As the dust on Gerstmann-gate has finally more than settled, another GameSpot staffer is exiting the building. As announced on GameSpot's podcast "HotSpot", Senior Editor Brad Shoemaker will be leaving the site this Friday. He's been working at GameSpot since 1999. Shame they never gave him a larger GIF image. We wish him luck in his future endeavors.
The HotSpot [GameSpot Thanks to all who sent this in!]
Another GameSpot Editor Quits
12:00 AM on Wed Mar 19 2008
By Brian Ashcraft
6,269 views
82 comments









Comments
Gerstmann-gate? Bashcraft, you make up the most useless catchphrases
lol, larger gif.
ooooh hay i wonder if they're hiring!
So, is there any real reason why you guys feel the need to report every departure from GameSpot? I understand the Gerstmann thing, as that was actually newsworthy with it's scandalous innuendo. But this?
@funkpanda: that term was coined pretty much the same instant as Gerstmann was fired, by every blogger on the internet simultaneously. Bash is just following proper internet style guidelines.
In other news, who IS still working at Gamespot?
Who?
WTF, man... I thought Torres and his street cred had finally strightened things out over there!
And the downward spiral of Gamespot continues...
@MisterSleep: Haha, exactly, that's the real question.
Maybe they'll hire me AND let me work at home. They're desperate, right?
Should we expect a post if a janitor at Gamespot quits? Because it would OBVIOUSLY have to be due to this whole Gertsmann thing crap, right?
Let it go already.
With so many people leaving after Gerstmann's firing it's pretty obvious that SOMETHING fishy went down. I just wish they'd come clean on the whole thing instead of hiding the real truth.
@mva5580: There's nothing to let go. All of these guys were personal friends of Gerstmann. That's why it's very relevant. It's no coincidence that all these guys are showing up on Gerstmann's new site, Giant Bomb.
@Bewildered_Ronin: @mva5580: I am interested, whether it means anything or not.
Regardless of personal sentiment, I would say these posts are better than the void that would be there instead, there only to try and teach you a lesson for refreshing the page so many times.
I don't know guys since Gerstmann left...what is that now like 3-4 editors in a row in just the last 2 months. They are dropping like flies over there.
Is there even anyone left at Gamespot now? Of the original staff I mean.
How many members of the pre-Gerstmann-gate staff are even LEFT now? This is getting a bit crazy.
@Bewildered_Ronin: so if this is "not real news", can I call your post "not a real comment?"
Jeff Gerstmann, Greg Kasavin, Rich Gallup, Alex Navarro, and Ryan Davis. Can we offically GG for GSpot? No one left besides people who are green behind the ear.
The tumbleweeds just keep rolling at Gamespot.
Brad was another one of the cool ones
@Bewildered_Ronin: I think they're just expanding upon the downfall of one of the most important gaming sites on the net. For Gamepsot devotees, life myself, it is important that Brad is jumping ship, along with everyone else that's gone. As a result, I find myself going farther and farther away from Gamespot, and closer and closer to Giant Bomb.
@funkpanda:
Oh, that's Fahey's.
Cue up "Nearer, my God, to Thee" Game stop, you're boat is about to sink.
Your only hope? say your sorry and become a social gaming network site, something like a large, more open escapist. Which you wount do.
@Archaotic: Brian Ekberg and Bethany Massimilla. That's it.
@Afore Notation: I actually don't post here often. Saw the story, made a comment. I'm not too hot on catching stories here. Definitely not enough to refresh like a mad man to be tops in the comment que.
@AnEternalEnigma: That explains a lot. I wish they had posted that in the write up. As it is, without the proper context the story comes across completely worthless. Thanks for explaining it's relevance. Not to writers, when commentators have to point out why your story is important, you have failed an elementary part of journalism.
@MisterSleep: You can do whatever you want. I couldn't care less.
@Benjo: It seems to be very frivolous without the proper context from AnEternalEnigma.
I don't really understand how that site is still running...
Sounds like rats fleeing a sinking ship.
Not that the editors are, erm, rats - it's a phrase, you know - expression.
...
Anyway, I never went to Gamespot much, usually do IGN for my mainstream gaming website.
IGN has a pretty high turnover rate too it seems...
Wonder what those would like, side by side?
Good, maybe all the old members will join Giant Bomb.com along with Jeff, Ryan, and Alex.
I can't say I blame him. He's been there for almost 10 years, and I'm sure he wants to do something new.
Gamespot, Why the hell did they give GOW CoO (no not goku) an 8.5?
