Rumor: Gerstmann Fired over Kane & Lynch Review

[Joe Keiser]

I suppose by now you've all noticed that Penny Arcade put up their comic early today, and that it's not exactly "ha ha" funny:

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2007/11/29

And probably a few of you have also noticed Gabe's declaration in his own forum that this is a true story, and that Tycho will detail the tale tomorrow.

Obviously we must talk about this, and yet I can't find anything to say. The idea that this might be true fills me with despondency.

Update: Tycho's commentary has indeed gone up now, and it's about as level-headed and plausible a take as we're likely to get: that corporate's already present concerns about "tone" were given physical, gut-punching form when Eidos pulled six figures of future advertising over Kane & Lynch. Ritual sacrifice was performed to appease the beast, and here we are. Again, none of this is confirmed by any official source.

[Joe McNeilly]

>>Although, I still don't understand what wearing a robot mask to press conferences has to do with journalism...

It stands for professionalism and integrity, duh. Or else a Daft Punk fetish. I think the suit says more than the head ever could.

[Sterling McGarvey]

I've been mum on this whole situation so far. Part of it is my frustration with the whole thing. Part of it is because after my experience in giving K&L the same score on our scale on GameSpy, I'm stunned that this escalated, but honestly, I'm not saying shit on the Internet, where anyone can find this. If we're at a bar in SF, different story. ;)

I'm angry enough about this that, honestly, I'd like to see everyone, not just Ziff people, but all of us local to San Francisco, take a few hours out of the day, organize, and hit CNet in the same way that 1Up did.

I think that everyone, as a unified front (IGN and subsidiaries, Ziff, Future, indie sites based in SF), should stand in front of CNet's building again to show that we will not stand for these strongarm tactics. This is about standing by our fellow reviewers, editors, video team members, and beyond professional relationships, friends who I've encountered in my career who have worked for that company.

Now is not the time to worry about how we'd look if we did something like this. Now is the time to worry about how your credibility and integrity will come off if you don't take a stand.

Personally, I've already forced myself off of the affiliate sites. That means no more score aggregator sites, since it owns both Game Rankings and Metacritic, as well as product reviews for other electronics. I encourage others to do the same.

[Dan Amrich]

"I'm angry enough about this that, honestly, I'd like to see everyone, not just Ziff people, but all of us local to San Francisco, take a few hours out of the day, organize, and hit CNet in the same way that 1Up did."

I'm game. I believe in the cause, but I just want to make sure we're running on something beyond rumor before we mobilize.

[Sam Sundberg]

I doubt that we'll see anyone step forward and say, hand on the bible, that the rumor is true. At least anytime soon. But if the rumor was false, by now we would surely have seen Gamespot staffers deny the allegations. I can't imagine they'd just sit and watch apathetically while an internet mob destroys their reputation with baseless rumors.

[Alexander Karls]

In a way, perception of the problem is more important than the truth of the rumor at this point, and in that regard, that perception may be something worth getting up in arms about.

[Sterling McGarvey]

I know enough to know that CNet's silence speaks volumes. Not just from corporate talking heads, but from content providers on that site. Look how many people are a part of this network who work for that site, and honestly, would you expect them to spill the beans right here and right now? I don't.

I expect spin that you couldn't steer with a Sixaxis to emanate from that company tomorrow, and likely, I expect another week or so of stillborn content.

I don't think that the blog post on Valleywag was made by some vindictive 13 year old.

[Gabe]

Aw come on, Sterling... you can't steer anything with a Sixaxis!

I dunno about that Valleywag post though... I mean, the whole staff vets articles? I've never worked at an outlet that follows procedures like that, it would be way too unwieldy.

That doesn't mean that I'm not down to support my fellow game journos. In fact, I'd say we have a legitimate bone of contention considering that this debacle (and specifically how the parties involved completely mishandled the fallout) has called all of our integrity into question. They should answer for that. People need the full story so that they know for a fact what's actually going on here and who exactly is responsible for what, otherwise it looks like we're all just a bunch of shills.

