CBS will pay $1.8 billion in cash to become the proud parent of CNet and its spawn GameSpot in a deal that's expected to close in the third quarter pending shareholder and regulatory approval. The acquisition values the company at $11.50 per share, a 45% premium over CNet's closing stock price on Wednesday, reports the Associated Press. Sheesh! Well, CBS, you've just been robbed "welcome to the internets" ... but as The Washington Post puts it, you've certainly got your work cut out for you not to become known as "CNet Buy Sunk."

We've all suffered an injury or two at the hands of a hermetically-sealed package containing a shiny new controller or other accessory, but did you know that 6,500 people visited the emergency room with a plastic packaging-related injury in 2004? That's not all -- these "clamshell" packages are often made of environmentally-unsound non-recycled plastics (which are increasingly expensive to produce due to rising petroleum costs), and are the largest contributer to various worldwide terrorist organizations?

Okay, that last part was a lie, but there are plenty of reasons to dislike this hand-lacerating form of consumer packaging -- luckily, a recent CNET article revealed that some experts in the packaging industry think that clamshell usage may be on its way out, for the reasons listed above. Retailers still prefer the shoplifter-deterring containers, but consumer frustration and cheaper alternatives may signal the end of the mollusk-inspired packages in the coming years. Our gnarled, decrepit hands are very relieved.

[Via Kotaku]

It's fair to say that the controversial firing of Jeff Gerstmann was a contributing factor to Ryan Davis' recent decision to leave Gamespot. But it was far from the only factor.

"Jeff's firing just destroyed me, and I think it shed a light on the other stuff that I had been kind of rolling along with," Davis told Joystiq in an exclusive interview.

For Davis, who had worked for the popular site since 2000, the daily grind of working at such a large site was beginning to take its toll. "It's just that I had been at the job for a long time, and a lot of the stuff that made the job fun for me has dissipated," he said. "Sometimes you don't love the job, but you make your way through it by focusing on the good stuff. Gamespot is also a huge site, and an organization of that magnitude comes with a fair amount of bureaucracy, and everyone ultimately ends up spending a fair amount of time doing stuff other than producing the content."

Joystiq has confirmed with longtime Gamespot staffer Alex Navarro that he will be resigning his position at the CNET gaming site in response to the controversial firing of editorial director Jeff Gerstmann.

"I felt like it was just time for me to go," Navarro told Joystiq in an exclusive interview. " Certainly [the decision to leave] had a lot to do with the whole Jeff [Gerstmann] situation. ... I wouldn't have left if this situation hadn't gone down the way it did. ... Sometimes you just realize a place isn't for you anymore, you know?"

Navarro has been a mainstay on the site since early 2003, writing hundreds of reviews and appearing regularly on video podcast The Hotspot. His last day at the site will be Jan. 24.

Nyko's wireless nunchuk peripheral was awarded CNET's best in gaming at CES this year. The wireless nunchuk "connects" through a dongle attached to the bottom of the Wiimote (seen above) and runs off two AAA batteries which allegedly provide 30 hours of use; the cost is $30 and should be out by late January or early February.

Nyko actually introduced many new peripherals at this year's CES. Coincidentally this would be the second year in a row that Nyko introduced a relatively useful product for the Wii, last year they came through with the Wiimote charge station which we're told has sold very well. Of course, not every Nyko product has to be reasonable, the Wii Party station is still one of the most atrociously awesome things we saw in the past year.

Media company CNET Networks, whose various websites including Gamespot, GameFAQs and Metacritic, looks to be in the midst of a takeover. A group of investors, led by Jana Partners LLC and claiming a collective 21.3 percent stake in the company, are currently trying to use their leverage to nominate seven new directors, according to Bloomberg. (Note: This incident is unrelated to the recent Gerstmann-gate fiasco.)

Said former Ask Jeeves Inc. executive Paul Gardi, who stands to be one of those new directors, "With better board oversight, the right team could do great things with this brand ... We see huge opportunity in the strength of CNET's content." The contention is that the media company's shares have underperformed due to mismanagement of their resources.

