Assessing the damage at 1UP [update]

by Randy Nelson { Jan 6th 2009 at 9:05PM }

While Ziff-Davis CEO Jason Young's message to his company -- including current 1UP Network staff -- today, along with coordinated press releases regarding 1UP's sale to UGO, painted a picture of strength in (and growth of) the 1UP brand, we've begun to hear reports quite to the contrary. Several key members of the 1UP staff have announced their termination via Twitter messages and posts to the NeoGAF forums.

There's very little in the form of official word as to changes at 1UP at present, apart from Young's assertion that "more scale is necessary [for 1UP] to effectively compete in this market segment." Based on what we do know, the only scaling going on is in a backwards and downwards direction. Joystiq -- and many of our readers -- are great fans of the 1UP team's work, and care about what happens to these folks. We'll be keeping you posted after the break with the latest as it develops.

1UP products affected:

Based on Twitter and forum posts by (now former) 1UP staff, it appears all but certain that the 1UP Show video podcast and 1UP Yours audio podcast are no more.

Speaking to MTV Multiplayer, 1UP editorial director Sam Kennedy could not confirm changes to its products / programming. "Will we have as many shows as we have in the past? Probably not, but we have – we've had – a lot of ideas for future shows and we're pretty excited about what we'll do in the future," Kennedy told MTV. "Right now, we're going to go through the process of really figuring out what kind of shows and products we want to keep going in the future. Our intention is to keep as many going as we can."

1UP staff affected:

At present, the following 1UP staff have indicated -- either in tweets, forum posts, or directly to us -- that they have been let go: Andrew "Skip" Pfister, Matt Chandronait, Ryan O'Donnell, Jay Fresh, Cesar Quintero, Philip Kollar, Nick Suttner, Anthony Gallegos, Shane Bettenhausen, James "Milkman" Mielke.

[Update: Joystiq has obtained what is, according to our sources, the full list of 1UP / EGM staffers laid off in the wake of the ZD/UGO deal:]

Adrian Frieg
Amy Mishra
Amy Moran
Andrea Garcia
Andrew Fitch
Andrew "Skip" Pfister
Anthony Gallegos
Cesar Quintero
Christina Rosa
CoyLou Steel
Derek Chinn
Doug Parsons
Eric Ellis
Giancarlo Varanini
Greg Ford
James "Milkman" Mielke
Jason Bertrand
Jason Wilson
Jervilyn Jaramillo
Justin Frechette
Leslie Gelfand
Marci Yamaguchi
Matt Chandronait
May Tong
Meredith Stowe
Michael Donahoe
Monique Convertito
Ndubuisi Madu
Nick Suttner
Norris Boothe
Philip Kollar
Rey Serrano
Robert Bowen
Rosemary Pinkham
Ryan O'Donnell
Ryan Scott
Shane Bettenhausen
Simon Cox
Tammy Ross
Tipler Ubbelohde

Tags: 1up, 1upshow, layoffs, ugo

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)

oldballs @ Jan 6th 2009 8:43PM

OH NO.

Lonin @ Jan 6th 2009 9:20PM

More gone, unconfirmed though:

Justin Haywald
Michael Grimm
Greg Ford
Giancarlo Varanini
Michael Donahoe
Jason Wilson
Andrew Fitch

Brad @ Jan 6th 2009 11:38PM

Dang... I expected the sale, maybe even cutting back on some of the content. But it looks like the entire 1up staff is gone and UGO is just going to use the name.

I'm going to greatly miss the several hours of top quality podcasts each week the most. Hopefully a lot of them can continue lending their voices and opinions elsewhere.

Demaar @ Jan 7th 2009 12:24AM

Oh no is a God damned understatement. For God's sake. So many people that are just plain INTEGRAL to 1UP's existence. God damn. **** you UGO, **** you SO HARD.

BananaBoat @ Jan 7th 2009 4:28AM

It's obvious that they just wanted the name and the traffic at this point. I don't feel too bad for shane, milkman, etc who will probably be able to quickly find jobs at dev houses or publishers, but I feel really bad for jay fresh and company who probably won't have it so easy. Maybe they can go across town and host a video game show at revision 3?

I wonder if Garnett Lee got the axe. I haven't seen his name come up in any lists yet, and I'm starting to think that maybe a few 1up'ers were left on for the time being. We'll see soon, I guess.

Hashbrown Hunter @ Jan 7th 2009 7:00AM

If Garnett wasn't laid off I now he's gonna quit because we know that that man just may be the boldest out of all the 1up crew and he ALWAYS makes his opinions heard. He won't stand for this bullshit and if he does, then he's worse than UGO is at this point.

beckerist @ Jan 7th 2009 6:46PM

It's ZDTV all over again :(

MS @ Jan 7th 2009 9:40PM

http://tech-gaming.com/2009/01/07/an-open-letter-to-former-egm1up-staff---please-continue.aspx

Jack @ Jan 6th 2009 8:45PM

I follow a lot of employees on twitter. 1up show is gone, EGM (obviously) a lot of people who I really respected are out of work. It's too bad I really did love 1up.