@Sailorcancer: 10 years...man I'm OLD (ps. 19)
@Benjo: i'm in the same exact boat
@Benjo:
I used to love gamespot, and even videogames.com, now that all the friendly faces are gone I dont think I will read there any more Ill have to check out Giant Bomb.
@Bewildered_Ronin: In fact if you go to Jeff Gerstmann's blog (www.jeffgerstmann.net) the splash page is him and Brad playing Rock Band.
For some reason, this article reminds me... I miss happypuppy.com.
let me just say i think [www.giantbomb.com] will take him =)
whoooooooo caaaaaaaaaaaaaares
I havn't listened to the hotspot since the gerstmann event took place. I only get my gaming news from Kotaku and ign now.
I wonder if marketing education is a plus point for being hired as a Gamespot editor. Obviously, I'm not serious, but still it's disgusting what happened. I've decided I will never play Kane and Lynch after what happened. I also don't take a single thing Gamespot says seriously anymore. The site has lost all my respect.
It's extremely shocking. It's yet another reminder to me why regulation must exist, because where profit is concerned nothing is below the belt for some.
@ShaggE: Me too. Loved happypuppy. Takes me back to what seems like another era of my life now.
GameSpot has entered a new world order!
"Shame they never gave him a larger GIF image"
Brian, that was the funniest thing I've read all day. Hell, all week. I'm still laughing as I type this. Well done, sir.
Wonder if he'll move on to giantbomb.com with the other ex-Hotspotters? Brad Shoemaker is a pretty chill guy, and I too wish him luck with whatever comes next.
I bet they all are going to G4 or something.. I hope so because G4 needs it.
@ca$h:
Er I mean Ex-Gamespotters (though they've all been on the Hotspot at one point or another). I'm one who can't wait to see what Giant Bomb becomes when it "officially" launches.
..a Giant Bomb. lol
@AnEternalEnigma: Actually only one, Ryan Davis, is on Giant Bomb. When the site grows, so will the staff. Alex Navarro apparently has a heap of freelance stuff keeping him busy but I don't see why he wouldn't later join GB when the site grows up a bit. Brad, too.
Brad was actually a very good game critic. Unfortunately he committed the apparently unforgivable sin of not being slick and glib so he got little time as a video reporter.
I've got a feeling that Gerstmann & Navarro might be starting their own site and this trickle of people leaving GS might have something to do with that.
welp, so much for my prescience. Giantbomb seems to be the site.
god I'm such a douche.
Brad wonder if he will go over to Giant Bomb? he will me missed
Now I'm seriously going to have to consider even going to Gamespot anymore. Brad was my favorite editor.
Brad was one of my favorite GS editors. Will all the people gone there's really no reason to go back to the site.
Geez, another GS editor walked? Hmm. I wish I knew what games he'd reviewed, but I'm sure I could go look it up on GS if I was really curious.
I use to be a fan of Gamespot. Like many, that whole thing with Jeff left a bad taste in my mouth. I find the aftermath fascinating though. In a sense, these have been the editors that I've "grown up" from when I started using the internet until now, and to see them all drop from a site I use to frequent... real interesting.
Yes. Now go join GiantBomb.com :)
I'm curious. Does anyone know how much turnaround they've seen at other videogame review websites, like 1up, IGN, Gamespy, and so on? Is Gamespot really the only site losing staff?
I must have missed the memo that Gamespot people were gods.
@funkpanda:
someone doesn't follow the WWE at all...
Hopefully we'll hear Brad's sultry voice on the Giant Bomb podcast.
Brad belongs on Giant bomb. I don't give a poop about Gamespot, everything that was good about it has moved or is moving elsewhere.
I'm weirdly excited about Giant bomb; we need more games outlets where hosts freely curse on the air.
I try not to make extremely short posts, but.. LULZ!
First Jeff Gerstmann, then Ryan Davis, now Brad Shoemaker?
All my fave editors are gone now :(
I'll be following Giant-Bomb now, GameSpot's On The Spot and Video Reviews were only funny cuz of these guys...
@AnEternalEnigma: Not that I disagree, but 1up has been hemmoraging senior staff at a similar rate but it is not reported as widely. Considering the financial difficulties at ZD, I would think that these departures would be just as newsworthy.
Might be time for the Valleywag of games....(I kid)
@Bewildered_Ronin:It's industry news. Just because it is insignificant to you doesn't make it objectively irrelevent.
Plenty of people seem to understand the significance of this article even if you and I didn't the difference is I didn't whine and insult the editor due to my own lack of industry knowledge.
They didn't need to spell out that a seasoned staff member was leaving. It's implied. Do you think they'd be reporting on some guy who started 2 weeks ago?