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Mark Bozon leaves IGN

JSnake

Member
Huh, wasn't expecting that. Apparently he's still gonna be a games journalist if I'm understanding his blog post correctly.

http://blogs.ign.com/Blogs/Comments.aspx?blog=Bozon-IGN&entryid=137076

As you know I only do blog posts every six months, so when I do them they better be good, right?

After four and a half awesome years I’ve decided it’s time to move on from IGN. Before any speculation starts as to why, let me get this out of the way. I am in fact female, the baby ISN’T Matt’s, and I am at least partially concerned that I’m long overdue (by 27 years). Once the kid drops I’ll let you know. Until then, I carry this bun in the oven, my feminine features hidden by the outward appearance of an overweight nerd that loves writing about games.

In all seriousness I’ve loved every minute of my time here at IGN. I’ll be staying within the industry (and on the press side here in LA), so feel free to track me down and make fun of my typos or claim that I hate Nintendo any time.

I was an IGN superfan LONG before I ever started working here, so (corporate world willing) I’ll still drop in and chat on the boards whenever I can. Oh, and no Gear podcast is safe. FOX security better be ready to pull me out mid-show. It’s happening. Tech Fetish!

Oh, and I feel like I should wrap up some loose ends on my blog, so here we go:

Dino Island wasn’t a complete failure. Maybe more info on it will surface later down the line.

Dr. Z comes with me. That is, until FOX legal sues me for taking an original IP I created while at IGN. Crap… that’s sort of true. Maybe Dr. Z won’t come with me…

Phil, our esteemed IGN Stars guy and feature guru for the entertainment side, should from here on be known only as Butters. Please keep the magic going. You are all in my heart.

Avatar sucked, and everybody is wrong.

Should our suit-wearing superpower companies approve, I feel a storyline is needed between El Gringo Primo and Gruesome Greggy. Greggy, I’ll be at Mania (god willing). Bring Primo your best!

Wii Fit made me thin. Doritos made me fat again.

Altoidyoda is the best user in IGN history. It’s true.

Console wars are stupid. Just sell out like me and buy every system.

Fran is an idiot. He uses too many hair products.

High Voltage, 5TH Cell, DreamRift, and Capy Games all deserve your money. These guys starve to give you amazing games, so support them. Also, Renegade Kid too, and not just because Jools said to say that. Seriously, go buy Moon.

Peer Schneider is a super human, and can exist in 12 places at once. This is true, and the reason for IGN 64’s unfathomable success. He also runs with German efficiency.

Seriously FOX… Dr. Z is coming with me.

I’m thankful for every reader I’ve ever had. Thanks for helping make a dream come true.

Tell Mom I was on the internet.
 

faridmon

Member
maybe he can work with his brother now at WayForward.

all the luck to him, although i am not agreeing with him in his statements.
 
1 down, so many more to go.

In fairness, Bozon was a cool guy. Though he was Nintendo-centric, so I didn't have a lot of dealings with him.
 

VOOK

We don't know why he keeps buying PAL, either.
And that leaves Craig as the only person at IGN whose work is worth reading.
 
D

Deleted member 30609

Unconfirmed Member
he seemed like an alright guy. hope he has something else lined up.
 

Skiesofwonder

Walruses, camels, bears, rabbits, tigers and badgers.
Heringer said:
So who's left in the Nintendo team?

Well if you actually believe this anonymous article that was just posted over at the IGN boards:


While IGN faithful and Wii owners alike are still trying to recover from the pain of what felt like a knife in the back with the recent Nintendo Voice Chat Podcast 60 and Matt Casamassina's "Nintendo is Lazy" column, even harsher pains might be ahead if certain rumblings from behind the scenes are to be believed.

