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Jonathan Blow doesn't read contracts carefully.

I half hope Sony mess up their deal, if only to see the resultant tirade.

Blow has far too much vitriol for Microsoft, who gave him a significant break.
 
Mutanthands said:
But...at least in this case, Microsoft didn't do anything wrong. Braid has been 800 points for a couple of years. There was no recent price change. And when the price changed a couple of years ago, he agreed to it.
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I get it. We're mocking Blow. He's such an easy target, he is arrogant, he thinks highly of his work and sees a different meaning in things some people take for granted, he's very critical of others work, even when they are favouring him in praise. It's easy to pick at one of his flaws and run away with it.

But just like he signed a contract that implied something could have happened, and we agree to terms of agreement, even when they have unfair clauses, we typically don't expect things to go wrong.

This is one of those matters in which while Microsoft could technically do something, by simply choosing to not communicate with one of the creators that brought their online store a lot of value they are losing credibility and trust. This is Microsoft continuing to do what they have been doing nearly the entire past generation, despite promising to change their ways: bullying for the sole sake of business.

Sony put half a dozen independent games at one of their main console unveils. Microsoft has, and continues to be, doing things like this and for some sick reason, we prefer to turn against the people that bring us creative goods than the ones who mostly give us hardware platforms. That's wrong, we should hold creators in a higher regard, specially when they are being affected in this manner.
 
I think everyone need relax on social media. E.g. Devs hate comment on Xbox, Phil Fish, xbox DRM with euro have no internet, NoDRM, devs meltdown.
I do think people have right to said whatever, mistake or not, hating or not.

Bring it more, love the tweets impact the community shaky.
 
Am I the only one disgusted by this childish attitudes of grown up and,supposedly, profesional individuals who just act like man babies on fucking twitter?

Because I'm sick of it.
 
thewhitehawk said:
I get it. We're mocking Blow. He's such an easy target, he is arrogant, he thinks highly of his work and sees a different meaning in things some people take for granted, he's very critical of others work, even when they are favouring him in praise. It's easy to pick at one of his flaws and run away with it.

But just like he signed a contract that implied something could have happened, and we agree to terms of agreement, even when they have unfair clauses, we typically don't expect things to go wrong.

This is one of those matters in which while Microsoft could technically do something, by simply choosing to not communicate with one of the creators that brought their online store a lot of value they are losing credibility and trust. This is Microsoft continuing to do what they have been doing nearly the entire past generation, despite promising to change their ways: bullying for the sole sake of business.

Sony put half a dozen independent games at one of their main console unveils. Microsoft has, and continues to be, doing things like this and for some sick reason, we prefer to turn against the people that bring us creative goods than the ones who mostly give us hardware platforms. That's wrong, we should hold creators in a higher regard, specially when they are being affected in this manner.
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Microsoft did absolutely nothing wrong. They gave Blow his big break, and he's done nothing but whine and bitch about them ever since.
 
I think Blow knew all about the price drop, smoked some dope, forgot about it (its been 4 years) and blew up on twitter before investigating the facts.

Now I am half joking about the dope thing, although I wouldn't be surprised, but that would explain this behavior (at least to me).

It could have been an honest mistake, but he doubled down when he chose to vent on twitter before taking reasonable steps to ensure accuracy of what he was venting about.
 
A Link to the Snitch said:
I love how people were clearly waiting for a gaffe by Blow so they can elaborate just how much they hate indie devs and art games.
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I think most people just hate arrogant people like Blow and Fish who give Indies a bad name. They make a single, basic game, borrowing heavily from the NES and SNES era, and then spend countless years using that success as a way to be in the spotlight and condemn and criticize the works of others.
 
StuBurns said:
I don't think he was so anti-MS until The Witness was announced for PS4, it think he felt like Braid was important, he was making a high profile indie game, MS were making a new console, and they should approached him about it. That's not unreasonable to me. Kojima was publicly pissed off that Sony hadn't buttered him up more with PS4. I think people have expectations based on previous professional relationships, and since Braid was important to XBLA, it's reasonable to imagine MS would be interested in The Witness.
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I'm pretty sure Blow hated MS before that. I read him saying somewhere that they 'threatened to ruin his life' or something.

What I don't get is why he then seemed surprised and upset that MS hadn't courted him afterwards. I mean if someone had threatened to ruin my life I wouldn't want anything to do with them. I'd be happy if they ignored me.
 
thewhitehawk said:
I get it. We're mocking Blow. He's such an easy target, he is arrogant, he thinks highly of his work and sees a different meaning in things some people take for granted, he's very critical of others work, even when they are favouring him in praise. It's easy to pick at one of his flaws and run away with it.

But just like he signed a contract that implied something could have happened, and we agree to terms of agreement, even when they have unfair clauses, we typically don't expect things to go wrong.

