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“Xbox Fans Are Paid”, Says Former World of Warcraft Designer
- Thread starter Spyxos
- Start date
Banjo64
cumsessed
This would be the death of the reputation of any other company in this industry.
Xbox are so small time, it’s actually embarrassing.
graywolf323
Member
Matty typically has some sense but yeah we knew that already about Lord Cognito, the guy was in that dinner photo with Aaron after all
BennyBlanco
aka IMurRIVAL69
If these guys are actually getting paid then I respect that more than THE RED DRAGON who legitimately sits on twitter all day every day crying about Xbox for free.
HeisenbergFX4
Gold Member
graywolf323
Member
you’re always going to have crazy fanboys/girls, the difference is we don’t see Jim or Shu or others hanging out with him
that isn’t the case for the other side paid or not, and honestly no paid is much worse because that’s scummy behavior
BennyBlanco
aka IMurRIVAL69
graywolf323
Member
yeah he has a bias but he’s up front about it and he’s sensible
Let’s Talk PlayStation every Friday is one of the few things I try to catch weekly because he gives a good roundup in ~30 minutes
solidus12
Member
Now compare him to Colteastwood or any other shill (Destin Legarie) who thrives on misinformation and console war bullshit…
graywolf323
Member
your response is to seriously share something that colteastwood put out a couple weeks back of Shu hanging out with journalists who have a PlayStation centric podcast as somehow being the same? get out of here with that disingenuous BS, that is not Shu hanging out with Red Dragon which is what you were trying to imply was somehow worse than Xbox PAYING astroturfers
solidus12
Member
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ChorizoPicozo
Member
you got it wrong chief. is because they are friends; and you tell your friends the truth.
BennyBlanco
aka IMurRIVAL69
You said shu doesn’t hang out with influencers and it took me 3 seconds to find that pic. The Red Dragon is such a toxic manchild that I doubt anyone would want to associate with him from Sony. Although I’m not surprised to see people here follow him and post his tweets without a shred of irony.
graywolf323
Member
you know this is a BS comparison and yet you’re still pushing it, Kinda Funny Games are journalists (and they’ve been much more willing to criticize PlayStation than the Xbox equivalents of Jez Corden or Tom Warren)
where is the equivalent of ColtEastwood (who is where I’m guessing you found that pic)? You talked about The Red Dragon not Greg Miller
BennyBlanco
aka IMurRIVAL69
Kinda Funny are YouTubers like anyone else. They aren’t out there getting scoops and doing journalism things. They are influencers with a Patreon and both of the guys in that pic are huge fanboys, they’re just not on twitter all day crying like Red Dragon. Podcaster and youtuber =/= journalist. They don’t even do reviews, do they?
ShaikhCroft
Member
Where's my paycheck then? Send me all those unpaid money as well!
So whether it's Sony, Microsoft, or any other company in the world. If I know that there are content creators who willingly represent me and are positive about me, I'd be pretty stupid not to develop and nurture that relationship. PR Basics. Any company that does anything else is just run by complete idiots.
And I can say with certainty that every publisher I've had the pleasure of meeting does that. These people are then also not paid, but simply ensnared. Just research a bit what the car industry did for reporters in the 80s and 90s. In comparison, the games industry plays in the amateur league. This is also due to the fact that content creators usually have low expectations and are easy to please. The same applies to low-level influencers.
However, they don't necessarily expect something in return, but rather hope for it. And a decent content creator is also in the league to take off his rose-colored glasses. And if not, the person doesn't want it any other way. On the other hand, you shouldn't forget that it's usually the people who also produce decent content for their readers, viewers or whatever and put a lot of heart and soul into it.
Larger influencers often go purely by reach perspectives and want to be courted quite differently.
You can certainly see it differently if you simply have no clue about the whole subject. For example, as a trivial designer who knows as much about relationship management as I know about designing.
Journalists are pretty damn rare in the gaming industry, by the way.
And I can say with certainty that every publisher I've had the pleasure of meeting does that. These people are then also not paid, but simply ensnared. Just research a bit what the car industry did for reporters in the 80s and 90s. In comparison, the games industry plays in the amateur league. This is also due to the fact that content creators usually have low expectations and are easy to please. The same applies to low-level influencers.
However, they don't necessarily expect something in return, but rather hope for it. And a decent content creator is also in the league to take off his rose-colored glasses. And if not, the person doesn't want it any other way. On the other hand, you shouldn't forget that it's usually the people who also produce decent content for their readers, viewers or whatever and put a lot of heart and soul into it.