CNET CEO Neil Ashe said that the company welcomes suggestions from its stockholders but noted Jana's proposed shuffle was "improper" and not possible with the company bylaws. The latter argument prompted Jana to file a lawsuit in Delaware (home of CNET) claiming the bylaws were illegal in the state.

While the major developments over last month's Gerstmann-gate fracas kind of petered out in the midst of vehement official denials, the reverberations are still being felt around Gamespot. Frank Provo, a freelancer and major contributor to the site for nearly eight years, recently announced he would no longer be contributing to the site.

Provo made no bones about the reason for his departure. "I believe CNet management let Jeff go for all the wrong reasons," he wrote. "I believe CNet intends to soften the site's tone and push for higher scores to make advertisers happy." And Provo is in a position to know, according to an earlier post on his LiveJournal. "All the proof I need is in the way the staff reacted to Jeff's dismissal and to what went on in the closed door meeting that took place on November 30th," he said. "Any staffer that continues to work there once this fervor dies down does so with the fear that, one day, management will ask them to soften up their tone and scores... and they will either have to swallow their integrity and abide, or risk taking a stand and being let go," he added back in December.

All that remains to be seen now is whether Provo's will be alone in his action or whether others will follow his lead and depart what Provo calls "the ultimate soul-crushing work environment."

[Via GameDaily]

After over a week of trickling news, a flood of anonymous sources and a torrential downpour of speculation, it seems the controversy surrounding former GameSpot editor Jeff Gerstmann's unceremonious firing is finally coming to a cool. This week's GameDaily Media Coverage feature takes a look back on the events and ramifications of Gerstmann-gate, written by Joystiq's own Kyle Orland (who, as you may have noticed, extensively covered the situation for us).

Though the final word is that GameSpot did not bow to advertiser pressure, even if true, a plethora of circumstances gave the illusion of malfeasance, ultimately damaging the website's credibility for those who paid attention to the week's events. The issue does bring up a good question: is the illusion of keeping advertising separate from editorial just as important, if not more so, than its reality?

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."

While the full Q&A still won't directly address the specific reasons for Gerstmann's departure (citing "accordance with California State Law"), it does sufficiently explain almost all the outstanding issues surrounding the matter and should do a lot to quiet this controversy. Whether or not it actually will depends largely on whether readers can accept these explanations after six days of effective "no comments" left the rumor mill to grind out of control.

Editor's note: This post has been edited to point out the latest updates from around the web on the controversial firing of Gamespot editorial director Jeff Gerstmann (Further note: the post hasn't really been edited -- we just thought that would make a funny intro.)

• If you missed it, check out Joystiq's analysis of the edits to Gerstmann's Kane & Lynch review.
• Gamespot staffers have further addressed the controversy on the site's Hot Spot podcast.
• After being taken down on Friday, Gerstmann's Kane & Lynch video review is back up on the Gamespot this morning. The reasons behind this move and the initial removal are still unclear. UPDATE: On the Hot Spot podcast mentioned above, Ryan MacDonald said that the review was taken down not because of pressure from advertisers but because "the quality was not what [they] do."
• 1UP digs up another potential wrinkle to the story: "Our sources indicated CNET management had been dealing with a series of advertising vs. editorial issues on GameSpot -- Sony Computer Entertainment America came down on the site for scoring Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction a 7.5 just a few weeks prior to the Kane & Lynch incident -- and the Eidos Interactive situation was where they finally drew the line.
• Kotaku hears rumors that there may be "mass resignations" at Gamespot over the whole incident: "Our credibility is in ruins," says anonymous source.
  