This is one of those matters in which while Microsoft could technically do something, by simply choosing to not communicate with one of the creators that brought their online store a lot of value they are losing credibility and trust. This is Microsoft continuing to do what they have been doing nearly the entire past generation, despite promising to change their ways: bullying for the sole sake of business.

Sony put half a dozen independent games at one of their main console unveils. Microsoft has, and continues to be, doing things like this and for some sick reason, we prefer to turn against the people that bring us creative goods than the ones who mostly give us hardware platforms. That's wrong, we should hold creators in a higher regard, specially when they are being affected in this manner.
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What exactly was MS's fault here? They didn't do anything wrong
 
thewhitehawk said:
I get it. We're mocking Blow. He's such an easy target, he is arrogant, he thinks highly of his work and sees a different meaning in things some people take for granted, he's very critical of others work, even when they are favouring him in praise. It's easy to pick at one of his flaws and run away with it.

But just like he signed a contract that implied something could have happened, and we agree to terms of agreement, even when they have unfair clauses, we typically don't expect things to go wrong.

This is one of those matters in which while Microsoft could technically do something, by simply choosing to not communicate with one of the creators that brought their online store a lot of value they are losing credibility and trust. This is Microsoft continuing to do what they have been doing nearly the entire past generation, despite promising to change their ways: bullying for the sole sake of business.

Sony put half a dozen independent games at one of their main console unveils. Microsoft has, and continues to be, doing things like this and for some sick reason, we prefer to turn against the people that bring us creative goods than the ones who mostly give us hardware platforms. That's wrong, we should hold creators in a higher regard, specially when they are being affected in this manner.
Click to expand...

Ticking a box and agreeing to TOS is something entirely different from signing a business contract that is supposed to pay for your livelihood. You read that and you get your lawyer to read it, and you don't sign it unless you agree with everything.

And this is not Microsoft "continuing" to do anything, it happened years ago.

The entire thing is just another case of someone on twitter making a big deal of something, being wrong, and instead of apologizing and shutting the hell up, doubling down on their statements ("I should increase the price!", "seems like something M$ would do!", "I can just pull it of the service!"). It doesn't even matter that it's Blow, although his particular personality amplifies the effect.
 
What is it with developers on Twitter saying dumb things? Regardless of the severity or the nature of what you say, it stays there permanently and people will give you a hard time if you come across as faulty in any way because of it. It's not like talking to one of your friends in the pub in an enclosed area or something, you have thousands of pairs of eyes scrutinising your idle tweeting.

If I said something dumb on Twitter and people caught onto it I think I might actually go mental with the backlash.
 
-PXG- said:
There are a lot of assholes and people with enlarged egos in the industry. But that doesn't stop me from playing good games. It shouldn't stop you either.

People refusing to buy someone's game because of what that person may have said (that has no effect on the game's quality whatsoever) are being just as whiny, bitchy and unreasonable as the one they are "boycotting". What the fuck are standing up for? What are you fighting? Seriously. Faux outrage GAF is by far the most obnoxious part of our community. Just shut the hell up. Sure poke fun at him and make jokes, but there is no need to get pitch forks and be offended. Just stop.

Devs so mindlessly dumb shit all the time. Doesn't stop me from enjoying their work.
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I'm not a fan of Fish because I did feel offended by his "Japanese Games suck" comment. I thought that really crossed the line.

Blow is being childish here.

Also I'm not not playing his game just because I don't like them, but I think Fez while cute and interesting looks like its too complicated for me, and Braid I'm not a fan of the art style and also looks kinda complicated. So I would say its one of many reasons why I haven't got their games yet.
 
PsihoPerihelion said:
So he first rage on twitter, then realizes that it's part of the contract and then, he goes to say he can pull the game out of the 360 as a reaction of his childish whining? Whoa, Jonathan. Are you stupid? Please pull a Phil Fish and get the hell out of this industry. Braid was mediocre anyway.
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lol that escalated quickly....
 
This guy comes off as a huge tool. I'm not sure why everything he says becomes newsworthy? Just stop giving crybaby tweets attention.
 
I feel like this is one of the many, many, many situations on the net where the "tone" is being misinterpreted.

This is actually a larger problem with internet communication in general. So many freak-outs over misplaced tone.
 
thewhitehawk said:
I get it. We're mocking Blow. He's such an easy target, he is arrogant, he thinks highly of his work and sees a different meaning in things some people take for granted, he's very critical of others work, even when they are favouring him in praise. It's easy to pick at one of his flaws and run away with it.

But just like he signed a contract that implied something could have happened, and we agree to terms of agreement, even when they have unfair clauses, we typically don't expect things to go wrong.

