GameSpot addresses Gerstmann-gate concerns in depth
by Kyle Orland 
{ Dec 5th 2007 at 2:45PM }
Update: Gamespot's Tor Thorsen weighs in with his personal commentary on writing the story: "I know many of you out there are going to see this as the latest in a series of attempts at damage control. Guess what? You're right. It is damage control, because--let's face it--GameSpot has taken a beating over the past week. However, just because it's damage control doesn't mean we're being disingenuous or misleading."Original Story:
After nearly a week of non-stop rumor, speculation and discussion fueled by insufficient comment from all parties involved, GameSpot has finally opened up and answered many outstanding questions surrounding the Gerstmann firing controversy. Tor Thorsen's recently posted On the Spot Q&A contains official comment on numerous matters that GameSpot was unwilling or unable to address before. Among the important new information revealed in the piece:
- Gerstmann's firing followed " an internal review process" by management.
- Eidos did express displeasure with Gerstmann's Kane & Lynch review, though GameSpot is adamant that this displeasure did not cause the review to be edited, the video review to be pulled, or Gerstmann himself to be fired.
- On why the text review was edited: "The copy was adjusted several days following its publication so that it better meshed with its score, which remained unchanged." (Is this fair? Read the edits and judge for yourself).
- The Kane & Lynch video review was taken down because the "audio was deemed inferior due to a faulty microphone. There were also concerns about the limited amount of footage that was unrepresentative of the game in the review." It was not put back up immediately because the busy holiday release schedule left "insufficient resources to reshoot and re-edit the video review." The version that was reposted recently is identical to the original and was put up "in the spirit of full disclosure."
- Eidos' Kane & Lynch ad buy was made weeks before the firing decision or the review were made. The prominent front page "skinning" of the site was automatically removed at midnight on Nov. 29, when the ad buy was previously scheduled to run out.
- Tim Tracy's departure was "completely unrelated."
- The company is coming up with this information now because of the "widespread misinformation that has spread following Jeff's departure."
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Klepto @ Dec 5th 2007 2:47PM
Bullshit.
ToonPac @ Dec 5th 2007 3:32PM
So that's what the smell was?
Obie @ Dec 5th 2007 4:39PM
"The Kane & Lynch video review was taken down because the "audio was deemed inferior due to a faulty microphone."
Bullshit, I have the video review right here and the audio was fine.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=aBD0cUeeEQc
Thats it Gamespot, no podcast, out of my bookmarks...dont let the door hit you on the way out.
pixel @ Dec 6th 2007 2:19AM
Sounds like bullshit to me too. And I managed to get my 10 year plus account banned in gamespot, boycott that shit.
Korova @ Dec 5th 2007 5:57PM
Ok, there is some good stuff in there
BUT!
Microphone issues! I can come up with better bullshit without even knowing what really happened.
BUT!
At least they put the review back up. That's speaks more than their bullshit words.
Good job, Spot! A little, a bit late. But better.
captain underpants and the bringdown gang @ Dec 6th 2007 6:00PM
I believe what you sir, are smelling is the scent of someones pants on fire, after which they are appearntly put upon a telephone wire.
captain underpants and the bringdown gang @ Dec 6th 2007 6:13PM
acutally what your semlling is the scent of someones pants that are on fire, appearntly that is a punishment for being a consistent liar, after the flaming pants of course comes the hanging of the said articles of clothing upon a telephone wire.
Todd @ Dec 6th 2007 9:48PM
I agree.
Cyxodus @ Dec 5th 2007 3:26PM
I don't buy it.
x876543 @ Dec 5th 2007 2:51PM
I still think the PA comic best describes what really happened.
WiNG @ Dec 5th 2007 2:52PM
Okay Internet gaming community.
Let's own up, if this is true, then half, but not all, of the shitstorm is unwarranted.
BUT!
The real mistake GS made was waiting a week to address it. In the meantime I wonder
-how many subscribers did they lose?
-how long it will take to clean up the clusterfuck user reviews of K&L?
-how many other advertisers jumped ship?
-how many employees jumped or thought about jumping ship at GS?
-how this has affected CNet as a whole?
Assuming all this is true, it would have saved them thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars, to release this information last week.
Kyrra @ Dec 5th 2007 3:45PM
A big company like that can't just jump out with a reply. They need to clear things with the legal department and make sure the statements they make are well thought out. It could have been done it a faster manner but I'm thinking there are a few reasons why it wasn't'
-Gamespot thought it was going to blow over.
-Too many people were on vacation.
-They suck and are lying.
It's really hard to say what the truth is without being in management of the company. I'll suspect we won't know for sure, but we can sure speculate.
