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[thefro]

I hope he wasn't fired just because of some people taking his podcast interview out of context here and websites making articles about it off those posts.

I really enjoyed the interview and in context it wasn't anything that offended me as a big Nintendo fan. I'm the original owner of the Operation Rainfall domains, worked with those guys a bit so I've got some credibility on the Xenoblade stuff.

Pranger seemed like a big fan of Nintendo and was defending them on the podcast. What he said was probably too blunt for Nintendo's liking but he made some pretty good points. Getting some insight into Treehouse was fascinating.

 

[TheSpoiler]

This will be a PR nightmare for those who don't understand how corporations work, and I'm inclined to believe people outside of the internet get why people don't talk about their jobs in any negative light, especially those who have one.

 

[Alucrid]

Yeah, but this guy is willing to take one for the fans. Too little truth in this industry.

He didn't drop any bombs and I don't see him being privy to anything truly earth shattering. No need to further dig his own grave.

 

[Justified]

This really isn't true. Most companies are not as heartless and cutthroat as people in this thread are painting the corporate world as, especially if the employee is a valuable member of the team and it's a first time offense. There are other ways to address insubordination than immediate termination. It says more about how Nintendo runs things than just an example of how businesses in general are run.

More than likely if his "insubordination" didnt break the companies "internal walls" he would have been reprimanded

 

[The Jackdog]

yeah, we'll see.

yes, this is most definitely what will bring nintendo to ashes.

cmon

 

[Aaronrules380]

This will literally happen with every big company ever. It happened with Microsoft too. It'll happen with Sony if the chance comes up. And It'll happen with every other corporation as well. Whether it's right or wrong, firing is pretty SOP for this kind of thing

 

[BiggNife]

He representing Nintendo in a public forum without clearance from the public affairs department

Oh no, I get that. I'm saying I don't really get why people are going "UGGGGH KOTAKU" at that article when it's not saying anything inaccurate or out of turn.

I'm guessing people are thinking that saying the interview didn't give any information on new games is being phrased as disappointment on Jason's end, but I don't read it like that at all. More that it's surprising he got fired when the far majority of what he said wasn't surprising or unusual.

 

[flattie]

All he did was get fired, I wouldn't stop using my ____ phone if Apple/Google fired me.

Not really the same thing, unless your phone is more than just a tool to you. So you can't or won't empathise with this guy, doesn't mean he perceives his situation as you do - particularly as it's him who has to deal with the consequences, where as we're just firing off glib opinions for free.

Calling this disastrous is of great disservice to those that are in actually disastrous situations.

Haha. Really? Scale and context my friend; not all adjectives are born equal.

 

[Diablohead]

Quite a mistake to talk about stuff behind the scenes like that, what a way to go though

 

[fernoca]

ugh glad i don't work for nintendo then

Most companies are like this, big and small. Even retail jobs make you sign forms about not talking or engaging with others on Facebook, etc. over company policies and decisions.

 

[Oppo]

yes, this is most definitely what will bring nintendo to ashes.

cmon

hah, i deserved that. sorry for being trite, not what i meant.

this just gets added to the pile of negative PR. it won't doom them of course.

 

[Exile20]

This really isn't true. Most companies are not as heartless and cutthroat as people in this thread are painting the corporate world as, especially if the employee is a valuable member of the team and it's a first time offense. There are other ways to address insubordination than immediate termination. It says more about how Nintendo runs things than just an example of how businesses in general are run.

If you say something in the public that is twisted and turned into so many different thing and is on every gaming site then chances are you will be fired from any big CORP. Especially if you break NDA or talk about things you have no permission to talk about.

This is the first time anyone has talked about localization like this from Nintendo. There is a reason for that.

 

[Indymason]

i like how you got that 90% out of thin air.
oh dear..

Sure it was Hyperbole but it's a common practice at most corporations. Especially publicly traded ones. But good job picking on one minor thing instead of addressing the real point. Good job on you, you win the discussion.

 

[RurouniZel]

Nintendo is a billion dollar company. Of course anyone with any type of non-medial job has signed an NDA, and any public figure has some sort of clause that defines what they can and cannot say.

This isn't just Nintendo.

This Sony employee was fired because he said something about the 360 and it made it's way to Japan: http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/sony-employee-fired-for-comparing-ps3-to-xbox-360

Adam Orth is another example.

Essentially this.
You work for any corporation, any one, and you do NOT talk about your company or the competition in a public arena of any kind without it being completely vetted by PR well beforehand, and even then it's risky.

