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Notch calls Ziff Davis a bunch of "Scam Artists"

Brick

Member
https://twitter.com/notch/status/395142648995905536

Basically, Notch was emailed an offer to buy game of the year logos from Ziff Davis Inc. Ziff Davis owns 1UP, IGN, UGO, and PC Magazine (as well as some other non-gaming properties). They also used to publish Computer Gaming World, Gamespy, and Games for Windows Magazine.

Lock if old.

Edit: Just to clarify, Ziff Davis is not selling the award itself. They are selling Notch the right to use their "...Game of the year" logo that includes their name.
 

1upmuffin

Member
"A PCMAG Award is considered the ultimate seal of approval and often the only seal consumers trust when making a purchase decision"

Haha, what bullshit, who cares about PCMAG.
 

No Love

Banned
Ziff Davis must be desperate as fuck. I mean, aren't they bleeding money since revenue is way, way down compared to how it used to be?
 

excaliburps

Press - MP1st.com
This is just all sorts of wrong and a perfect example of why people don't respect a lot of gaming publications. Yeesh.
 

Orca

Member
Shady as fuck, now I'm wondering if any developers paid :(

Just look for the logos.

I wouldn't really call it shady anyway. It's more stupid than anything. Tons of sites/mags would be glad to have you slap their 'game of the year' logo on the box so why would you pay Ziff Davis to advertise Ziff Davis?
 

nikos

Member
Assuming the email is indeed from Ziff Davis; they are selling the right to use each logo after the award is given, not just logos without the game achieving the award, correct?
 

Gaz_RB

Member
lol this can't be real

can it?
Just to clarify, the awards were given but the developer can only use each logo if they pay? They aren't selling logos without giving each award, right?

They're just selling logos to companies that have won awards. They're not selling the GOTY title itself.
 
this is the biz, unfortunately.
Nobody should doubt this shit for a second, if you all really knew all the other shit that goes on. What do you guys think those hipsters in marketing and PR do all day long?
 

hey_it's_that_dog

benevolent sexism
So are they selling the awards themselves or just the rights to use the logo if you have won the award? Both are shittier, but one would be a lot shittier.

edit: beaten by nikos
 

daninthemix

Member
It's a good thing I developed IGN score blindness, preventing me from seeing their scores or responding to their reviews in any way other than a chuckle.
 

Coconut

Banned
Why would they email notch his company hasn't put out a game this year.


Based on the message it sounds like they are selling the right to use the award logo. I don't see the big deal.
 

Nags

Banned
batman-ign.jpg

This one must have cost a lot!
 

emb

Member
Is this just for the logo licensing fee to be used on Minecraft's ad materials, but not for buying the awards out right? Minecraft still won all the awards, amiright?
That's what I was thinking. I didn't click through to the link, but it would make a lot more sense.
 

Akuun

Looking for meaning in GAF
Good on Notch for calling these people out. He's absolutely right on Ziff Davis being scam artists if they're doing this.

Disgusting.
 
I find it far more interesting that Notch outed them like this. Didn't know he was bout that life.

Notch gets press on every major gaming site for farting loudly. He doesn't even do anything anymore and he's still got an article or more about him cropping up a week based on some random tweet or game jam leftovers. He probably gets more (and better) press by continuing to sow the whirlwind of bizarre media interest around him than he could ever get off IGN fluff jobs. (And for what, exactly, Minecraft?)
 
The law firm I work at gets a lot of "your firm has been voted best blah blah blah" emails from various marketing companies. They then ask for how ever many dollars to stick the "award" on their website/send out congratulatory emails. Occasionally I'll see a that another firm has shelled out the money for that crap.
 

Patryn

Member
Assuming the email is indeed from Ziff Davis; just to clarify, the awards were given but the developer can only use each logo if they pay? They aren't selling logos without giving each award, right?

True. But if you look, a lot of the awards are really redundant, and one could speculate that they may be biased towards giving awards to companies that would be willing to pay to show off the logo.
 

spwolf

Member
https://twitter.com/notch/status/395142648995905536

Basically, Notch was emailed an offer to buy game of the year logos from Ziff Davis Inc. Ziff Davis owns 1UP, IGN, UGO, and PC Magazine (as well as some other non-gaming properties). They also used to publish Computer Gaming World, Gamespy, and Games for Windows Magazine.

Lock if old.

This is for using their logo on your materials, not for getting the award. They already got it, but you cant use the logo's on your materials without paying for it.

I think many wish they could win these awards for $500, lol.
 
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