Sam @ Dec 5th 2007 2:54PM
My question (one I'm emailing to GS, BTW):
If the score of KL didn't reflect the review, instead of modifying the review to fit the score, why wouldn't you modify the score to fit the review?
PaulM @ Dec 5th 2007 4:19PM
Do you honestly think that would have made things better? Please don't try to suggest so. IMO, changing the score would have been even worse. The only thing they SHOULD have done, is leave the review alone and not take down the video one... whether they are guilty of this crime or not.
Courtney @ Dec 5th 2007 5:51PM
@PaulM - I believe Sam's point was the silliness of their justification. Why change one instead of the other, as the logic runs both ways?
alhogar @ Dec 5th 2007 2:55PM
>The Kane & Lynch video review was taken down because the "audio was deemed inferior due to a faulty microphone. There were also concerns about the limited amount of footage that was unrepresentative of the game in the review." It was not put back up immediately because the busy holiday release schedule left "insufficient resources to reshoot and re-edit the video review."
What a stinking pile of horseshit.
eugene @ Dec 5th 2007 3:01PM
no kidding. I've watched plenty of cnet videos that had crap sound or other flubs that weren't taken down.
I'm sorry, but if gamestop/cnet expects us to believe that ALL these things were just a coincidence... that they were all indepently unrelated but all happened at the same time then they must figure us for bigger fools than I thought.
ColossalHat @ Dec 5th 2007 3:57PM
"insufficient resources to reshoot and re-edit the video review."
Yes, I suppose having fired the person who did the video review would result in "insufficient resources."
Surreal @ Dec 5th 2007 2:58PM
Check out the blog entry of the author of the article on the process of writing that article:
http://www.gamespot.com/users/thorsen-ink/show_blog_entry.php?topic_id=m-100-25240368
Fox318 @ Dec 5th 2007 3:14PM
Here is the article so no body gives gamespot a hit(their alexa rating is going up because of the fiasco).
"Hey All,
GS Newsman Tor Thorsen here for a quick personal aside about the past couple days. As I'm sure most of you know, it's been a long week at GameSpot. I haven't been this tired since E3 2006. However, after days of effort and frustration, we've finally been given the go-ahead to post a FAQ about Jeff Gerstmann's termination from GameSpot, which nobody here is happy about.
Despite feeling subjective personally, I took it upon myself to write the story as I would write any other news story--as objectively as I could with the facts I've been given by my bosses at GameSpot and CNET. Anyone who's worked for the corporate world know it's very rare for a company to make their inner HR workings transparent following a firing. We've convinced our higher-ups to let us do that in this one instance as best we can, just to explain to you guys how this "perfect storm" was unleashed into the information void. I went to the ad sales dept and got the schedule, I talked to the GSlive guys, I talked to the bosses, and just laid it all out in that news piece in as "newsy" a manner as I could. Here it is:
http://www.gamespot.com/news/6183666.html
I know many of you out there are going to see this as the latest in a series of attempts at damage control. Guess what? You're right. It is damage control, because--let's face it--GameSpot has taken a beating over the past week. However, just because it's damage control doesn't mean we're being disingenuous or misleading.
Though silence following dismissals is par for the course in the corporate world, it's by-now obvious that the standard PR approach to Jeff's dismissal backfired. It was totally ill-suited to the gaming community and was timed to be in the middle of an site-wide advertising campaign many took as a smoking gun. We're addressing that unfortunate series of events in the article and on this week's HotSpot and On the Spot in the most straightforward manner we can.
Here we have a series of coinciding events revolving around one event--a game shipping. Since Kane & Lynch was released on November 13, its text review and video review went up right around then, and Eidos was publishing ads right around then. There's a perfectly rational explanation for all those going up at the same time. And given the crush of games coming out in the two weeks before Thanksgiving, it's easy to see why nobody had time to redo the K&L video review before the turky binges began.
So why was Jeff fired when he was fired? Honestly, the editorial rank and file don't know the official reason. (Though we do know it couldn't have been more badly timed.) All the information given to us is in the story above--we don't know any more, and neither management nor Jeff can talk about it for legal reasons as well. That's the way big companies work. And if you think CNET is big, remember two of our biggest competitors are owned by NewsCorp and TimeWarner. That's big.
What we editors do know for a rock-solid hard fact is that, to a man, we miss Jeff. He is amongst the funniest, craziest people I've ever met, and he's forgotten more about games than I'll ever know. I consider him a good friend and a fallen comrade.
We also know that, if anything, this whole mess will make us even more resistant to any kind of advertiser pressure, even though we've never, ever buckled to it in the past. Now, we've have opened up our books to you, the readers, as much as we possibly can about the sad chapter that is so-called "Gerstmanngate." We hope a lot of you will believe us, stick around, and keep reading.
