shadow2810
Member
The first 10 minutes of the podcast was already enough to get him a warning, the rest was a disaster.
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Chris Pranger, Out-Spoken Nintendo Treehouse Localizer, was Fired
- Thread starter Tom Nook Sawyer
- Start date
Interceptor
Banned
I am sure they can't wait to hire someone who goes on public media to talk about internal stuff/ridicules your customers/talks bad about other employees and business partners regardless of his job description.
To make things even worse: If you fire him he will go on social media about it again(..) and draw even more unwanted attention.
The guy willingly violated company policy.
He signed a contract to which he agreed, and that contract stated the repercusions of such an action.
I feel bad for him losing a job but well, it was his responsibility and that's that. Hopefully next time he's in such a situation he'll think twice about what he says and to whom he says it.
He signed a contract to which he agreed, and that contract stated the repercusions of such an action.
I feel bad for him losing a job but well, it was his responsibility and that's that. Hopefully next time he's in such a situation he'll think twice about what he says and to whom he says it.
Wyndstryker
Member
I know someone from Rockstar who was fired for breaching NDA. Just for putting super early art of a game that was still in development in his online portfolio. He didn't even mention the game title or what the art assets were.
That wasn't even a PR disaster and was still fired for an NDA breach.
So yes, NDA breaches are serious business. Doesn't matter what company.
That wasn't even a PR disaster and was still fired for an NDA breach.
So yes, NDA breaches are serious business. Doesn't matter what company.
Oh my!
I can understand why he was fired, NDA or not. Like others have said, I've seen people fired for much less.
For me, it's about how a company handles HR when an employee makes a mistake. Most JPN companies seem quite fascist when it comes to that. Life isn't black and white.
pinkurocket
Member
o_o
I decided to just listen to the podcast to get the full picture behind this story.. And damn. Talking negatively of the (hardcore) fanbase, about Sakurai and game development... And I only listened for 15 minutes. "Sakurai is almost killing himself and crying himself to sleep to make this game" .... Why would you say that. As an independent person talking critically about a company, sure you can speculate, but not as a representative for that company. He really messed up.
I feel sympathy for him and hope he finds a new job soon, but wow this was an untactful interview. He should've known better.
I decided to just listen to the podcast to get the full picture behind this story.. And damn. Talking negatively of the (hardcore) fanbase, about Sakurai and game development... And I only listened for 15 minutes. "Sakurai is almost killing himself and crying himself to sleep to make this game" .... Why would you say that. As an independent person talking critically about a company, sure you can speculate, but not as a representative for that company. He really messed up.
I feel sympathy for him and hope he finds a new job soon, but wow this was an untactful interview. He should've known better.
Uh... Considering that konami thread where it was talked about how Japanese companies prefer to reassign employees so that they work there or resign on their own I'm not sure why you're making connections like this. It's not even a Japanese thing, most companies would can you if you're a working Joe talking out of line like that.
Canis lupus
Member
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.
Nintendo made billions from their social games, why not greenlight a passion project or 2 for the hardcore, especially the wii audience as starved for rpgs? "you don't make a big enough fan base blah blah" How do they know, they never tried to bring it over to be able to say there's not enough people. It sold really well in the end so they're proven wrong. Though I'm not surprised this coming from NoA, Reggie doesn't give a shit about their core fans.
Nintendo has become a terrible risk averse company.
Rose of Eternity
Banned
I'm baffled by how terrible a lot of posts in this thread are. What this guy did was completely moronic and he absolutely deserved to be fired. He went on a public pr stunt with no prior approval and spoke about internal decision making as well as how the client base is perceived. This has nothing to do with NDAs or secretive Japanese companies. If you went on Twitter as a fucking Subway sandwich maker and said shit you'd be fired just as quickly.
A lot of people here obviously haven't held a real job nor have they gotten used to how something can balloon up on the internet.
This guy already made a string of terrible life choices, from his education, to his naïve childhood dream nonsense, to now this. Hopefully he grows up.
A lot of people here obviously haven't held a real job nor have they gotten used to how something can balloon up on the internet.
