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Gerstmann-gate: Sunday morning update
Developments have slowed down a little bit over the weekend, but there is still plenty of chatter around the web about Gamespot's controversial firing of Jeff Gerstmann. Among the juicier bits from around the intertubes: In response to a Gamespot forum thread, the new Gamespot Manager of Community Development said he is "eagerly anticipating the official word to be released on Tuesday." Gamespot has halted user reviews of Kane & Lynch after a flood of 1.0 ratings lowered the game's user score to a 2.6/10. Destructoid has registered cashwh0re.com and changed their front page banner in support of Gerstmann. GameSpot employee Aaron Thomas explains why more employees aren't speaking up on the matter: "This isn't GameSpot suddenly clamping down on me or any of us here--this is how it is for anyone with a job." Gamespot freelancer Frank Provo: "Personally, my respect for CNet is shot, and writing for GameSpot is going to feel like a chore for quite some time going forward." GameSpot users are reportedly canceling paid subscriptions left and right, and planning boycotts of Gamespot and its advertisers. Rumor has it that Gamespot forum moderator have been told to squelch any discussion of the controversy. This seems unlikely, though, as the main discussion of the topic on the site has reached 11,110 posts as of this writing. UPDATE: Numerous Gamespot moderators have written in saying discussion on their forums isn't being stopped, but redirected to one of these two threads to maintain order. One thing is clear: This story is not going away anytime soon.[Thanks to all the tipsters who sent items in]
Ziff Davis staff holds impromptu GameSpot rally
A number of Ziff Davis staffers (including a few writers for 1UP, arguably GameSpot's biggest competition) recently crafted an uplifting banner and marched to the GameSpot offices just two blocks away. The demonstration was a response to the recent unexplained firing of GameSpot contributor Jeff Gerstmann. After hearing the rumors that Gerstmann was fired due to pressure from advertisers following his lackluster review of Kane and Lynch, the ZD staff decided to show their support for their fellow gaming journalist.Patrick Klepek, news editor for 1UP, stressed to us that the rally was not intended to mock Gerstmann or the GameSpot staff. He said he recognizes that "even though 1UP and GameSpot are competition, what's happening over there includes industry-wide ramifications, when the dust finally settles." That is, assuming that the rumors of shady dealings surrounding Gerstmann's termination from the company prove to be true.While 1UP's status as GameSpot's lead competitor might raise concerns that they're just fueling the anti-CNET fires that have been popping up around GameSpot's forums, it's our opinion that this was a sincere showing of solidarity and good will among video game writers. We certainly hope that GameSpot's staff gets the message.
Rumorang: Gerstmann-gate edition
We're sure you'll agree our reporting on the continuing controversy surrounding Gamespot's firing of Jeff Gerstmann has been quite extensive. Still, there are a few angles that have come up that we still feel a little questionable reporting on as fact, or even credible rumor. Still, they are getting play elsewhere around the web, so we'll let you have a little peek behind the curtain and in to the sausage-making world of the news process. Here's what we know and why we're a bit skeptical: Some sites are reporting that Gamespot staffer Tim Tracy has also been fired and/or left the company, possibly for reasons related to Gerstmann's dismissal. The sole source for this rumor seems to be a cryptic post on Tracy's Gamespot blog where he appears behind a stack of shoeboxes with the footer, "It's been real." This could mean that he's no longer with the company ... but it could also means he just has a shoe fetish. We're working to get an official comment on the situation from Tracy or Gamespot and will let you know what we hear, but for the time being we don't want to speculate on what, if anything, this could mean. Some commenters around the web are suggesting that the firing was due to the influence of some recent hires at CNET, specifically Executive Vice President Stephen Colvin and Director of Games & Entertainment Josh Larson. These commenters will point to Colvin's previous involvement with bastions of journalistic integrity like Maxim, Blender, and Stuff magazine (read: sarcasm!) and Larson's heavy career focus on marketing to gamers. This circumstantial evidence doesn't do much for us, and while we've heard some rumblings of their involvement from somewhat credible sources, nothing has been better than second hand information. We'll keep digging, but right now it's too early to implicate anyone specific (or in general, for that matter). Finally, some commenters are claiming that Gerstmann wasn't fired because his Kane & Lynch review was negative in tone, but because he did not actually play the game sufficiently before reviewing it. The supposed evidence, as often happens with such allegations, is Jeff's Xbox Live Gamercard, which only has six achievements and 90 Gamerscore points for the game (some overstate this claim to say he only got one achievement. Fact check your rumors, people!) Reviewers often start reviews playing early code that might not have achievements unlocked. Gerstmann could have been playing on Microsoft's private PartnerNet system when reviewing the game, or simply been on a separate system/Gamertag when doing some of the playing. Furthermore, the content of both the text and video reviews seems to clearly indicate deep involvement with the game. We're waiting to hear back from Gerstmann on this issue directly, but until we do, it'll take more than a Gamercard to convince us Jeff was anything less than a professional in this matter.
