Quote:
Originally Posted by Ninja Dodo
The Gamespot guys talked about it on The Hotspot. Does some to restore the credibility of the editorial team, but then that was never really what was in question. Management still seems like a bunch of fucking idiots with zero interest in journalism.
Best of luck to Jeff though and the staff that remains at Gamespot. Maybe they'll be able to fix this. |
The issue comes down to sponsorships and what those sponsors pay to advertise on the GS site. The GS management people are interested in protecting their profits. When you have a staff member say bad things in a game review it could damage game sales. (advertiser's view ) This validates people like Consumers Reports, no sponsors to placate.
The game publisher reacted as a paying customer might be expected to. Management, to protect profits appeared to have little regard for journalistic integrity. That's the way of it when you have conflicting criteria. On the one hand it is the perception of credible reporting you hope will keep the reader's faith. On the other is management's best interest to keep advertisers and sustain cash flow. Management in this case appears to have chosen to neglect credibility for the greater good.
This natural conflict of interest places readers in a position where they should regard GS reviews for entertainment purposes only. You can no longer accept a GS review with full faith in the reviewer. It is fair to suspect future review text is under heavy scrutiny. Credibility has taken a hit not only at GS but with similar sites, ( advertising dollars ). Don't they all have to be regarded with a jaundiced eye? Consider the advertiser sitting behind his desk rubbing his chin, "Hmm if it worked with GS I wonder---."
We don't know what took place behind closed doors. Management may have been right in their reaction. We don't really know what forced the firing decision, nor will we likely get the whole story. The bottom line is advertising pays the bills and salaries etc. It sounds harsh and makes management look bad. Perhaps it was a bad game, perhaps the reviewer had a bad day, perhaps management was wrong, perhaps the game publisher was thin skinned. It looks like in the end nobody won.