Rumor has it that talk is ongoing within IGN Entertainment to take a drastic new route with it's Wii and DS channels by adapting a "casual" approach to Nintendo news. A source who works close with IGN Entertainment told me "They (IGN) are reading the writing on the wall. Now that Nintendo has changed their approach to developing games, they feel there is not a large enough hardcore following to keep the Nintendo side unchanged. They see Yahoo's Wii specific gaming site now getting twice as many clicks as theirs, and they want those casual clicks". When asked what changes this casual approach to Nintendo news would actually bring, he shook his head and replied "Lets just say it is as bad as you can imagine".

Movements are already being put in place for this change, With the sudden departure of Matt Casamassina being the first of many. "I don't think you will be seeing Craig, Bozon, or the others around for much longer. I'm hearing a whole new cast is being brought in for the Wii and DS channels." another source told me.

No word yet on when this change will fully take place.




Nobody. :lol
 
He's a mediocre writer and I don't always agree with him, but I still preferred him to the rest of the Nintendo team. His opinions at least seemed to be genuinely earnest and his reviews weren't infected by the tortured logic that plagues some of the other editors there. Plus, he worked on Contra 4's challenge mode, and that shit's badass.

And since I know you're reading this thread right now Boz, good luck!
 

Mafro

Member
Damn, It's like an old-skool 1UP departure, but on a miniscule scale.

In all seriousness, I did enjoy listening to him on Nintendo Voice Chat (when it was good)
 

Grecco

Member
I always loved his Gafer voice when the IGN Wii podcast was good. Sounded like an Evil mexican or something. Always made me laugh. I liked Bozon. Definetly interested to see where he ends up.
 

Bugbite

Banned
Skiesofwonder said:
Well if you actually believe this anonymous article that was just posted over at the IGN boards:


While IGN faithful and Wii owners alike are still trying to recover from the pain of what felt like a knife in the back with the recent Nintendo Voice Chat Podcast 60 and Matt Casamassina's "Nintendo is Lazy" column, even harsher pains might be ahead if certain rumblings from behind the scenes are to be believed.

Rumor has it that talk is ongoing within IGN Entertainment to take a drastic new route with it's Wii and DS channels by adapting a "casual" approach to Nintendo news. A source who works close with IGN Entertainment told me "They (IGN) are reading the writing on the wall. Now that Nintendo has changed their approach to developing games, they feel there is not a large enough hardcore following to keep the Nintendo side unchanged. They see Yahoo's Wii specific gaming site now getting twice as many clicks as theirs, and they want those casual clicks". When asked what changes this casual approach to Nintendo news would actually bring, he shook his head and replied "Lets just say it is as bad as you can imagine".

Movements are already being put in place for this change, With the sudden departure of Matt Casamassina being the first of many. "I don't think you will be seeing Craig, Bozon, or the others around for much longer. I'm hearing a whole new cast is being brought in for the Wii and DS channels." another source told me.

No word yet on when this change will fully take place.


Then soon to be nobody from the original Nintendo cast. :lol

I'm not against an overhaul in the way ALL game sites handle their Wii sections, including a change in cast; in fact I actually prefer it. But if they treat the sections as "casual" the way the industry treats "casual" games, it's going to be one HUGE pile of shit.
 
The first casualty of the Mass Effect 2 editorial it seems.

Bugbite said:
I'm not against an overhaul in the way ALL game sites handle their Wii sections, including a change in cast; in fact I actually prefer it. But if they treat the sections as "casual" the way the industry treats "casual" games, it's going to be one HUGE pile of shit.


I think "more casual" means "some editors who don't give 7.5's to games that go on to sell 10 million copies". Someone who speaks to the Wii demographic.
 

evangd007

Member
VOOK said:
And that leaves Craig as the only person at IGN whose work is worth reading.

Seconded.