This guy already made a string of terrible life choices, from his education, to his naïve childhood dream nonsense, to now this. Hopefully he grows up.
I'm talking about meting out punishment here and how said breakage affects a company, if at all. In general, JPN companies seem way more paranoid and punitive when it comes to these things.
Can you cite some examples?
jpn companies do that because it is illegal to fire full time employees. being reassigned = being fired and having your welfare/unemployment benefits being paid by your former employer.
As to 'most companies', I disagree and since we have no way to prove something like that, well, its a pointless argument.
Regardless, it'll be good for this guy to lose his Nintendo obsession and broaden his horizons a bit. Adversity can be good for one's character.
Look at Reggie's comments and compare it to this guy. It's day and night.
Rose of Eternity
Banned
You've worked in corporate Japan? Tell us more.
American companies let people go for a bad tweet all the time.
Heavy's Sandvich
Member
For those posting, have we actually listened to the episode?
Finale Fireworker
Member
Most people have not. It's over an hour long, and listening to a podcast you have no vested interest in is how they tortured POWs in Korea.
Contracts are though, literally
piratepwnsninja
Member
I know of many people in the game industry that work for US companies that have been fired for NDA breach. You just don't hear about it because most people know better than to talk and then most people that do (get fired) don't then go publicly talk about it.
I think the issue here is that people don't seem to understand basic contract law, and how terms of employment work. Especially in regards to a large company like Nintendo that compete in a market with a plethora of competition.
Going on FB was a mistake.
We really are a culture of posting everything we are thinking.
People need to stop using social media as a diary.
StrangeTaco
Member
I have to assume a lot of people saying the guy got a bad deal either...
1. Didnt watch the podcast
2. Have never worked in corporate America
If I so much as shittalked my company on Facebook Id be potentially subject to dismissal, and thats nothing compared to this podcast. While getting fired sucks even he admitted it was his own fault.
1. Didnt watch the podcast
2. Have never worked in corporate America
If I so much as shittalked my company on Facebook Id be potentially subject to dismissal, and thats nothing compared to this podcast. While getting fired sucks even he admitted it was his own fault.
Theanine3D
Member
Yes. I think he allowed his identity to become way too attached to the company, giving him a false sense of security when he did the podcast. He really wasn't expecting to be fired, as he said himself, despite breaking a NDA. He seemed to forget that he was a Nintendo employee first before he was a fan, and that's how he came across in the podcast. The guy was raving with excitement, like a rabid fan with insider info, without pausing at all to think through his words.
If you listen to Reggie talk, you can tell he's calculating every single word in his head before he says it. He's a PR wiz who knows that every word can have consequences. Chris wasn't doing this at all.
There's a good reason many companies specifically avoid hiring "superfans" of their company. Stuff like this happens.
ShockingAlberto
Member
I doubt Nintendo did this to save face considering the termination was private and only made public by Pranger.
crazyrabbits
Banned
I've made that mistake before and been called out for it. Nearly got fired from an editing gig when I posted a status ridiculing the number of spelling/grammar errors in a press release (no names or identifying marks), and got grilled.
Social media is no joke. You have to be on your guard and watch what you say, especially if you're working for a big company. Same goes for NDA's. There's a reason why they're (usually) so thorough.
He obviously did not have PR training, maybe because he should not have been on that podcast or be in a position to speak about/for the company.
People hate Reggie's interviews but that is what you have to do in his position.
I think most people just read the OP and saw Chris's Facebook sob story and want to vilify Nintendo as the big mean corporation who doesn't care about its employees.
But the fact is he broke the rules. He was under NDA and he broke NDA. Nintendo is fully within their rights to fire him, even though it's unfortunate. If this happened at any other major company - Sony, Microsoft, EA, Apple, whatever - where an employee said stuff that was under an NDA, the exact same thing would have happened. The only main difference here is 1) we know Chris is going through a hard time, which makes people more sympathetic and 2) this reinforces Nintendo's controversial reputation for being intensely secretive.
I don't think people realize that when other companies like EA and Activision shut down studios with no warning or reason, a lot of people are in the same situation as Chris is. But this is getting more traction because of how public he made his plight.