Larger influencers often go purely by reach perspectives and want to be courted quite differently.
You can certainly see it differently if you simply have no clue about the whole subject. For example, as a trivial designer who knows as much about relationship management as I know about designing.
Journalists are pretty damn rare in the gaming industry, by the way.
HeisenbergFX4
Gold Member
But Xbox does not nurture these people they straight up give them loads of free stuff and exclusive scoops to have them talk positive about Xbox, its a whole recruitment campaign
Just like Sony and Nintendo do. They send out free stuff. They rely on people reporting on it and get attention. Instead of commissioning a paid article for 500-600 bucks that no one reads because it's paid media. Send them a controller worth 60 bucks and be happy about the social media post. That's still PR basics. The whole influencer industry just works. What do you think the billion dollar value of Instagram, YouTube and TikTok is based on? In the gaming industry, the competition for hardware is just manageable.
No one can be bought by a controller that costs 60 bucks; people earn their money through their reach, advertising networks, and so on. They don't pay they bills with controllers. If they are Xbox fans, they will be even more motivated to post such content. The strong media imbalance among the content creators actually only shows that Sony's PR is still strongly held back by the Japanese mentality. Nintendo is already much further ahead here.
ChorizoPicozo
Member
are you an influencer?
make a YT channel praising Xbox and I guarantee you the check is going to be in the mail
HeisenbergFX4
Gold Member
I think there is a difference here in sending someone a free controller and have people report on it versus sending someone 5 external SSDs for the Series X and a years worth of Gamepass just to speak favorably about Xbox
I'll repeat, Sony and Nintendo also do this. The partner management there is just more subtle. It's standard relationship-building measures for positive spokespeople. Why do you think the EU keeps tightening the rules on advertising and sponsorship on social media?
After all, it's obvious when people are so easily wrapped around your finger. In the end, it's the consumer who decides whose voice he wants to trust and whose not.
But all this has nothing to do with buying people. Influence, certainly. Why do you think the publishers run through the expo grounds with tons of goodies? Everyone can be influenced, but everything is still within the bounds of normal. And even if a box with 5 Xbox consoles arrives, it would still be moderate practice for someone with the appropriate reach.
graywolf323
Member
HeisenbergFX4
has brought receipts and most of us can see the difference with our own eyes between how PlayStation/Nintendo handle this and how Xbox doesif you are going to insist only SonyToo™ (and NintendoToo™ in this case) why don’t bring receipts as well then?
DeepEnigma
Gold Member
Yoboman
Member
It's very easy to get influencers these days. Almost every brand does it
A lot of platforms have strict rules about paid advertisements from influencers, because in a lot of countries it is illegal to promote a product without saying it is a paid advertisement
It's possible MS pays for bots and influencers outside this scope
But if we apply occams razor, the most likely scenario is just that these Xbox fans are nut jobs with a siege mentality from a decade of losing. They sit in a discord with other losers and come up with things they will all mass post at the same time. Which explains why they all have basically the same twitter feed and sound like bots
A lot of platforms have strict rules about paid advertisements from influencers, because in a lot of countries it is illegal to promote a product without saying it is a paid advertisement
It's possible MS pays for bots and influencers outside this scope
But if we apply occams razor, the most likely scenario is just that these Xbox fans are nut jobs with a siege mentality from a decade of losing. They sit in a discord with other losers and come up with things they will all mass post at the same time. Which explains why they all have basically the same twitter feed and sound like bots
HeisenbergFX4
Gold Member
Yeah if someone has proof that Sony and Nintendo "gives an army of people free gear for positive affinity" or actively recruited certain tech reviewers just to be pro Xbox than I am all ears.
if you are going to insist only SonyToo™ (and NintendoToo™ in this case) why don’t bring receipts as well then?
But to me just this whole well everyone does it scenario may be true but I don't see near the scale of people acting a fool over PS as they do Xbox when I know those people get free stuff left and right
if you are going to insist only SonyToo™ (and NintendoToo™ in this case) why don’t bring receipts as well then?
What kind of receipt do you expect?
I‘m not saying that Microsoft strategy isn‘t quite aggressive, just saying that it‘s standard practice. I mean, just check out Greenberg and do your maths about this kind of guy. And yes, Sony and Nintendo also do this kind of relationship. Difference is that Nintendo is literally different liga in attachment rate and Sony is held back by it’s roots and needs to relay less on it.