David @ Jan 6th 2009 9:00PM

Stalker.

BxGT @ Jan 6th 2009 9:17PM

Shadow of Chernobyl

Hashbrown Hunter @ Jan 7th 2009 6:49AM

I hope that one day some 1UP Staffers will go the Giant Bomb route and create their own site and play by their own rules. And then fully dominate UGO's whorish ass.

Strategy_Panda (The Sandwich Poisoning Crew) @ Jan 6th 2009 8:45PM

well that would explain why they haven't posted new podcasts.

JoeTheBlow @ Jan 7th 2009 4:42AM

I just thought they were taking a well-earned New Years break off.
*cries* NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Finest gaming podcast ever, god damn this year is off to a shitty start already!

PersonOfSorts @ Jan 6th 2009 8:50PM

Sad Panda: confirmed.

Lonin @ Jan 6th 2009 8:52PM

Apparently there's some nasty shit going down, people aren't being let go in decent fashion.

The unofficial list so far (thanks to 1up boards):

Fired:
Andrew "Skip" Pfister
Matt Chandronait
Ryan O'Donnell
Jay Fresh
Cesar Quintero
Philip Kollar
Nick Suttner
Anthony Gallegos
Shane Bettenhausen!
James "Milkman" Mielke

10 + more to come!

Confirmed to be Staying:
Garnett Lee
Tina Sanchez
David Ellis
Matt Leone
Jeremy Parish
Sam Kennedy

Thatoneguy64 @ Jan 6th 2009 8:56PM

Didn't Tina just get her job this year?

I'm pretty sure she did. Then how come she stays and someone who's been there for almost a decade (Shane Bettenhausen) is leaving? Or any of the other people leaving who were there much longer than she has been.

I know she's community manager and all, but I'm sorry; anyone can do that goddamn job.

Brian B. @ Jan 6th 2009 9:00PM

@Thatoneguy64: first off don't be a jerk. It's not her fault other people lost their jobs. Secondly, as with a lot of situations like this the people with the most seniority are the first to go because they make the most money.

Jomolungma @ Jan 6th 2009 9:01PM

@ Thatoneguy64 - Coming from someone who has been laid off twice, namely me, a lot of times the senior-most go first because of salary and "conflicting personalities" that new management would rather get out of the way (less friction). My guess is that Shane was making a lot of money for that industry, and nobody can doubt he's a strong personality, so he's actually kinda right in the sweet spot to get laid off.

They usually don't lay off junior folks making no money, and they don't lay off people who actually have management responsibilities because, hey, who's gonna control this mess? So Shane and others are the odd ones out, very, very sadly.

Lonin @ Jan 6th 2009 9:04PM

More, Ryan Scott appears to have been let go. Also, all podcasts are finished.

Thatoneguy64 @ Jan 6th 2009 9:11PM

Sorry, I did really come off as a jerk. It's just, I'm quite upset that this could be happening. The 1UP Network had a name and a voice behind it with many strong writers and personalities.

They seem to be getting rid of a lot of those names and personalities I had associated 1UP with. It's not Tina's fault, and I should not have phrased it in a way that went against her like that.

Most of all, I'm a guy who actually wants to go into games journalism in the future (currently a Senior in High School), so news like this is extra upsetting to me as it just kind of gives a bad foreshadowing of what kind of job future I might have coming out of college

MarkHawk @ Jan 6th 2009 9:35PM

I have to agree, this is really bad news. I listen to 1up FM every Tuesday while story boarding at work. I started listening to everything 1up did after learning Joystiq was such a huge fan of them.

It's not that I don't like Tina, it was just that I hated every question on the podcasts were for her and rarely related to gaming.

Regardless, this sucks. Im hoping they form a new site. I hope I can be part of it. I'd love to help. (Visual Effects and Motion Graphics artist here 1up :D)

why not the LS2LS7? @ Jan 6th 2009 9:40PM

I like Tina. But I also thought the questions were stupid and I cannot comprehend why they kept her and ditched all those others.

Shoeboy @ Jan 7th 2009 9:42AM

Probably did this because they figure all the old timers will leave anyway. Must mean the new management sucks big time.

jackbauer @ Jan 6th 2009 8:54PM

wow, i havent been this sad since g4 took over techtv

Biggie @ Jan 6th 2009 10:37PM

Just as techtv was starting to get good... :(

DiRT @ Jan 6th 2009 11:55PM

You just made me tear up a little...

Cash @ Jan 7th 2009 7:10AM

I miss fresh gear and call for help. The screen savers was good too, but I learned more from CFH.