Latest developments in "Gerstmann-gate"
More tidbits surrounding Jeff Gerstmann's controversial firing from Gamespot, from around the web and our own reporting: Gerstmann has confirmed to Joystiq that there are "legal reasons" why he can't comment on the controversy, in addition to questions of "respect for the product team still on board at GameSpot, who are some of the most amazing people I've ever met." He added that he is not under any sort of non-compete agreement regarding future work in the industry. Eidos issues a 'no comment' to 1UP: "Eidos is not able to comment on another company's policies and procedures." Valleywag says Eidos "insiders" are "freaking out" over being blamed for something they say they had nothing to do with. Still no response from Eidos to our requests for comment. Former Gamespot editor-in-chief Greg Kasavin, on his GameSpot blog: "As the longest-tenured GameSpot editor, Jeff Gerstmann deserved a respectful send-off." Current Gamespot editor-in-chief Alex Navarro compares the whole situation to hitting the disaster button in SimCity. Former Gamespot staffer Bob Colayco and Adam Buchen clarify that just because Gerstmann was fired doesn't mean Gamespot staffers routinely get paid off for good reviews. Buchen also cancels his Gamespot account and urges others to do the same. An anonymous Valleywag commenter going by the handle "gamespot" and claiming to be a company insider: "There has been an increasing amount of pressure to allow the advertising teams to have more of a say in the editorial process." More: "Also, despite the fact that this occured [sic] two weeks ago, there was no way they were going to fire him then; the last big games didn't come out until just before Thanksgiving, and there was no doubt that management knew that the rest of the reviewers would refuse to write any reviews after his termination, which is indeed what is happening. [emphasis added]" We'll continue to update as more information comes out. Thanks to Gamespot user subrosian and all the tipsters who sent in information. Keep it coming.
CNET: Gerstmann not fired over advertiser pressure
Our compatriots at Joystiq have uncovered some more information regarding the firing of Jeff Gerstmann, GameSpot's (now former) Editorial Director. The news that he was fired broke this morning, with certain sources citing that he was fired do to pressure from Eidos in the wake of Gerstmann's harsh text and video review of Kane & Lynch. Eidos publishes the game in question, and had purchased pervasive ads on GameSpot including a page skin that was removed soon after Gerstmann's firing.Joystiq has now secured new comments from CNET, which owns GameSpot. The comments come in the wake of a fairly ambiguous statement made by CNET earlier today. According to Joystiq, a CNET spokesperson by the name of Sarah Cain noted, "we do not terminate employees based on external pressure from advertisers." When asked whether or not such pressure had been exerted, Cain provided no comment. Joystiq also inquired about the video review, which has since been removed from GameSpot. Cain said that a note of "clarification" had been added to the text review -- which also applied to the video review -- and that it was CNET's decision to pull the video review.Make sense to you? Yeah, well we don't get it either. Check out Joystiq for more details.
