[CR6]

Don't know how many of you been following the drama of the downfall of a once respectable GameSpot, but here's a good summary at 1Up about what goes down behind the reviews of games and how game publishers/ads influence the scores ...
http://www.1up.com/d...cUserId=4561231

Quote

Running this whole GameTrax operation was a guy named Josh Larson. But after Broady, Kasavin, and others left GameSpot, Larson took over the editorial aspect of the site as well. So here you had Josh Larson -- the man behind selling sponsorships of editorial -- now placed directly in charge of the editorial itself. You tell me if you see any potential conflict of interest there.

Around the same time, Steven Colvin, known for having launched such publications as Stuff magazine, took over CNET's entertainment and lifestyle group, of which GameSpot is a part of. I don't know what his editorial influence has been on GameSpot, if any, but his track record didn't exactly point to editorial integrity as one of his prime values. Stuff magazine, for example, [b]used to run game reviews that were written based off of screenshots and fact sheets, before the games were even playable to the press[b] (I knew several freelancers who made lots of easy money from this). So yeah, you had the guy in charge of GameTrax and the guy who launched Stuff overseeing all editorial on GameSpot.

And so the stage was set for the events of last November to unfold. Eidos paid a substantial amount of money to have its ads point to the GameSpot review of Kane & Lynch. The Kane & Lynch review wasn't very favorable. Eidos freaked. GameSpot caved. Internet exploded.

[Rocky]

Yeh very interesting expose there. We've been talking about htis in the K&L thread, from this post on.

[krise madsen]

I can't help think there is a good deal of schadenfreude involved on 1UP's part. Not that I doubt the validity of the article though.

Respectfully

krise madsen

[CR6]

Rocky, on Jan 22 2008, 09:39 AM, said:

Yeh very interesting expose there. We've been talking about htis in the K&L thread, from this post on.

Thanks for the link. Someone posted about this GameSpot contributers blog which had this interesting snippet

http://www.gamespot....=m-100-25273350

Quote

But you reminded me of one thing I'd love to re-iterate: The GameSpot staff did not fire Jeff. The GameSpot staff are NOT corrupt. GameSpot itself is NOT the problem. CNet is. CNet's management is. The problem lies with the puppet masters. Unfortunately, those masters have RUINED GameSpot's credibility and reputation... a reputation built up for more than a decade.

@Krise: Had to look up "schadenfreude" - that's going to be my word of the day today!

I kinda thought the article might end up like that, but I think the 1Up writer seems to sympathize and support the editorial staff at GameSpot

[Hockeystick]

And now Alex Navarro has left Gamespot. According to joystiq.com Alex left Gamespot in response to the controversial firing of editorial director Jeff Gerstmann.

Quote

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?"