Woif @ Jan 7th 2009 8:52AM

I havent thought about that in a while :/ So thats 2 awesome things gone thanks to this stupid stuff. Tech TV and 1up(I just really had read EGM Personally)

silverwolf761 @ Jan 7th 2009 9:28AM

+1 for you, good sir.

The Screensavers was my absolute favourite show. So many memories of things going horribly horribly wrong (and it was all broadcast since it was live). It was quite possibly the most unintentionally hilarious show ever. I still miss TechTV dearly... :(

PS: Fuck you Kevin Pereira (or however you spell that douchebag's name)

aziraphale @ Jan 6th 2009 8:56PM

Fuckity fuck fuck fuck

copa @ Jan 6th 2009 9:37PM

These motherfuckers even took out Simon Cox? They don't screw around, they aim for the head.

Jomolungma @ Jan 6th 2009 8:57PM

Never thought I'd get teared up over something like this, but it has really hit me in a visceral way. It kinda feels like an important piece of my identity is being slowly eaten away. Pretty soon there won't be any games magazines. And then there will be fewer and fewer Web sites and podcasts. And eventually the whole damn industry will be marginalized the way so many politicos, etc., want it to be. It'll be reduced to the level of extreme sports - something that the kids are into, a chance for sponsors to make a quick buck, but not meant for "serious" attention. Man I hope it never happens, but the damn tea leaves keep piling up!

Paragon @ Jan 6th 2009 11:07PM

man i really relate to that comment. I mean 1up isn't totally gone, but a large number of staffers that I can truly relate to are. And really it's the people, not the brand, that make publishing(print AND online) so strong. 1up helped me build an identity as a gamer. Before i was really ashamed to say something like that because i saw a majority of the games industry was a childish and even almost chauvinistic mess. 1up wasn't that, because they had (and I hope for the love of god they still have) great intellegent comments on this wonderful hobby of ours.

this is a sad, sad day for the gaming cummunity.

Brett from Atlanta @ Jan 6th 2009 9:03PM

Here's to hoping that these guys find their way to their own site, kinda like the giant bomb guys and still have an impact in the industry. I'm really gonna miss the 1up yours podcast :(

Brian B. @ Jan 6th 2009 9:05PM

Agree. I'm really going to miss Yours. Pretty bummed about this.

giantenemycrab @ Jan 6th 2009 9:37PM

Good idea. Hopefully Jeff Gerstmann over at Giant Bomb jumps on this opportunity. They could use some of these guys to seriously improve their site and podcast.

Pabsi9 @ Jan 6th 2009 9:10PM

Wow no more LAN Party, 1up Yours, 1 up FM...man no more Chuf or Bobby Vitto...wow sad day today and sucks how everyone was happy moving forward and than this...wow UGO you sure know how to suck!!

richie579 @ Jan 6th 2009 9:05PM

Aww man this sucks....it'd be cool if these cats could get with the giant bomb dudes...it'd be the ultimate gamer network of podcasts and such.

Brett from Atlanta @ Jan 6th 2009 9:12PM

That would be cool. It was great listening to the holiday editions of 1up your and hearing all the giant bomb guys and the yours guys together. I'll keep my fingers crossed. Even if they dont though, they need to form some sort new website. A lot of the guys let go were some of the best games journalists in the industry and it would be a shame to see them fade into existence or get swallowed up by the development side of the games industry and never heard from again. These guys need to keep making their voice a prominent one in the games journalism industry.

copa @ Jan 6th 2009 9:35PM

It will be a very, very good year if Giant Bomb makes it through with the current staff intact. This is not an environment where they will be growing a startup site like Giant Bomb.

I always though I would be elated the day that Shane Bettenhausen got thrown out. Now it happens, and it sucks. I'm sorry, and good luck, Shane.

Moorio - XBL: peacebyanymeans @ Jan 7th 2009 1:01AM

From what it sounds like by his blog post, Shane wasn't fired, but then quit.

http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=8977573&publicUserId=1002415

It says he was already planning to leave to do other things, but even so, I give him major props for that.

Uncontrol @ Jan 6th 2009 9:05PM

ugogate

CharleyTony @ Jan 6th 2009 9:05PM

any speculation about where the people 1up fired will end up ?
is this the end of big gaming websites that can stand up against big advertisers/game makers ?
this kinda feels like what happened at gamespot, even if the circonstances are quite different.
At least we ended up with a great website afterwards (Giantbomb.com) this might also be the case...

Justin McElroy @ Jan 6th 2009 9:08PM

It's early for that Charley. Some of the people on that list I know personally didn't know about their fate literally two hours ago.

MarkHawk @ Jan 6th 2009 9:42PM

Hey Justin,

If you do hear anything about future plans I'd love to help. Even if it's just to help them get something rolling. I really did use 3 of there shows to get me through my week. If you can pass this information onto who ever you think could use it. I'm an artist not a journalist

MarksVFX@gmail.com
http://marksvfx.com/reel.php