[ZehDon]

I mean, yeah. I presumed this type of thing happened at virtually every major publication that’s still in business. It’s why things like metacritic scores are useless, and have been for years.

I’ll take a GAF thread filled with memes, shit talking, and honest opinions over any published review any day of the week.

 

[Shifty1897]

Honestly Ben is the worst so I'd probably side with Polygon over him.

 

[AJUMP23]

This is firsthand. These are the receipts.

Chickens coming home to roast, I'd say. This isn't really shocking considering it is Polygon.

I like roasted chicken. I think you meant roost.

 

[AGRacing]

All of those from-the heart legitimate takes, which always seemed so honest and not at all designed to stoke the fires of outrage for clicks, a fabrication?

Say it ain't so.

You hate to see the decline of reputable publications...
Hahaha jk.

 

[TheGreatMusashi]

First Alex Jones now this.

Great fucking week

 

[SF Kosmo]

Reading his twitter (he says he is going to delete these tweets, we'll see) it seems like there's also a pretty large and somewhat unclear accusation that he was fired for "trying to protect his daughter from sexual abuse." Seems like there's a lot of bad blood here.

 

[newtypepilot]

sites like polygon, ign, and gamespot have been jokes for years.

Their scores are based on how much $$$ came from the publishers.

There's no journalism in "game journalist".

 

[eastcoastkody]

After all these years their last of us review score finally makes sense, terrible website

idk what it was....but if it was below 8 i agree

 

[hemo memo]

On one hand it is Lolygon so I wouldn’t be surprised but on the other hand this dude wrote this atrocious piece: Used games, Twitter complaints, and Sony: Why the Xbox One “backlash” doesn’t matter

 

[SeasonedInTheAbyss]

 

[Shifty]

I like roasted chicken. I think you meant roost.

It's like that old saying. Out of the frying pan, and into the rotisserie oven.

 

[hemo memo]

sites like polygon, ign, and gamespot have been jokes for years.

Their scores are based on how much $$$ came from the publishers.

There's no journalism in "game journalist".

True. I mean that’s why IGN score scale starts at 5 and above. Very rarely they give a game below that like in Balan Wonderworld which they gave a 4-Bad but that game is beyond awful even the game director admits it.

 

[K' Dash]

Kuchera is a joke and Polygon is an even bigger joke, nothing to see here, really.

 

[balls of snow]

Witcher 3 getting an 8 because of white male fantasy fulfillment makes so much sense now.

 

[AJUMP23]

It's like that old saying. Out of the frying pan, and into the rotisserie oven.

Like you can’t teach an old dog new recipes.

 

[SlimeGooGoo]

.

 

[pqueue]

and just like that.


they are gone.

gotta protect that prior work reference.

 

[KrisB]

Never forget.

 

[MarkMe2525]

Fucking internet. What a crybaby, took the money until he was fired (if the OP’s facts are accurate) then develops morals when the cash stops rolling in.

‘Disgruntled former employee talks shit online after being fired’ is a damning indictment on 2022.

Buck up. Not everything matters equally.

I would imagine that most people wouldn't compromise their employment over something like this. It must have been a messy separation for him to get emotional enough to spill the beans like this.

 

[MrTroubleMaker]

I wouldn't doubt it, ask the arrow pointing down dude (got fired over stuff like that).

 

[pqueue]

edit: damn his tweets are not showing up.

he is cleaning house for the last decade.

 

[LegendOfKage]

I some someone grabbed a copy while they were live.

 

[pqueue]

 

[Ezekiel_]

Videogames are a multiple billion dollar market, and first impressions or first wave of reviews directly impact the sales of a game.

Without any sort of neutral oversight, it was always going to end up with publishers mingling with reviewers.

Not only that, but with the click and ad revenue business model, there's a feedback loop between review sites and publishers, where reviewers don't want to risk 'offending' publishers and risk not getting scoops, interviews, etc.

See anything wrong with this picture?

The game is rigged folks.

 

[Majormaxxx]

Videogames are a multiple billion dollar market, and first impressions or first wave of reviews directly impact the sales of a game.

Without any sort of neutral oversight, it was always going to end up with publishers mingling with reviewers.

Not only that, but with the click and ad revenue business model, there's a feedback loop between review sites and publishers, where reviewers don't want to risk 'offending' publishers and risk not getting scoops, interviews, etc.

See anything wrong with this picture?

The game is rigged folks.

I haven't finished all campaigns yet, but infinite was better than 1,4,and 5. Haven't finished 2,3, reach and odst to compare.

 

[njean777]

eh I would need to see receipts because he has said some things in the past.... if you know what I mean.