[Joe McNeilly]

I'm for a show of solidarity. I don't want PR thinking they can call up our publishers and whine about coverage and buy good reviews. Integrity and independence must be maintained. At least until my job description changes to 'advertorial,' in which case I'll start looking for another job.

[Kevin VanOrd]

Hi guys. Kevin here.

I can't thank my fellow journalists enough for the general show of support we have received across the industry. This has been a devastating time for me and the rest of the editorial team at GameSpot. There are so many layers in this for all of us, professionally and personally. As you can imagine, I am not in a position where I can talk about specific things regarding what has happened here, but mostly, it's because I don't know. As much as you may feel in the dark about what is happening, please know that we are too. 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.

I think it is understood that all of us stand by what we write, which makes me confused by the reactions of "this proves it's crooked." If anything, the rumors point the opposite direction. I've never been pressured in any way over a review, though our exhaustive peer review process lets my editorial peers pick apart the review before it ever goes live.

I could talk for hours and hours on the subject (and I feel like I already have), but in the end, it hurts. It hurts because I miss Jeff. It hurts because I am afraid of what the future brings. It hurts because my byline is attached to something thousands of people now see as crooked and corrupt. I can't tell you how heartbreaking it is to know that no matter how much integrity I have and how much I believe in something, this incident colors every word I write. I have shouted, shed tears, and looked for answers, but I don't feel any further along now than I did last Wednesday.

If anything, stand by your fellow journalists. We don't have a lot, but we have our honesty. And as Greg Kasavin said to me this weekend, a website doesn't have integrity, but people do. And as long as I know I have mine, I'll be ok. And as long as my fellow editors and I hold fast to that, we'll come out on top. In the meanwhile, think of us and pray for us. I have no idea how to move on at this point, but I am sure I will figure it out.

Also, if you would like to take me out for a drink and you live in the SF Bay area, I wouldn't refuse :)

[Brendon Lindsey]

If you somehow flee the SF Bay area and come to Portland I'll take you up on your offer :)

Glad to see you guys are finding a way to keep it going, though, even if figuring things out is a slow process. Obviously I don't know quite what it's like since our site isn't nearly as big (600k uniques a month? Psh, child's play) which means I don't have to deal with all the business stuff along with it. A blessing because it avoids any possible situations like this, and a curse because...well, no one likes working fulltime for no pay. Having worked at a major newspaper for a while, though, I've seen the way advertising can influence stories.

I also agree with your point that it proves there's more integrity in the industry than corruption (to a degree, at least). No one's seemed to go with that train of thought... It's always "They tried to do X, but let's ignore that this only happened because Jeff refused to!"

If you ever need a random friendly stranger to drunk dial/drunk IM (do people do that still?) feel free to bug me or whomever replies next, because I'm preemptively volunteering them.

[Sam Sundberg]

I feel your pain, Kevin, you're in one hell of a tough spot. But keep looking for answers, and eventually you'll find them. Either the management clears this mess up, admits whatever mistakes have been made and assures you the respect and independence you need to keep doing a solid job as games journalists, or I hope you all find brilliant career opportunities elsewhere.

[Peter Skerritt]

Thanks, Kevin, for such a candid post regarding the situation. I (and many of the rest of us, I'm willing to bet) understand that you're in the dark about a lot of the details surrounding Jeff's sudden termination.

We stand behind you and support you and your colleagues there. Alex and Aaron are class guys, too, and I know that they share the same level of integrity that you do.

Keep fighting, man. Keep writing. You obviously love what you do, and there are still many of us who haven't hit the "big time" that look up to you guys who have made it. Jeff has been one of my inspirations, as well, and I'm going to miss reading his work... but the fact that you all are weathering the storm and finding the strength to keep on going despite the obvious challenges makes you all inspirations for a lot of us.