When GameSpot fired Jeff Gerstmann soon after his negative review of the heavily-advertised Kane & Lynch, no one in the gaming press was surprised. Now, keep in mind we’re not saying that Gerstmann was fired because of the review; he wrote the review, then was fired. The two events may well be unrelated. The fact that the entire GameSpot site looked like a Kane & Lynch advertisement at the time might have been coincidence. CNet, the parent company of GameSpot, released a statement claiming it takes its editorial integrity “very seriously.”
The fact that advertisers put pressure on sites and magazines isn’t exactly breaking news; companies spend much time and money trying to get the most people to give their games the highest scores. If you as a gaming writer want an exclusive, you had better treat the game nice in the review, thanks. You want that advertising campaign to run on your site? This preview better make the game sound perfect.
While gaming may look like a huge, scary industry from the outside, it can be a surprisingly cozy place once you know that world a bit. It’s easy to make enemies, and since public relations staffers change on an almost monthly basis, you never know who is holding a grudge at what company. If you anger one publisher or the wrong PR person, you could find yourself out of luck for information, interviews, or even invitations to trade shows for a long time to come. For sites that need fresh, exclusive news to function, it’s the kiss of death. Even without lording advertising dollars over your head, they know how to hurt you.
A good article on why Gamespot fired this editor but I am not happy with it. I think the review of games is a very good way to find out if I want to play it or not. I do not like the idea of someone pushing me to review something favorable. I will not do that, I will review it on my terms. Go check out this article at Ars Technica. I think you will get a better understanding of the gaming industry.
