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Gerstmann-Gate Isn't Over Yet: GameSpot Writer Quits Over the Debacle
While GameSpot and Eidos all wish we would just forget, the impact of Jeff Gerstmann's "complicated" firing still lingers over the industry. The latest development of the debacle is Frank Provo's departure from GameSpot. A freelance writer with over 7 years at Gamespot and who wrote 751 reviews, his reasons for departure can hardly be called respectful. From Provo's Gamespot blog:
"I believe CNet management let Jeff go for all the wrong reasons. I believe CNet intends to soften the site's tone and push for higher scores to make advertisers happy.I won't lie to people and tell them a game is good when it isn't. I won't downplay negatives that readers have a right to know about."
All I can say is ouch. With only unconfirmed rumors that Gerstmann's firing from GamesSot was the result of advertisement pressure over his unflattering Kane & Lynch review, this will only deal another blow to GameSpot's reputation. Provo also directly targeted the management of GameSpot and CNet in order to defend his fellow writers at GameSpot by saying, "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 video game journalism industry, like any industry that reviews and covers a medium, has only its reputation to rely on. Review readers rely on the integrity and taste of the reviewer, and if you feel you can't trust them, you won't read their reviews. I can easily see why the writers at GameSpot would want to leave, because whether or not Gerstmann was fired for his review GameSpot can not be a pleasant place to work these days.
And so, it continues.
Posted by Anaardvark at January 5, 2008 6:10 AMgamespot lost my respect a long time ago
Posted by interitus at January 5, 2008 2:56 PMIts sad, the Gamespot reviewers and personalities built a great site with a great rep. Now, mismanagement and greed have destroyed their great work and left them holding the title of "corrupted"
Posted by Moose at January 5, 2008 9:53 PMSounds like they need to pull the bungie trick and buy themselves back..
Posted by nrg753 at January 6, 2008 1:59 AMI don't think anyone will take their reviews seriously anymore.
Posted by Bosnique at January 6, 2008 4:27 AMGamespot has been going steadily downhill for a long time now. When Greg Kasavin left, the decline accelerated pretty noticably. I feel bad for the guys who work there. Especially the old-timers like Gerstmann who practically built the place and are responsible for being where it is. Gamespot is one of the few sites whose reviewers can legimitately be called "journalists" and they have ignorant chumps in suits messing it up.
Posted by doctor_kaz at January 8, 2008 11:31 AMPlease keep your comments relevant to this entry: inappropriate or purely promotional comments may be removed. Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments. Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br> tags.