GameSpot denies Eidos pressured firing of Gerstmann
We just got off the phone with Sarah Cain, a CNET spokesperson who wanted to amend CNET's previous statement to Joystiq on the recent firing of executive editor Jeff Gerstmann. While reiterating that CNET does not discuss personal employee matters with the press, Cain said directly that "we do not terminate employees based on external pressure from advertisers." When asked specifically about whether any such pressure was even attempted on Eidos' part, Cain had no comment. We're still waiting for a response to multiple e-mail requests for comment by Eidos PR.While we had Cain on the line, we also asked her about the odd disappearance of Gerstmann's video review of the game from the GameSpot site. She responded by pointing out a note at the bottom of the still-running text review for the game, which states that "this review has been updated to include differences between the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions and a clarification on the game's multiplayer mode."When pressed for clarification, Cain said that this note applied to the video review as well. "At the bottom of the post of the [text] review we made a note that we have updated the review, and we made those decisions based on our own editorial standards," she said. "It was our decision to take down the [video] review." Given this justification, we can't help but wonder why GameSpot couldn't just edit the video review, as they did the text version. Why remove the entire thing if the problem was really just a "clarification?" When asked just that question, Cain reiterated her initial statement.
GameSpot issues short comment on Gerstmann firing
In the wake of the rumors surrounding Jeff Gerstmann's suspicious removal as editorial director of Gamespot, Gamespot owner CNET has issued a short, official comment on the situation. "GameSpot takes its editorial integrity extremely seriously," the statement reads. "For over a decade, Gamespot and the many members of its editorial team have produced thousands of unbiased reviews that have been a valuable resource for the gaming community. At CNET Networks, we stand behind the editorial content that our teams produce on a daily basis."As for Gerstmann specifically, CNET repeated their assertion that "it is CNET Networks' policy not to comment on the status of its employees, current of former."While it's nice to see CNET taking the accusations seriously, the statement doesn't confirm or deny the facts behind the controversy, or add any significant information to the story. With the rumor still generating significant discussion throughout the online gaming community, such a short, pat statement seems unlikely to stop the gathering storm of attention.
Rumor: GameSpot Editorial Director fired for Kane & Lynch review
It seems as we slept last night, big things were happening over at GameSpot. Rumors are flying (flying we say) that GameSpot's Editorial Director Jeff Gerstmann was fired thanks to a negative text review and a very negative video review of Kane & Lynch: Dead Men. As you can see from the above image, Eidos is obviously sending a lot of advertising money GameSpot's way, leading many to think that publisher pressure had something to do with the firing. Adding fuel to the fire, the Kane & Lynch skin at GameSpot seen above has since been removed, within hours of the story breaking. It's all still hearsay at this point -- the only confirmation is currently coming from anonymous sources -- but if it's true, it's likely to rock the game industry. The news is already exploding on GameSpot's forums, while the resulting posts on the Eidos forums have apparently been purged. There's a lot to go over with more likely to break. Hit the links below to read Joystiq's coverage from early this morning. Check out Gerstmann's video review of Kane & Lynch after the break.Read - Rumor: GameSpot Editorial Director fired over Kane & Lynch reviewRead - Eidos and GameSpot forums exploding over Gerstmann incident
Eidos and Gamespot forums exploding over Gerstmann incident
Although Gamespot and publisher Eidos have not yet made public statements over what led to the firing of Gamespot's Editorial Director Jeff Gerstmann, the accusation of publisher pressure is exploding all over the companies' forums. Gamespot currently has numerous threads on the incident, with one thread in particular having thousands of posts. Eidos has taken a different approach, locking down all threads on their site after apparently purging derogatory posts from thousands of angry gamers reacting to the rumor yesterday night.More sources are now confirming that Gerstmann's firing was indeed over his Kane & Lynch review. The situation will likely continue to escalate among the gaming community until somebody either tells the truth or gives some reasonable spin to what's going on. At this point the reputations of Eidos, Gamespot and Gerstmann actually do hang in the balance within the industry. In the wake of Sony's stumbles attacking Kotaku, we just can't imagine that the Gamespot executives didn't expect this to explode as it has. Are they so out of touch? The simple fact of the matter is until someone talks, this isn't going away.