Cheers _ TOR "
Surreal @ Dec 5th 2007 3:47PM
Weird! The author of the article was changed from Tor Thorsen to Staff!
I guess that was probably because clicking on "Tor Thorsen" was bringing you to the honest blog post I was mentioning. What the hell is GS doing?
Surreal @ Dec 5th 2007 7:31PM
Tor Thorsen had to change the author from his name to Staff because of a huge amount of hate mail.
Shockgamer @ Dec 5th 2007 2:59PM
"Please love us again!"
Louis @ Dec 5th 2007 2:59PM
This explains things...a week late.
I would have fired Gerstmann a long time ago just because I didn't like the guy.
If the firing and the ad are unrelated, Gamespot just learned a tough lesson.
Jim Halpert DM @ Dec 5th 2007 3:00PM
That is a hell of a lot of stuff happening at the same time for none of it to be related. I call shenanigans!
Sihylm @ Dec 5th 2007 4:51PM
Everybody grab a broom!
tc @ Dec 5th 2007 6:19PM
hahaha, i can't believe no one else called shenanigans on GS yet. This truly is the beginning of the end!
colin @ Dec 5th 2007 6:34PM
Hey Halpert, what's the name of that restaurant you like with all the goofy shit on the wall and the mozzarella sticks?
Axis @ Dec 5th 2007 8:40PM
"I swear to god I'm going to pistol whip the next person who says shenanigans"
toLkKi @ Dec 5th 2007 3:02PM
"The Kane & Lynch video review was taken down because the "audio was deemed inferior due to a faulty microphone."
Oh come the fuck on gamespot, you can come up with better lies than this.
It's like a 8th grader thought it all out in 3 minutes.
tmacairjordan87 @ Dec 5th 2007 3:03PM
this is bullshit if i've ever seen it.
So i'm supposed to believe all of that stuff just happened to occur at the same time he was fired, and rudely so (was given no notice, his shit was just laying outside his office and he was escorted out). Meanwhile for a week after the firestorm started they continuously say no comment until now, why? so they could have time to come up with this garbage.
honestly gamespot you say nothing for a week and this is the best you could come up with? you need some stronger air filters to cover up the smell of that bullshit.
iRobot @ Dec 6th 2007 7:38PM
Wait, wait, wait. Are you seriously telling me that joke in Penny Arcade is TRUE. So, Jeff was given NO notice about his termination, and was escorted out of the building with his shit in a box? OMG!!! It's so f**king obvious what happened?
One of the top clowns at "Edios" or "IO", called the Brand-NEW Gamespot CEO Stephen Colvin for a "Favor" (an Old-Boy, back scratching).
Colvin -- We'll be take Gamespot in a "NEW direction", and get rid of all this "Geek Routine". We want to step-towards a more "hip kid look", and the Kane & Lynch game is perfect vehicle use, with a non-stop ad-campain. So, we'll make sure the game get's a "GOOD" review."
And since Gerstmann already had a history of gruff, aggressive behavior towards the NEW management, and direction the site was taking. Refused to change his reviews or his tactics in reviewing future games.
Colvin -- "What? Who does this guy think he is? I'm the CEO, so Gerstmann is gone. Bring him up here, and than show him the door."
It's not that fact that you fired Jeff, it's the way it happened, and the smell behind it all. I'm absolutely sure that exec-Colvin has fired many people at many magazine companies the same way, the only difference THIS TIME he didn't count on just HOW popular Jeff Gerstmann is with the online community. Now Colvin totally screwed himself, because his actions have come back to bit him in the ass.
Nobody told Colvin, that Blog sites and Magazines are 2 different things. Just because you're successful at one doesn't mean, you'll be successful again -- unless you're willing to change with the times -- which is clear, he's not.
//Rant over
eugene @ Dec 5th 2007 3:03PM
stuff like that used to happen to me all the time when I was a teenager...
"But dad, the fact that i wasn't in the house last night, that the car was missing and that now I have a speeding ticket are COMPLETELY unrelated... you weren't there, how could you know?"
Mort @ Dec 5th 2007 3:04PM
The inferior mic bit was a bit much to swallow. Also, which "California State Law" are they referring to? I got asked that on another site and am curious now myself. Since it seems a lot of states have similar laws that businesses quote when they fire people, including myself.
The holiday interfering thing I can buy, there was a storm on Eidos' site on the release week due to extremely buggy and crashy play. Their admins asked us to be patient as most of the dev staff is gone for the holidays.