And just to be 100% clear, I definitely feel sorry for Chris - everyone makes mistakes, and it's a horrible situation to be in. But he broke the rules, and that's what happens.
Kageshinzo
Member
Some of the people here who said the firing was excessive should listen to the damn podcast instead of just reading the title and then posting a stupid knee-jerk reaction. Just listen to the first 20 minutes. If you think what he said does not merit the sanction, then you haven't been in a corporate environment before, especially not something as major as Nintendo, and maybe should just shut up.
Sabercrusader
Member
I feel for the guy, he obviously made a bad judgement call and he lost a lot for it. That Facebook post is pretty depressing.
But at the same time, it's his fault in every sense of the word. Props to him for owning up to it, but personally, I wouldn't have went on a podcast like that and talked about obvious "inside" company information. You're playing a dangerous game with that.
But at the same time, it's his fault in every sense of the word. Props to him for owning up to it, but personally, I wouldn't have went on a podcast like that and talked about obvious "inside" company information. You're playing a dangerous game with that.
no. what's your point? that only people who have worked for corporate japan can read and understand things like this: http://www.latrobe.edu.au/news/articles/2011/opinion/japans-fatigued-corporate-culture?
and if the world consisted only of jpn and usa, you'd have a point.
R_thanatos
Member
I agree 100%
The guy did things he shouldn't have done and the expected result happenned.
those screaming "GAF" or "INTERNET" just don't understand how things work.
Kageshinzo
Member
His point was that this is not so much a matter of culture as it is a common corporate practice whether said corporation is in Japan, the US, or elsewhere. While under the employ of a company, you are not supposed to say or do anything that might or will put the company in a bad light, regardless of whether or not you are acting on their behalf. A company has a calculated image that they try to project and it's the reason why the major ones have a fucking PR team employed in the first place.
SerTapTap
Member
Blaming GAF for this is insane. Lobbing threats and stuff is despicable, but that thread was a bunch of people rightfully disagreeing (and a lot of people agreeing). Even if Nintendo fired him for saying things people disagreed with (they didn't, he broke ndas I'm sure), it's an insane position to think people shouldn't disagree with people for fear they get fired. That's even crazier and more risk averse than Nintendo.
It's a non stop flow of diarrhea of the mouth. Way worse than I thought.
KojiKnight
Member
For anyone that thinks NoA went overboard... by all means, take to twitter and make a similar post about your customers and your company. NDA or not, you likely won't like how your company responds.
Rose of Eternity
Banned
Yeah I gave it a listen and went past the part in question and he goes into actual project details and project management. What on earth was this guy thinking. He let the ego get to his head.
entremet
Member
Anyone getting fired suck. We get that.
Getting fired really sucks.
I know. I've been fired twice in my career. It especially when you're fired not for effort, but for not getting along with others or breaking a rule of some kind.
I'm sure he poured a lot of heart into his job too, which makes it harder emotionally.
Also the economic insecurity is incredibly stressful.
But, he made a mistake that most companies would easily terminate for. I've seen employees terminated for less.
I hope gets back up on his feet soon, but many of you seem to have this very strange concept of working for a company.
A company is not your family. You're a free agent. A cog in the machine. Unless you own the company or part of it, you're replaceable.
Companies do not give a shit about you.
Once you realize this, you'll have a much easier time with your career. It's also why you should be selfish. You should job hunt even when you're satisfied, you should acquire as much streams of income as you can, you should consider starting a side business or being an entrepreneur as a real option.
I blame popular media for warping young people's view of companies. In the end, these are jobs and you are replaceable.
They're not your family.
Getting fired really sucks.
I know. I've been fired twice in my career. It especially when you're fired not for effort, but for not getting along with others or breaking a rule of some kind.
I'm sure he poured a lot of heart into his job too, which makes it harder emotionally.
Also the economic insecurity is incredibly stressful.
But, he made a mistake that most companies would easily terminate for. I've seen employees terminated for less.
I hope gets back up on his feet soon, but many of you seem to have this very strange concept of working for a company.
A company is not your family. You're a free agent. A cog in the machine. Unless you own the company or part of it, you're replaceable.
Companies do not give a shit about you.