Rumor: Gamespot's editorial director fired over Kane & Lynch review
Update 2:45 PM EST: Gamespot has issued a massive Q&A addressing many outstanding issues surrounding the firing.Update: 11:50 AM EST Dec. 5, 2007: Check out Joystiq's analysis of the edits to Gerstmann's Kane & Lynch review. GameSpot editors comment on their Hot Spot podcast. Also: Tuesday and Wednesday updates from around the web.Update 10:00 PM EST: Gamespot has posted official notice of the firing on their website. Meanwhile, some editors at CNET have commented on the controversy in a podcast.Update - 11:20 AM EST Dec. 3, 2007: Further updates, and Gerstmann's exclusive comments to Joystiq.Update - 11:00AM EST Dec. 2, 2007: More updates from around the web.Update - 3:45PM EST: Ziff Davis employees rally for GerstmannUpdate - 9:00AM EST Dec. 1, 2007: The latest developments on the story.Update - 5:45PM EST: CNET has amended their earlier statement with Joystiq.Update - 3:20PM EST: We just noticed that Gerstmann's video review, previously accessible only through a direct link, has been removed from the site. Here's an alternate YouTube link.Update - 2:20PM EST: We got a response from CNET, GameSpot's parent company, that totally explains the whole thing away ... you see. Actually, they don't say much. Update - 12:52 AM EST: Penny Arcade, which helped popularize this story with their comic last night, has posted an accompanying commentary piece on the issue. The story they were told (by whom, we do not know) has Gamespot management angry at Gerstmann for long-standing problems with his reviewing "tone." The Kane & Lynch review, which allegedly caused Eidos to withdraw "hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of future advertising from the site," served as the straw that broke the camel's back. There's no named source for this information, but the piece does say that "the firm belief internally [is] that Jeff was sacrificed."Update - 11:00 AM EST: The anonymous source/speculation train rolls on. Rock Paper Shotgun has posted a story citing an unnamed "very reliable source" as saying that "while Gerstmann wasn't the most popular man with the CNET owners, it was his Kane & Lynch review alone that saw him lose his job." Meanwhile, a poster at Forumopolis who claims to be directly involved with the Kane & Lynch ad campaign says that the whole thing is just a matter of bad timing. "I sincerely doubt that Eidos made Gamespot fire him," the poster writes. "CNET doesn't kowtow to its advertisers, and I've more than once seen the higher-ups turn away big advertising dollars for the sake of the company's integrity." Make of this what you will.Update - 10:44 AM EST: Gamespot PR representative Leslie Van Every has responded to Joystiq's request for comment with ... a predictable 'no comment.' "It is CNET Networks' policy to never comment on individual employees--current or former--regarding their job status," Van Every told Joystiq. "This policy is in place out of respect for the individuals' privacy."Update - 7:12 AM EST: Jeff has confirmed his firing to us via e-mail, but says he's "not really able to comment on the specifics of my termination." He added that he's "looking forward to getting back out there and figuring out what's next." We're still digging.Update - 1:35 AM EST: The Kane and Lynch ads that blanketed Gamespot's front page are no longer being shown. Check out the picture above to see what the site looked at just an hour ago.Original Post:So before we get going, we should make it clear that this post is still just a rumor and many of the facts behind it are still up in the air. That being said, word around game journalism's virtual water cooler is that Gamespot Editorial Director Jeff Gerstmann has been fired because publisher Eidos was unhappy about his negative review of Kane & Lynch: Dead Men.What seems in little dispute, going by forum chatter as well as multiple published sources (referencing conversations with multiple CNet employees), is that Gerstmann has indeed been fired after over ten years working at the site. We were not immediately able to confirm the firing with Gamespot or Gerstmann directly, but an e-mail sent to his Gamespot address did get returned with a "permanent failure" error. Seems pretty serious to us ... (see 7:12 AM update above)
Age of Conan video all about scary monsters
GameSpot is hosting its sixth official Age of Conan video, which we've embedded here. This time, members of the Age of Conan team talk about the philosophies and motivations behind the designs of the various hostile monsters and NPCs of the game-world.The interview clips are interspersed with glimpses at the game's gorgeous graphics in motion. We're sure the graphics will go over well with XBox 360 players, but a case can and has been made that MMOs on the PC can benefit from low system requirements. On the other hand, AoC is not exactly aimed at your grandmother.So if you've got one of those computers so powerful it has to be submerged in 15 gallons of liquid nitrogen to prevent a planet-busting anti-matter explosion, then rest assured that the monsters shown in the video look awesome. [Via Warcry]
