Gerstmann-gate 'villain' leaves CNET for advertising company originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 18 Aug 2008 21:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Ryan Davis talks up Giant Bomb's explosive re-launch

Ryan Davis talks up Giant Bomb's explosive re-launch originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Former GameSpot eds reunite at Gerstmann's Giant Bomb originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 06 Jun 2008 01:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Former GameSpot reviewer sheds light on more PR hijinx originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 29 May 2008 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Harmonix community team adds GameSpot alum originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 29 May 2008 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gamespot Exodus: Say 'adios' to Brad Shoemaker originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 19 Mar 2008 08:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gerstmann's next thing: Giant Bomb originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 07 Mar 2008 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Jason Ocampo leaves Gamespot for IGN originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 29 Feb 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The exodus continues: Jason Ocampo leaving Gamespot originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 27 Feb 2008 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gerstmann talks firing on X-Play tonight originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 07 Feb 2008 15:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Ryan Davis talks Gerstmann, Gamespot departure

Ryan Davis talks Gerstmann, Gamespot departure originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 05 Feb 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gamespot exodus continues: Ryan Davis to leave originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 04 Feb 2008 15:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

New GameSpot Editor in Chief wants to regain your trust originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 02 Feb 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Rumor: Gerstmann to team with Gamespot founder Broady on new site originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 22 Jan 2008 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Gamespot staffer Alex Navarro quits in wake of Gerstmann-gate

Gamespot staffer Alex Navarro quits in wake of Gerstmann-gate originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 14 Jan 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Kane & Lynch sells a million copies; [obligatory reviewer firing joke goes here] originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 11 Jan 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Long-time freelancer leaves Gamespot over Gerstmann-gate originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 07 Jan 2008 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Kane and Lynch: Dead Men, Live demo originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 19 Dec 2007 11:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gerstmann-gate: the aftermath originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 07 Dec 2007 15:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• 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."

GameSpot addresses Gerstmann-gate concerns in depth originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 05 Dec 2007 14:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• 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.

Gerstmann-gate: Wednesday update originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 05 Dec 2007 11:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

First HotSpot begins road to recovery post-Gerstmann gate originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 05 Dec 2007 09:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Comparison shows significant edits to Gerstmann's Kane & Lynch review

Comparison shows significant edits to Gerstmann's Kane & Lynch review originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 05 Dec 2007 08:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Readers pick best webcomic: The New Games Journalism originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 05 Dec 2007 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Gamespot readers have tagged the official Gamespot news story rather, er, harshly (see image above).
• Not everyone is on the anti-Gamespot bandwagon, though. Check out IGN's Hillary Goldstein, CrushedBefore.com and the possibly satirical KeepGirthmanFired.com.
• The story continues to drip slowly into the mainstream press. Check out Fishbowl LA, TheStreet.com and the Syracuse University Daily Orange.
• GameBump takes Eidos to task for misleading "review" quotes and a "five-star" rating image in the intro. for the official Kane & Lynch web site. GameSpy and Kotaku are confused as well.
• Pronet Advertising uses Gamespot as a case study in "How To Destroy Your Brand And Alienate People"
• GameSetWatch's Kevin Gifford: "Game publishers ... don't care what Jeff Gerstmann or any reviewer has to say about their games. They care about the score, the Metacritic average, and it's been that way ever since the Internet became the primary vehicle for game media."
• More from Gamespot freelancer Frank Provo: "Even if they don't get pressured to cut me loose because I've made a few posts here, I personally cannot write for a site that, for whatever reasons, wants to bring its review scores and tone more in line with the Metacritics/GameRankings medians, and is willing to pressure its writers to nudge in that direction."

Gerstmann-gate: Tuesday update originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 04 Dec 2007 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Joystiq Weekend: December 1 to 3, 2007 originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 03 Dec 2007 23:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

GameSpot posts official Gerstmann firing notice originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 03 Dec 2007 21:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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,

Continue reading CNET podcast hosts comment on Gerstmann controversy

CNET podcast hosts comment on Gerstmann controversy originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 03 Dec 2007 18:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• If you missed it over the weekend, see our Saturday and Sunday updates, as well as coverage of surrounding rumors and Gerstmann's exclusive comments to Joystiq.
• Many members of the gaming community are participating in a loosely organized "Blackout Monday" boycott of Gamespot today.
• An unrelated, real-world protest is being planned for Dec. 8 - 10 in front of the CNET offices.
• GamePolitics: "If the highly detailed rumors surrounding Jeff Gerstmann's firing are true, then the people who run GameSpot have, by their own hand, utterly trashed a great media brand."
• The story hasn't made a big splash in mainstream print or broadcast outlets yet, but it is beginning to get a little play on mainstream web sites. See USA Today, BBC Tech (link at bottom right) the San Jose Mercury News, The Guardian, the Dallas Morning News and Norway's third-largest newspaper, Dagbladet (sketchy machine translation).
• GameFAQs briefly changed their front page poll over the weekend to ask users what would happen next in the controversy. Over 25% of respondents predicted that "Gamespot begins its slow decent [sic]."
• Virtual Fools has compiled an impressive list of links to comments from current and former Gamespot staffers.

Gerstmann-gate: Blackout Monday update originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 03 Dec 2007 12:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Blackout Monday: virtual boycott targets GameSpot, CNET sites

Blackout Monday: virtual boycott targets GameSpot, CNET sites originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 03 Dec 2007 11:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Exclusive: Gertsmann speaks about K&L review, future originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 03 Dec 2007 04:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• 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.
  

Gerstmann-gate: Sunday morning update originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 02 Dec 2007 10:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Ziff Davis staff holds impromptu GameSpot rally originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 01 Dec 2007 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• 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.

Rumorang: Gerstmann-gate edition originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 01 Dec 2007 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• 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]"
  

Latest developments in "Gerstmann-gate" originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 01 Dec 2007 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

CNET: Gerstmann not fired over advertiser pressure originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 30 Nov 2007 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

GameSpot denies Eidos pressured firing of Gerstmann originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 30 Nov 2007 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

GameSpot issues short comment on Gerstmann firing originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Eidos and Gamespot forums exploding over Gerstmann incident originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 30 Nov 2007 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Rumor: Gamespot's editorial director fired over Kane & Lynch review

Rumor: Gamespot's editorial director fired over Kane & Lynch review originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 30 Nov 2007 00:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.