Once you realize this, you'll have a much easier time with your career. It's also why you should be selfish. You should job hunt even when you're satisfied, you should acquire as much streams of income as you can, you should consider starting a side business or being an entrepreneur as a real option.
I blame popular media for warping young people's view of companies. In the end, these are jobs and you are replaceable.
They're not your family.
I'm working my way through the podcast now.
It was interesting to learn why the new nintendo 3DS is called "new Nintendo 3DS"
But, yah, if I talked about my bosses, or other respected colleagues that way ...
It seems like he was trying to say positive things about them, and he obviously idolizes them, but it didn't come across in a very flattering way.
It was interesting to learn why the new nintendo 3DS is called "new Nintendo 3DS"
But, yah, if I talked about my bosses, or other respected colleagues that way ...
It seems like he was trying to say positive things about them, and he obviously idolizes them, but it didn't come across in a very flattering way.
Massive Duck. C.M.
Banned
It's cute that you think NCL would even give a shit about this
DryvBy
Member
It depends on the colleges though and what they're taking the loan out for. My best friend has a BA in radiology and spent near $20k with labs and all. He has a really good job now. He could have went to a major university and paid $100k+ for the same degree.
When I went to college (I dropped out last year because of various stupid reasons) but I only needed to take out maybe $10k for the associates.
Toadthemushroom
Member
Very sad outcome. I really enjoyed that podcast, and finished listening to it earlier this week. I appreciated hearing about all the interesting tidbits on how the Treehouse and wider NoA might approach things from all sorts of standpoints, and the bit where he mentioned how NoA's limited resources meant more niche titles don't get chosen for localisation, given what they could be working on instead. Not particularly surprising, of course -- big publishers with large overhead need to pick their releases wisely -- but it was assuring to hear honest confirmation about things.
Given the social media policy change Chris mentioned on the podcast, I was shocked to hear of the news yesterday, as I assumed that Nintendo changing their policies meant that this podcast was the first of more to come.
I wish all the best for Chris, he seemed like a really enthusiastic man who does good work, hopefully things will turn out well for him.
43:30 is interesting, as he talks about how employees aren't allowed to be vocal about issues which are brought up in the press about Nintendo, or about how some of the processes work. And how if he were to have an opinion on something (like Xbox One), the press would take his views to mean Nintendo's. He then clarifies again (as an example) that everything he's saying then is his opinion, not Nintendo's.
Does anyone know if the content of the podcast from May 2014 found its way into the press/media/forums as well? I'd imagine the exposure of last week's podcast is one factor that contributed to this saddening outcome, even if it meant that people higher up ended up noticing it, and they weren't bothered about secretive processes and details making their way out. He said in the more recent podcast that Nintendo's social media policy had recently changed, I wonder if that's why he appeared on another podcast.
Given the social media policy change Chris mentioned on the podcast, I was shocked to hear of the news yesterday, as I assumed that Nintendo changing their policies meant that this podcast was the first of more to come.
I wish all the best for Chris, he seemed like a really enthusiastic man who does good work, hopefully things will turn out well for him.
43:30 is interesting, as he talks about how employees aren't allowed to be vocal about issues which are brought up in the press about Nintendo, or about how some of the processes work. And how if he were to have an opinion on something (like Xbox One), the press would take his views to mean Nintendo's. He then clarifies again (as an example) that everything he's saying then is his opinion, not Nintendo's.
Does anyone know if the content of the podcast from May 2014 found its way into the press/media/forums as well? I'd imagine the exposure of last week's podcast is one factor that contributed to this saddening outcome, even if it meant that people higher up ended up noticing it, and they weren't bothered about secretive processes and details making their way out. He said in the more recent podcast that Nintendo's social media policy had recently changed, I wonder if that's why he appeared on another podcast.
I can't believe this is still a discussion. I used to work for a company (not Japanese, not gaming, for what either is worth) whose CEO gleefully recounted tales of going through the hallways and asking people what they were working on. When they told him, he'd fire them on the spot for not checking to see whether he had permission to hear about their project. Companies take information policies seriously. It doesn't matter if it's information that's important or if any actual harm occurred, if you're out there talking out of turn then you're a liability.