• Also from Kotaku, the misleading "five star" review graphic on the Kane & Lynch site has been removed.
• MTV's Stephen Totilo talked to Gerstmann about editorial standards in the game press: "As for the future of game journalism, you asked if it's realistic for readers to expect a church and state separation between editorial and sales. Realistic or not, I think readers should demand that from a publication."
• Newsweek's N'gai Croal uses the Gerstmann controversy as a jumping off point to talk about the symbiotic/parasitic relationship between game publishers and the game press: "One would have to be naïve or foolish not to understand that there has always been a mutually beneficial relationship between journalists who cover consumer products or entertainment and the manufacturers or publishers of the goods in question."
• The controversy was mentioned briefly during Tuesday's edition of The Kojo Nnamdi Show on Washington D.C.'s NPR affiliate, WAMU (discussion begins around 44:50): "Apparently [there's] no firewall there between editorial and advertising. ... It certainly looks and smells fishy."
• Gamespot Associate Editor Kevin VanOrd, on losing a colleague: "It is confusing, upsetting, and hurtful. In the blink of an eye, my mentor no longer sits 50 feet from me. When I need advice and encouragement and shielding, my greatest advocate is no longer there to offer that kind of support."
• Sarcastic Gamer isn't feeling too sorry for Gerstmann: "Getting fired was the BEST thing to ever happen to the man. He has become an instant internet celeb, without the taking the sleazy amateur video route, and can basically cash his own ticket anywhere he chooses."
• Organizer Drew Watson talks to Audiogame about the in-person protests being planned for the CNET offices this weekend.

[Thanks again to all the tipsters sending in links. Keep 'em coming]

Remember this? You were supposed to be waiting up for this right now. At least you get to keep some extra money for the already-massive lineup of AAA titles this season. And there's always this, too. (Caution: link NSFW) Check out the (many) highlights for this (rather exhausting) weekend:

Gerstmann-Gate
Latest developments in "Gerstmann-gate"
Rumorang: Gerstmann-gate edition
Ziff Davis staff holds impromptu GameSpot rally
Gerstmann-gate: Sunday morning update
Exclusive: Gertsmann speaks about K&L review, future
Blackout Monday: virtual boycott targets GameSpot, CNET sites
Gerstmann-gate: Blackout Monday update
CNET podcast hosts comment on Gerstmann controversy
GameSpot posts official Gerstmann firing notice

Acti-Blizzard
Activision and Blizzard parent merge in $18 billion deal
Blizzard wants you to know that merger won't affect their games
GameSetWatch analyzes Activision/Vivendi merger
The Activision Blizzard conference call
Activision stock way up after merger news
Joystiq Podcast Roundtable - Blizzavision ... Actiblizzard?

Joystiquery
Japanese hardware sales, Nov. 19 - Nov. 25: Informative puppeteer edition
Reminder: Last chance to win a $5K gaming PC from Falcon Northwest
Today's danciest video: Merry Xmas 2K7
Weekly Webcomic Wrapup: charitable edition

News
Guitar Hero II gets DLC: Indie Label Pack II
Rock Band team offers free EA game for guitar repair delays
GameTap losing over 7% of games; EA, Interplay and other publishers gone Dec. 11
DS gets downloadable content with official DSVision flash card peripheral
New games this week: Universe at War: Earth Assault edition
Virtual Console gets Eternal Champions, Zanac, The Dynastic Hero
Kuju opens new Nik Nak studio aimed at kids
Resident Evil: Outbreak and Monster Hunter online services cease for PS2
Microsoft reveals XBLA games coming in December and January
Eidos trademarks 'Tomb Raider Underworld'
Metallica in talks to debut new single as Rock Band DLC
Big surprise: Guitar Hero 4, Call of Duty 5, and Tony Hawk 11 confirmed
Sega: No plans to release NiGHTS PS2 outside of Japan
This Tuesday: Arcade Hits
Tomb Raider engine to power Deus Ex 3
Xbox 360 video playback FAQ
Smash Bros blog teaches us how to make friends
Turok clips show off multiplayer
Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland: meanest Nintendo game ever?
Play as Ken and Chun Li in Korean MMO fighting game
Andy Serkis spearheading East England game industry network
Tretton admits to 'missteps' in PS3's first year

Rumors & Speculation
Take-Two CEO sees industry consolidation as 'inevitable'