You don’t buy people with some controllers, games or headsets. You buy them with money and I didn’t see evidence for that?
Don’t get me wrong, not defending this practice neither deny the risks for public influence. Personally, I dislike it. Professionally, I would do it differently but even more aggressively than Xbox.
Slicker than your average
Banned
So where are the receipts then?
Saying everyone does it, doesn't cut it.
This forum is a good example. The fanatics here can be quite crazy and will ignore what's in front of them.
Again, what kind if receipt?
My statements how relationship management works is documented in a lot marketing books.
Do vou expect posts where people praise their gifts from publishers? I don’t follow anyone in this category of people (incluencers & content creatirs) and I’m not here to convince anyone.
You can keeo your opinion that merch gifts equals buying people. I see it more differentiated.
On the other side i had some insights into gaming communications for nearly a decade. Again, I understand the complains but the whole discussion spin feels like an anti Xbox bias.
digitaltrance
Member
Men_in_Boxes
Snake Oil Salesman
People are paid with access. That's what they pay their bills with. Reviews that drop on embargo date get way more clicks than reviews that drop a week later.
People like Colt Eastwood have G9 level access. He gets review copies early, gets flown to preview events, and gets swag because he does a great job at marketing the XBox brand.
Sony and Nintendo obviously do it too but it doesn't appear to be close to the same level.
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MarkMe2525
Member
Fuck that, jump on the gravy train. There's nothing like a free 14 day gamepass coupon.
Seriously... just about every week.. like clockwork.. they ALL tweet about a Sacred Symbols clip from that week lol or Dreamcastguy or whoever else
Shit there was even a clip from Linus tech about the Series X vs PS5 loading times and SSD from like 2-3 years ago they all shared and comment on this week as well
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geary
Member
All those youtubers who were flown to California by From Soft to try Armored Core 6 and play the first chapter then interviwing the game staff were considere payed by From Soft if i understand correctly.
Hudo
Member
You guys really are naive if you think that Microsoft are the only ones doing that. I promise you Sony, Nintendo, Apple, Google, Amazon, etc. are all paying "fans" to do something. Whether it's showing up to a press conference/event or whether it's posting shit on Youtube or engaging in humanity's trash pile formerly known as Twitter.
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BouncyFrag
Member
Where’s my cut? You have one day.
cireza
Member
Nintendo exercise a huge amount of control over their releases, sending youtubers free content, review guides, and striking down videos of people who were not part of the list supposed to review things before launch, even if they managed to have an early copy through other means.
It was super obvious at Switch launch, everything was under total control from them. There was a guy who managed to get a Switch through other means and made a honest review, stating also his issues with the device. Video was stroke down by Nintendo. Based on this kind of information, it is impossible to trust any kind of review before launch.
Can't find the video of that guy, I am quite sure that a topic was created here on neogaf back then.
DenchDeckard
Moderated wildly
I agree...but I defffo remember seeing Michael from nx gamer over the moon that Sony sent him a ps5 and all the full shebang suite of accessories and how he complained Microsoft hadn't...
Then we suddenly see a load of how the ps5 is better than a pc videos from nx gamer...kinda makes you go..
Hmmmmm...
I think they both do it, but MS is obviously a lot better at finding internet psychos to do it.
Good guy Phil would not allow that. He doesn't like console wars and he is very vocal against it.
The dumb shit you're doing here bennyblanco doesn't go unnoticed.
Rac3r
Member
Shut your lying ass up. He clearly said you won't see Shu or Jim Ryan hanging out with people like Red Dragon, which is true. Greg and Colin were essentially public figures after IGN, not some random twitter influencers. Phil Spencer himself just did an interview with Kinda Funny. The difference is, Phil also converses with retards like TimDog on Twitter.
Evil Calvin
Afraid of Boobs
Newsflash Sony fans and influencers get paid as well as Xbox and Nintendo influencers.....at least in the form of trips, free games, swag and other shit.
supernova8
Banned
Most likely Playstation and Nintendo do the same thing, they just haven't been exposed yet 
Microsoft is like that anti-social cousin who doesn't know how to approach women beyond being "hey, nice boobs" and getting slapped.
Microsoft is like that anti-social cousin who doesn't know how to approach women beyond being "hey, nice boobs" and getting slapped.
Big Chungus
Member
where are the nintendo influencers?