 

[KHlover]

fixed that for you.
Does nobody on gaf work for corporations with contracts? This guy basically ignored so many basic rules of being an employer.

Lol yeah I'm a (university) student employed at a mid-sized company in Germany (~1000 employees world wide, about 300 in Germany) and even I can get immediately terminated for revealing company interna or making dumb statements on social media.

 

[foltzie1]

He worked for Treehouse, of course he had an NDA.

Did he actually break an NDA?

Yes he did. Pretty much every company does. How can you doubt he had one if he got fired right after a podcast about company policy?

Dude, it's okay to be sad that he got fired, but it was his own fault. He even recognizes that, and it's weird that others can't for some reason. Maybe you guys have never worked for a big corporation before or something?

He worked on the Treehouse section of NoA, of course he had a NDA...

I will not share any specifics other than that I'm actively taking law classes, but I will say that NDAs vary greatly. If he broke one and it was clear up front that not doing media was part of continued employment, so be it. Heck, he is probably an at will employee, Nintendo can fire him because they do not like his shoes.

But I assume that he did not say anything that isnt a commonly held opinion inside the company. If this is a correct assumption, then just like the Dan situation, Nintendo in general needs to decide what it wants to be and who it wants to serve with its products.

 

[Calamari41]

I hope he wasn't fired just because of some people taking his podcast interview out of context here and websites making articles about it off those posts.

I really enjoyed the interview and in context it wasn't anything that offended me as a big Nintendo fan. I'm the original owner of the Operation Rainfall domains, worked with those guys a bit so I've got some credibility on the Xenoblade stuff.

Pranger seemed like a big fan of Nintendo and was defending them on the podcast. What he said was probably too blunt for Nintendo's liking but he made some pretty good points. Getting some insight into Treehouse was fascinating.

The bolded is exactly why non-PR people aren't allowed to go onto shows and start spouting off about the internal operations of the company.

 

[fedexpeon]

Dang...I thought Chris was on point about everything.
I guess he didn't realize that all major corporation has some form of PR cause for social media when you signed the contact.
I always tell people to talk in PR speak/redundancy to everyone, including their family and friends, when it is about their job and company.

 

[sexymajesco]

This is a terrible and insensible comment.

The guy took his job at nintendo for granted and made a mistake, hey it happens life goes on.

 

[rhandino]

Gonna be honest here, I don't really see what's wrong with the article or that quote. It's true. He got fired for speaking about his company on a podcast. And he didn't talk about any unannounced games or other information that might be considered sensitive. The rest of the article explains what he did talk about.

What exactly is the problem here?

They absolutely know how secretive the Treehouse (They even have an wrote an article about it not so long ago) so they know why he was fired: He really talked about information that NoA and Nintendo in general considered sensitive and even portrayed their fans in a negative light.

 

[Exile20]

ugh glad i don't work for nintendo then

or Target, Sony, Microsoft, and so on and so on.

 

[SliceSabre]

Pretty much. There's a reason why someone who talks critically or negatively about a company/organization is usually from an anonymous source. Though he probably didn't realize he put Nintendo in a bad light which is the saddest part of it.

This is exactly what's so gross about it. There's a lot of high profile public employees that have done way worse and kept their jobs, but this guy gets thrown under the bus because he's a relative peon and has no recourse.

That's simply the cost of being a peon, you have to watch what you say because you're more easily replaceable than someone higher up.

 

[papercan55]

More that it's surprising he got fired when the far majority of what he said wasn't surprising or unusual.

Maybe not but he was representing nintendo on that podcast, anyone with half a brain would have stopped themselves and said that this cannot go on the internet.
He can say how much he loves nintendo and how much he is a fan now after being fired, but listening to the podcast he does not sound like a current nintendo employer and comes across as slightly insulting to the fans.

He broke so many rules of his employer alongside making his employers customers sound really bad.
If that's not enough to get fired then what is.

 

[TheSpoiler]

I will not share any specifics other than that I'm actively taking law classes, but I will say that NDAs vary greatly. If he broke one and it was clear up front that not doing media was part of continued employment, so be it. Heck, he is probably an at will employee, Nintendo can fire him because they do not like his shoes.

But I assume that he did not say anything that isnt a commonly held opinion inside the company. If this is a correct assumption, then just like the Dan situation, Nintendo in general needs to decide what it wants to be and who it wants to serve with its products.