Culture & Community
Sleater-Kinney guitarist talks Rock Band
Guitar Hero brings business to six-string tutors
Something Awful pokes fun at Mass Effect
Mega64's VGA 2007 TV spot makes us laugh, feel guilty
AskMen's Top 10 Hottest Women in Tech
DIY: Weighted Companion Cube paperweight
Henry Jenkins sounds off on Spencer Halpin's 'Moral Kombat'
Roll your own ugly Wii Zapper using LEGOs
The 21 days of Wii from Circuit City

It took nearly four long, controversy-filled days, but GameSpot has finally posted notice on their web site that editorial director Jeff Gerstmann has been fired. Or, as the notice itself puts it, "after over a decade in a variety of editorial roles, Jeff Gerstmann's tenure as editorial director has ended."


"Neither CNET Networks nor GameSpot has ever allowed its advertising business to affect its editorial content," said Greg Brannan, CNET Networks Entertainment's vice president of programming. "The accusations in the media that it has done so are unsubstantiated and untrue. Jeff's departure stemmed from internal reasons unrelated to any buyer of advertising on GameSpot." Strong words, but ones that might come too late for many gamers who have already made up their minds about the controversy.

Oddly enough, Gerstmann does still appear on the site's About Us page, nearly a week after his termination last Wednesday. The notice about the firing currently appears on the front page of the site as the top news story.

Even with the posted statement, many questions remain surrounding the firing. Why was Gerstmann's Kane & Lynch video review removed from the site? Did Eidos (or any other company) bring pressure to bear on Gamespot, even if it was ignored? (Eidos continues to ignore repeated requests for comment from Joystiq). How does Gamespot plan on addressing the sizable outrage in the gaming community over the issue, justified or not? We'll keep looking for answers to these and other questions surrounding the controversy and will of course let you know what we find.

While today's episode of CNET's Buzz Out Loud podcast was delayed for a "mandatory meeting," (hmmm, we wonder what that might have been about ...) the wait was worth it, as hosts Molly Wood, John (Update: Typo fixed) Tom Merritt and Jason Howell were able to comment on Gamespot's firing of executive editor Jeff Gerstmann from a somewhat insider perspective. Their overall impression? As Merritt put it, "Wow does this whole situation suck."

While Merritt did say up front that "there are things that we're not allowed to talk about because they're internal matters," the team said they weren't sitting on any super-secret information about the reasons behind Gerstmann's firing. "[Human resources is] not going to come and tell us why a dude got fired," Wood said. That said, the hosts could offer their commentary on the matter, and their thoughts on that score were somewhat of a mixed bag.

GameSpot user 'Subrosian' has called for a boycott of all CNET-operated sites today in response to the controversy surrounding the firing of GameSpot executive editor Jeff Gerstmann, GamePolitics.com reports. Dubbed "Black Monday," the virtual boycott is to last 24 hours and instructs participants to avoid viewing, Googling, or clicking external links to the sites, particularly GameSpot. "Rather than live in a world where the media is controlled entirely by those with the most money, I want to live in a world where gamers who are living for their hobby ... can say what they truly feel about a game. So let's do the right thing and show solidarity with Jeff Gerstmann -- if he can't go to work on Monday at GameSpot then neither will we," declares Subrosian's manifesto.

Posted at 9:31pm ET last night, the call to action likely went unnoticed by many potential protesters before the blackout's midnight start time. Further discouraging any chance of effectiveness is the lack of a prominent external page for the boycott (try Googling "black monday gamespot" or other relevant search terms) -- um, the original post is a GameSpot.com link! If anything, Blackout Monday may serve as a seed for birthing a better-organized boycott before the Gerstmann story becomes "old news." Hardcore game forum posters-turned-activists need to appeal to the mainstream technology consumer to really stick it to the CNET network. But for anyone to get behind the issue, organizers must first wait for the swirl of rumors to settle and the truth to be made public. What's less legitimate than a rumor? The boycott of a rumor. (Reminder: the details of Gerstmann's firing are still unconfirmed.)

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

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.