ShockingAlberto said:
So who actually works at IGN Wii right now

They changed up the structure so the only permanent member is the editor, the aforementioned Craig Harris. This made the IGN Wii section suck for Wii fans (and awsome for PS3 and 360 console warmongers) by letting everyone on the other sections, like Daemon Hatfield who started trolling the Wii the moment he moved off the Nintendo team, to write about the Wii. Fun times.
 

jay

Member
Skiesofwonder said:
Well if you actually believe this anonymous article that was just posted over at the IGN boards:


While IGN faithful and Wii owners alike are still trying to recover from the pain of what felt like a knife in the back with the recent Nintendo Voice Chat Podcast 60 and Matt Casamassina's "Nintendo is Lazy" column, even harsher pains might be ahead if certain rumblings from behind the scenes are to be believed.

Rumor has it that talk is ongoing within IGN Entertainment to take a drastic new route with it's Wii and DS channels by adapting a "casual" approach to Nintendo news. A source who works close with IGN Entertainment told me "They (IGN) are reading the writing on the wall. Now that Nintendo has changed their approach to developing games, they feel there is not a large enough hardcore following to keep the Nintendo side unchanged. They see Yahoo's Wii specific gaming site now getting twice as many clicks as theirs, and they want those casual clicks". When asked what changes this casual approach to Nintendo news would actually bring, he shook his head and replied "Lets just say it is as bad as you can imagine".

Movements are already being put in place for this change, With the sudden departure of Matt Casamassina being the first of many. "I don't think you will be seeing Craig, Bozon, or the others around for much longer. I'm hearing a whole new cast is being brought in for the Wii and DS channels." another source told me.

No word yet on when this change will fully take place.




Nobody. :lol

First the Wii kills video games and now IGN Nintendo?
 

trinest

Member
VOOK said:
And that leaves Craig as the only person at IGN whose work is worth reading.
This guys work was worth reading? His blog post about him leaving, read worse then my articles and that says bloody heaps.

mehdi_san said:
I don't get it. He's a HE or a SHE???
It was just a crappy joke. Guys a he.
 

squicken

Member
I liked Boz. I hope he does well.

That change in structure seems completely appropriate. Nintendo doesn't give a shit about anyone who played Mario 64 or LttP. Why should IGN? Write for the existing Wii audience.
 

Cep

Banned
Shame, he was one of the few worth reading.

Helps that his reviews were actually fair.

In all seriousness, we should just ban IGN. Nothing good on there anymore, and even if we still have their threads, they will not get the benefit of our clicks.
 

Bugbite

Banned
Sho_Nuff82 said:
I think "more casual" means "some editors who don't give 7.5's to games that go on to sell 10 million copies". Someone who speaks to the Wii demographic.

That's fine, but there are only two ways that's going to happen:

1. IGN management forces scores on to their current editors (bad).
2. IGN recruits not just new journalistic talent, but journalists from OUTSIDE of the industry completely. People who have never had a job in the industry, nor have they been interested in the going's on of the industry prior to getting the job.

The 2nd option's preferable, since it won't end in an editor who obviously hates his position (que infamous Nintendo hatecast at IGN), but the first is easier and probably cheaper.

squicken said:
I liked Boz. I hope he does well.

That change in structure seems completely appropriate. Nintendo doesn't give a shit about anyone who played Mario 64 or LttP. Why should IGN? Write for the existing Wii audience.

I just...ow, my head hurts.
 

Skiesofwonder

Walruses, camels, bears, rabbits, tigers and badgers.
DidntKnowJack said:
Do you by any chance have a link to that post? I'd be interested to look into that.

I found it here:

http://boards.ign.com/nintendo_wii_lobby/b8270/189082921/p2/

I looked at "themonsoon" 's post history and found this:

http://boards.ign.com/nintendo_wii_lobby/b8270/187716167/p1/

Big thread about the rumor. He never provided a link, just had this to say:


"Found a rather juicy email in my inbox just recently. A friend who is a freelance writer wrote what I posted below up for an unknown website (he wouldn't tell me who) which decided against publishing this article. He knew I was gamer and a big Wii fan so he sent it my way."


I glanced through the thread. Craig came in and laughed it off, and basically said Bozon and him would be at IGN for a long time to come and there was nothing to worry about.

uh oh.... :lol
 
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