See, you just said it - a commonly held opinion inside the company. How is that still okay? Whether or not the opinion was circulated around the office doesn't matter. He brought that in a public light.

You are right. NDAs depend on the company you work with. But at base, the majority operate on the assumption that you aren't going to speak publicly about company policies unless you have the clearance to do so. Even he says so himself by admitting fault in the situation. I don't know how much clearer this can get for you.

 

[Delusibeta]

While the podcast in question wasn't Orth-grade asshattery, I can't say that I'm too surprised Nintendo let Chris go, since it was pretty terrible PR for the company.

 

[The12thGripper]

Why are you guys so hung up about the guy being fired? The outcome would still have been the same, regardless of the company he worked for. He talked about internal stuff that was not approved to be talked about publicly, any company would fire someone for doing that. Someone losing their job is never good but it's not like he was fired for no reason.

 

[BiggNife]

Maybe not but he was representing nintendo on that podcast, anyone with half a brain would have stopped themselves and said that this cannot go on the internet.
He can say how much he loves nintendo and how much he is a fan now after being fired, but listening to the podcast he does not sound like a current nintendo employer and comes across as slightly insulting to the fans.

Again, I agree. I feel sorry for the dude, but he fucked up. I'm just interpreting how I read Schreier's article.

 

[greg400]

Not really the same thing, unless your phone is more than just a tool to you. So you can't or won't empathise with this guy, doesn't mean he perceives his situation as you do - particularly as it's him who has to deal with the consequences, where as we're just firing off glib opinions for free.

It really isn't that different, I know diehard Apple/Google fans who wouldn't give a shit of they were fired they would still use the product. He said some stupid shit and hurt the companies branding with fans therefore he got fired, case closed. It's his fault, the company did nothing to him other than follow typical protocol and he's said that himself. If you want to talk about something that's actually disastrous lets talk about PTSD in soldiers.

 

[border]

I feel really sorry for the guy, especially reading that goodbye letter. The stuff he said on that podcast was not exactly damaging or top secret information. I could understand if he revealed details on the NX or something or talked about unannounced games, but this did not really warrant firing (assuming that he was cleared to go on the podcast in the first place).

It seems like an exceptionally bad time to be an out-of-work videogame localization specialist. How many publishers are even looking to localize Japanese games? Sony. Namco. Maybe Sega but they are kind of in shambles right now.

 

[fernoca]

or Target, Sony, Microsoft, and so on and so on.

Heck, wasn't an user in here fired from Gamestop for stuff he said in here, or was that a joke?

I know retailers have this NDAs of sorts, so it wasn't surprising back then.

 

[Azuran]

I seriously can't tell if people in this thread who think he only got fired because he mocked Nintendo fans are being serious.

 

[Kysen]

100k in student loan debt for a fucking English degree? What the fuck was he thinking? A fucking English degree.

Exactly, wtf. Talk about a waste of money.

 

[greg400]

I seriously can't tell if people in this thread who think he only got fired because he mocked Nintendo fans are being serious.

It's certainly part of the reason, a company doesn't want to bite the hand that feeds them.

 

[Resseh]

Poor guy. Don't piss off nerds as they will moan and tweet about it until the story blows up enough to get the dude fired. Happened with the Deal with it dude from microsoft.

 

[And_Gignac]

He should have consulted before hand on what he could and could not say. Probably he didnt because "dream job".

Exactly, wtf. Talk about a waste of money.

Why are you guys still pushing for this? It got him a job at Nintendo, something most of you wet your beds for nightly.

 

[RPGCrazied]

Seems like the punishment was a bit to harsh. I mean put him on probation, dock in pay, demotion. But just out right fire for a couple of comments Nintendo didn't like? They weren't even that bad.

 

[DashReindeer]

After reading his Facebook posting, Fuck Nintendo.

That's almost to a level of Disney like control over their employees and what they say and can't say in a public space. I never once thought Chris Pranger was speaking for Nintendo; I only thought he was offering his opinion on their practices. Was his judgment correct in doing the podcast? No, far from it.

Yet he gets fired? Did he once break NDA and talk about games/projects that aren't even out?

If this is the case, Nintendo really is no different than Konami (except with deeper pockets).