Gamestop sells demo disc as new game
A disgruntled NeoGAF poster bought what he thought was a new copy of Steambot Chronicles from Gamestop, only to find out later that the US retail chain actually sold him a demo disc for the game, with the "Demo: Not for Resale" watermark scribbled out in sharpie marker.This sort of thing is entirely possible thanks to Gamestop's policy of holding discs from new games behind the counter. The customer brings the empty case up front when purchasing, and the underpaid Gamestop employee finds the corresponding disc and puts it in its box. The major problem with this system becomes abundantly apparent with incidents like this: consumers have no real way of knowing if the disc they're being handed is the one that Gamestop employees originally yanked out of the packaging.The best advice we can offer is to double-check Gamestop purchases for scratches, scuffs, or sharpie scribblings before walking out of the store. Unfortunately, we doubt that Gamestop's policies are going to be changing anytime in the near future.[Via Gemaga]
Gamespot rips Fury with scathing review
Gamespot is one of the most professional & conservative gaming websites you can find -- which is why seeing them emerge to tear Fury to shreds in their review is so deliciously ironic.Fury is just one of a trio of MMO titles released last week; Tabula Rasa and Hellgate: London being the other two."True to its title, this fantasy action game will make you furious" is the opening headline. It just gets better (or worse, if you're a Fury fan) from there on in. Unless being a fat Speedy Gonzales addicted to amphetamines is a good thing. And still it goes on: there's too much text, there's not enough game modes, the "world instance setup" is contrived -- the game just sounds plain broke.I've been in two minds over whether to give Fury a try, but this convinces me to steer clear for now. Tabula Rasa and Hellgate: London must be hoping for a kinder reviews than the one doled out to Fury. Auran can't have enjoyed this one.
Gamespot changes review system, adds 'medals'
Gamespot editorial director Jeff Gerstmann has announced that next week the website will be changing its review system. Starting next week, the self-described formulaic score will be replaced with a 19-point scale -- "that's 1.0 to 10.0 with half-step [0.5] increments," he said. In the absence of sub-scores for graphics, sound, audio, etc., the reviews will also add a medal system to award games for specific merits such as graphics (artistic or technical). There are reportedly 60 medals currently planned, with room for later expansion.Gerstmann cited the evolution of the games industry as a reason for the new system. "The assumption [the previous system] makes is that graphics are just as important in a driving game as they are in a rhythm game. You shouldn't need me to tell you that they aren't," he said. Gerstmann also notes that the content of the review, unsurprisingly, is not going to change. The new system coincides with a Gamespaces redesign; a preview of the new look can be found here.By merit of being one of the two biggest video game websites around (the other being IGN), Gamespot has dealt with its fair share of criticism regarding its reviews. (Remember the backlash when they gave Twilight Princess a meager 8.8?) With this marked change in the site's eleven-year review system, we're hoping the website will use this opportunity to shift the grade scale bell curve to 5.0 instead of 7.0, giving their higher scores more of an impact.[Via Gamestooge]
Loco Roco's Tsutomu Kouno wants a world united (in games)
You may have missed this one. At the time of writing, less than 20 people have seen this seen this excellent video interview with Loco Roco's Tsutomu Kouno. It's a fairly lengthy feature, clocking in at over 9 minutes. However, it provides some excellent insight into game design. One of the key points Kouno focused on was the international gaming community, and the reluctance of Japanese gamers to try Western games, and vice versa. (Of course, the recent success of Grand Theft Auto in Japan suggests a changing attitude.)Be warned, though -- the interview can be a little too telling. I mean, did we really need to know his blood type? (Spoiler alert: it's A.) Download Video for PSPAccess m.pspfanboy.com from your PSP internet browser to download.