Lupin the Third
Member
I like this post. Well said.
Rose of Eternity
Banned
The student debt thing is just to suck up more sympathy. He could have gotten the same degree from a community college. He chose not to and buried himself in debt - voluntarily. Boohoo.
DragonSworne
Banned
You shouldn't hire employees who are fanboys.
AmethystEnd
Member
Listening to this podcast, and I'm at the part where he's going on and on about Sakurai.
Yeah, this wasn't a good idea.
Yeah, this wasn't a good idea.
I listend to about 30 minutes of the podcast just to see what the fuss was about - read the stories, but it's better context to actually hear him speak.
He should have been fired after the first 15 minutes. After the first 30, you'd think he was someone who left the company already and wanted to crap talk Nintendo and Nintendo's employees and fans (so, he had to make sure he covered all his bases). Think Dan Adeleman when he left - he had some "negative" things to say, but also some positives (and he had no obligation to say positive things). He had an overall good experience working at Nintendo but wanted to broaden himself. Chris sounded like someone that A. Didn't like his job, B. Didn't like the fans his job served (so, Nintendo's consumer base), and C. Didn't like some of the employees.
His public sob story about losing friends, his kids, his family, health insurance - is nothing but a cry for attention. He admits it's entirely his own fault. He doesn't blame Nintendo. He seems mostly upset at himself, though he STILL admits he didn't think he did anything that would get him fired.
It sounds like Chris is rather irresponsible and never read the terms of his employment - especially with NDA stuff in regards to being on the localization team - which is going to know a lot of things the public doesn't. Even more so now that the Treehouse handles livestreams.
I don't feel bad for him or his family. He did this to himself. Why would anyone feel bad for someone getting fired when they basically begged there company to fire him. It's even worse he took his sob story to social media - because it draws even more attention to it when he is in no different situation than when anyone else gets fired - except most people have it worse, because it's NOT their fault. Like when a studio closes, or the ebs and flows of temporary contract work with EA, Activision, etc.
Unlike all of the situations that actually deserve sympathy, Chris got himself fired. He wasn't cut for cost saving. He was fired fore insubordinate. For breaking rules. For speaking on behalf of the company without permission.
The consequences to his family? His relationships? I don't feel bad at all. Should have thought about that before you even agreed to be on a podcast. The fact you didn't showed you still viewed yourself more as a consumer than an employee in the industry. When do you EVER see an employee in the industry go on a podcast and speak the way he did? When they are on podcasts you generally won't get ANY insider info, but they will speak on personal opinions about other companies and what have you. But for their own? Mum is the word unless they were told they can talk about say, a game they want to advertise.
The worst part was, he was there for 3 years. He should have known better. He wasn't some new employee who screwed up in the first month - it's someone who should know better. And yeah, it sucks that his actions make him hard to hire for similar jobs - but he keeps making the wrong choice at every turn. He got fired? Why are you on social media talking about it? Do you not see how this makes things worse for you to get hired?
So not only did he get fired for his own mistakes, he then doubled up and brought attention to being fired publicly. That's just... not smart. I wouldn't hire him myself, TBH. He probably has to look for a lesser field of work before he gets a shot in localization again. He has some maturing to do.
I just, I don't understand why anyone feels bad for HIM. For his family? Sure. They didn't have a say in this. It's not his wife/gfs fault, his childrens, or his coworkers. I do feel bad for THEM, but for Chris himself? Not at all. See how Nintendo commented on it with basically just a "yes, he's been let go, and that's it" - that's how you handle the situation. You were let go. Okay, that's it. Move on, get your resume out the door and find a job.
Maybe I am not being human in this reaction - I am more angered at those that feel bad for him. Why? Listen to the podcast - how any reasonable person can think he's not getting fired for how he talked publicly in representing Nintendo is beyond me. He obviously got too comfortable with his job and thought there is no way he can get fired. Nintendo gave him that sweet security. Except you know, when you go on to tarnish the image of the company you work for. Not really going to survive that. That security you have just goes to show you how well Nintendo treats their employees. You screwed up, suck it up and move on.