I can't imagine that any company for which I have worked wouldn't fire me for doing something like this in a public space. I don't see why this is hard to grasp. He spoke publicly about the inner workings of Nintendo's business departments and then proceeded to belittle Nintendo's fanbase, all while still employed by Nintendo. Unfortunately, I couldn't imagine any employer that would tolerate this sort of behavior. I know it's easy after the fact to blame Nintendo for this, but I bet Chris Pranger blames no one but himself. I get the desire for companies to be more transparent. Hell, I fight for that every day at my job. Even still, that doesn't mean that employees have the right to speak out of turn publicly like this with no fear of any repercussions.

 

[ecosse_011172]

Poor guy, that's such a shame, seems like a good guy as well.

Also, how fucked up is the US if you have to get over 100K of debt to get a degree?
Insane.

 

[NateDrake]

This will be a PR nightmare for those who don't understand how corporations work, and I'm inclined to believe people outside of the internet get why people don't talk about their jobs in any negative light, especially those who have one.

Basically. He spoke as if he represented Nintendo and their decisions. Articles were made on his comments, and Nintendo, as a company, didn't want that. He should have known better to not speak on sensitive topics as he did. It was a disaster waiting to happen. This would happen at any company & it was a tough lesson for him to learn, sadly.

 

[LastOne2100]

This really isn't true. Most companies are not as heartless and cutthroat as people in this thread are painting the corporate world as, especially if the employee is a valuable member of the team and it's a first time offense. There are other ways to address insubordination than immediate termination. It says more about how Nintendo runs things than just an example of how businesses in general are run.

If you give an unauthorized interview about company workings at any technology company, or frankly, any company with information, that if released, can have significant negative impact on the company, you should expect to be fired. Period. This is not a harsh response at all.

 

[Exile20]

Why are you guys so hung up about the guy being fired? The outcome would still have been the same, regardless of the company he worked for. He talked about internal stuff that was not approved to be talked about publicly, any company would fire someone for doing that. Someone losing their job is never good but it's not like he was fired for no reason.

I admit it is hard to not correct people that are wrong on a topic because you do not have permission. I guess the guy broke and wanted to see the record straight.

Anyone that works at any big corp has seen their company being bad talked on forums or social media and want to correct them but you can't. There is a reason companies have a PR department.

 

[Rolodzeo]

$100k of student debt, lost health insurance, has a son. The American dream kicking some serious ass :/

 

[Velkyn]

I feel for the guy, I really do. Honestly.

But it's likely that his podcast appearance wasn't cleared, and you simply do not reveal that much about the work you do in a public forum.

I have lots of sympathy for him, but ultimately I am not surprised.

 

[Banjotanooki]

A lot of people here need to look up the meaning behind an NDA.

The guy fucked up big time. No matter the company, whether it be Nintendo, Sony, Wal-mart, Disney, or whatever, you CAN'T share exclusive or proprietary information out like this and not expect to be disciplined.

 

[cpp_is_king]

A lot of people here need to look up the meaning behind an NDA.

The guy fucked up big time. No matter the company, whether it be Nintendo, Sony, Wal-mart, Disney, or whatever, you CAN'T share exclusive or proprietary information out like this and not expect to be disciplined.

Especially not in the rude and condescending manner that he shared it in.

 

[Voysa Reezun]

Also, how fucked up is the US if you have to get over 100K of debt to get a degree?
Insane.

This is why you do your gen ed credits at a community college and transfer to a major college for only your last two years. Could have saved this dude 45K in debt.

 

[kewlmyc]

Also bad money management and making minimum payments.

My college loans would have kept me paying $700 a month for 30 fucking years.
Instead I put down TWICE that every month and put extra in a savings account and wiped it out in 8 years, instead.

Saved untold amounts on interest.

Maybe some people can't afford to double down on their student loans. It's not bad money management if your paycheck doesn't have room for you to do that.

 

[Broritos]

Now he can work for Sega and plan his revenge.

May the Chaos Emeralds be with him.

 

[Tempy]

The idea that a guy in his position at Nintendo wouldn't have a comprehensive NDA, with the knowledge he is privy to, is absolutely ludicrous.

The janitorial staff there has probably signed NDAs.

Every visitor - even the guy who fixes the plumbing or changes the drinks machine needs to sign an NDA.

I'm guessing this guy didn't get permission from PR about doing a podcast?

 

[Dreamwriter]

$100k of student debt, lost health insurance, has a son. The American dream kicking some serious ass :/

No lost health insurance - in the US when you leave a company, the company has to (by law) keep offering your health insurance at the same price they were paying for it, for a certain amount of time.