Gamespot oopsies about Katamari on XBLA
Gamespot has retracted all mention that Beautiful Katamari will release on Xbox Live Arcade and "regrets the error." Screw-up or cover-up? You decide. Gamespot now says that the game will be released as a "full retail package and not a download." Gamespot is typically on the ball, it's very out of character for them to just make a major statement like Beautiful Katamari would be on XBLA without reason.Beautiful Katamari has had a very odd public trip so far. First it popped up when Orange Lounge Radio discovered it in retail computers. Then Namco Bandai strong-armed the independent podcast to pull the story, but then the game also ended up on GameFly with a fall release. Then it was confirmed for all systems and finally became a possible Xbox 360 exclusive, which led to the XBLA announcement. Heck, we've still got another four months or so before the game comes out, what other things can be picked up in this beautiful katamari of crazy gaming news?
GameSpot's MotorStorm tournament finale today at 7:00 PM EST
Gamespot's MotorStorm tournament is wrapping up today, with the top 10 racers competing in one last competition of their off-road racing skills. The event is starting at 7:00 PM EST, with the top player pulling in $1,000 worth of prizes and a whole lotta geek cred. Personally, I'll be watching and taking notes. I need some help clearing those last tickets in MotorStorm - the AI is just plain evil!
GameStop reveals listing for new Syphon Filter
Is Syphon Filter returning to PSP? According to an updated GameStop release list, the answer is yes. Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow joins the newly revealed SOCOM: Tactical Strike and a US-release for Pursuit Force 2 in the retailer's latest update to their database. If Gamespot's investigating is to be believed, Logan's Shadow should hit PSP systems first -- September 4th. Afterwards, Pursuit Force 2 and Tactical Strike should release on September 25th and October 2nd, respectively.Retailers are notorious for revealing unannounced titles accidentally, giving this report a great deal of weight. With Syphon Filter joining the PSP lineup again later this year, it's clear that PSP owners are going to have a lot of games to play this fall.
Star Ocean remakes to feature extensive voice work
The newly unveiled Star Ocean remakes are getting a significant (and chatty) rehaul. According to GameSpot, these remakes will feature significant new content. Producer Yoshinori Yamagishi intends on making "the remake[s] to feel as though they're completely new games." According to the game's voice actors, they haven't been able to record dialog yet, because the scripts aren't finished yet -- tons of new scenarios and characters are being added to the game. For those interested, the Japanese vocal cast has been announced: Star Ocean: First Departure Ratix Farrence - Mamoru Miyano Milly Kiliet - Hitomi Nabatame Marvel Frozen - Houko Kuwashima Fear Mell - Megumi Toyoguchi Star Ocean: Second Evolution Claude C. Kenni - Daisuke Namikawa Rena Lanford - Nana Mizuki Dias Flac - Tomokazu Sugita Precis F. Neumann - Rie Kugimiya
Gamespot's Motorstorm Tournament Challenge sign ups now open
Are you the best Motorstorm player you know? Fancy a free trip to San Francisco with the chance of winning $1000? All you have to do is be one of the final four left standing in Gamespot's Motorstorm Tournament Challenge. The sign up sheet seems to be filling up pretty fast. There are only ten out of the eighty slots still available. Over the course of the tournament those eighty will turn into ten, who will be further whittled down to four. These lucky people will be whisked away to Gamespot HQ in San Francisco, where they will compete for the $1000 prize money live on Gamespot Tournament TV.A couple of stipulations apply. You must be a Gamespot paid subscriber and you must live in the US. I guess ideally you must be pretty good at Motorstorm, too. If you satisfy these conditions then what are you waiting for? Go ahead and sign up. Good luck!