Automatic take-down of the skin possible. Webcomics use it all the time to update their comics.
I have more and more doubts as time goes on. But if it is true or false, I will be eating humble pie. So in that case... could someone find me some and I will gladly eat it?
cxm @ Dec 5th 2007 3:27PM
There's a statue in the books that prevents a company from disclosing any details about a person's termination to protect the privacy of the person being fired. The company can only release that information to specific parties (like the unemployment agency that decides if you qualify). This isn't a case of GS refusing to disclose information because they have something to hide (which may or may not be the case). They, legally, can't, which sucks for them if that info could prove the firing was on the up and up...
Then again, considering the rabid interweb denizens who've cropped up since this thing happened, anything they released would be labeled as BS, regardless of it's veracity. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
Mort @ Dec 5th 2007 3:38PM
@cxm
I kinda figured that much, I was more wondering what specific law (i.e. name / number) so I can state specifically "This one." In the past I have been quoted the same thing in numerous states I have been employed in. Usually when another company calls for a reference all you can say is "I would / wouldn't hire them again." and not much else.
xFenixKnightx @ Dec 5th 2007 3:06PM
THIS is getting rediculous, and Im really pretty much tired of it already.
Fox318 @ Dec 5th 2007 3:08PM
I'm still not buying this and no one else should either.
Gamespot keeps on contradicting itself.
Lets look at their points:
What he was fired for: Internal Review??? Bullshit
"Eidos did express displeasure with Gerstmann's Kane & Lynch review, though GameSpot is adamant that this displeasure did not cause the review to be edited, the video review to be pulled, or Gerstmann himself to be fired."
Quality of Video Review??? Bullshit! I can hear it just fine. I don't hear any problems. I know an insider apperny comment that it was because of this but I just don't hear any problems. Maybe an Audiophile can answer this one. It still should not have been removed. Just keep the original, edit a copy, and then replace it. It doesn't take a Rocket Scientist to figure this out.
Edios Ad:
Yeah it was made weeks before, and the threats were made later, and a man was locked out of his office for it.
Tim Tracy's departure was "completely unrelated.":
And so was every other report that came out of gamespot. I guess the editors who said leave gamespot and don't give them your money was a completely unrelated incident as well. thumbs up for Tim Tracy for sticking it to the fuckers at Gamespot.
"widespread misinformation that has spread following Jeff's departure."
Sounds like a summary of the Gamespot article. Maybe Gamespot should rename the title :
"HEY GUYZ DON"T BELIVE ANYONE BUT US!!!!!! PLEASE COME BACK!!! PLEASE..."
Face it Gamespot. You got caught red handed. So do us all a favor and get the FUCK out of the gaming industry.
dragkhan @ Dec 5th 2007 3:11PM
I'm slowly thinking www.joystiq.com should be www.GerstStiq.com
Any real game news today?
Nigeria @ Dec 5th 2007 3:11PM
Are the internet people still boycotting Gamespot?
Has internet traffic fallen for the site or are the internet people just a loud minority.
Fox318 @ Dec 5th 2007 3:15PM
Internet traffic has gone up..but Gamespot has lost thousands of dollars from lost subsciptions. (I'm sure people are using adblock though)
gonk @ Dec 5th 2007 3:11PM
RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE
Fox318 @ Dec 5th 2007 3:55PM
DURKA DURKA ALA DURK
Brandon @ Dec 5th 2007 3:14PM
Internal Review results were that this Jeff guy wasn't a team player and couldn't be nicer to our friends with big pockets. The rest of his team really looks up to him. Easy way to fix that. Boom.
N'Gai sheds light for those curious.
http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/levelup/
mandarin @ Dec 5th 2007 3:26PM
No one is going to believe this:
"..was taken down because the "audio was deemed inferior due to a faulty microphone."
Gamespot is done for.
John @ Dec 5th 2007 3:22PM
They are so full of shit. Gamespot are a bunch of assholes.
Organic_Shadow @ Dec 5th 2007 3:17PM
They could of spared us the reading with ONE bullet point: 'pure coincidence'
Uh huh.....right.
Wickedneoq @ Dec 5th 2007 3:21PM
Unfortunately for GameSpot, Gerstmann is who I'd go to that website to see, and maybe Navarro. Now, it's irrelevant to go there. It's just too bad they're tied into Gamefaqs.com as well. Hopefully Ziff Davis or Future opens their budget to a very qualified writer.
As a side note, does anyone know if Jeff changed his gamertag?
craig @ Dec 5th 2007 3:21PM
gamespot, you didn't have me at hello.
goodbye!
gonk @ Dec 5th 2007 3:29PM
are you the guy with that list?