This is one of those matters in which while Microsoft could technically do something, by simply choosing to not communicate with one of the creators that brought their online store a lot of value they are losing credibility and trust. This is Microsoft continuing to do what they have been doing nearly the entire past generation, despite promising to change their ways: bullying for the sole sake of business.

Sony put half a dozen independent games at one of their main console unveils. Microsoft has, and continues to be, doing things like this and for some sick reason, we prefer to turn against the people that bring us creative goods than the ones who mostly give us hardware platforms. That's wrong, we should hold creators in a higher regard, specially when they are being affected in this manner.
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affected in what matter?

Lol
 
YianGaruga said:
Ticking a box and agreeing to TOS is something entirely different from signing a business contract that is supposed to pay for your livelihood.
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well, small devs get a contract and it is a take it or leave it proposition.. leaving it means you are shut off from the platform completely.

So really, there is no choice and yeah, it matters how big "platform holders" operate.
 
GAF gonna GAF. Opinionated man on internet makes games, occasionally says stuff that is controversial and/or wrong.

Man makes mistake, GAF pounces and justifies to itself why disliking him was the right thing to do all along.

The end.
 
OriginalThinking said:
GAF gonna GAF. Opinionated man on internet makes games, occasionally says stuff that is controversial and/or wrong.

Man makes mistake, GAF pounces and justifies to itself why disliking him was the right thing to do all along.

The end.
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And of course... There's always a defense force for everything on here...
 
OriginalThinking said:
GAF gonna GAF. Opinionated man on internet makes games, occasionally says stuff that is controversial and/or wrong.

Man makes mistake, GAF pounces and justifies to itself why disliking him was the right thing to do all along.

The end.
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You seem to have deliberately left out the part where haters rejoice because they now have more reason to hate MS and pounce on them for being an evil corporation.
 
I guess he fucked up, but why are people talking about his game's quality? I don't even like it, but what does this have to do with anything?
 
spwolf said:
well, small devs get a contract and it is a take it or leave it proposition.. leaving it means you are shut off from the platform completely.

So really, there is no choice and yeah, it matters how big "platform holders" operate.
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There are always options. Now more than back then, but he could've gone with Sony (don't know how different the conditions are) or self published on the PC. PC especially wouldn't have gotten him as much attention though, so of course he went with the option that would promote the fuck out of his game and make him successful. And now everything he does is complain about it. It's weird.

There are enough stories today of games being succesful without ever touching those big and evil companies.
 
NIGHT- said:
And of course... There's always a defense force for everything on here...
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It's this sort of typical binary thinking that makes video gaming forums such bliss.

"You're either with us, or you're against us!"

You might have noticed that I said Blow was controversial and occasionally gets things wrong. But hey, if I don't outright condemn him for making a mistake he's already admitted I'm the defence force

Lordy.

Camilos said:
You seem to have deliberately left out the part where haters rejoice because they now have more reason to hate MS and pounce on them for being an evil corporation.
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Righhhtttttt. I think you're overstating both Blow's influence and forgetting the part where he publicly said he'd erred. But you're right I'm sure this is yet more fuel to the flames for all the rational people outside MS headquarters with their pitchforks at the ready. And for the irrational folk, well I'm sure If Blow had said positive stuff they'd have changed their opinions of MS, surely?
 
YianGaruga said:
There are always options. Now more than back then, but he could've gone with Sony (don't know how different the conditions are) or self published on the PC. PC especially wouldn't have gotten him as much attention though, so of course he went with the option that would promote the fuck out of his game and make him successful. And now everything he does is complain about it. It's weird.

There are enough stories today of games being succesful without ever touching those big and evil companies.
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so his "option" is not to publish a game on a platform... thats not really an option.
 
So we have a 10+ page thread over a developer not knowing the extent of his contract, making some slightly unprofessional remarks after which he backtracked a bit, admitting his mistake. Yet we have posters calling him all sorts of names and boycotting him.
Some of you guys really need some perspective in life.
 
atomic moth said:
Then we're gonna need a half-source for the dope thing. Otherwise you're a accusing someone of having a drug problem.
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atomic moth said:
Half serious.

Möbius is a depressed alcoholic who beats his pet octopus when he gets home from work. That's the only way to explain those comments.

But, of course, I'm half joking.
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Well, that was weird.

You kinda cut off half my post so I'm thinking you didn't really bother to think through these responses.
 
Yes Jonathan Blow was in the wrong here but if I were in his shoes I would probably have a little bit of a freak out myself initially. Ya'll need to stop crucifying this dude
 
fvng said:
Yes Jonathan Blow was in the wrong here but if I were in his shoes I would probably have a little bit of a freak out myself initially. Ya'll need to stop crucifying this dude
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Would you say..be a grown up and call or get your lawyer to call Microsoft
Or have a tantrum and publicly bash a business partner?
 
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