"I’m at a point where I rarely second guess what I think about a game upon finishing it,” Gerstmann told me. He said he’s long gotten over the doubt that could set in “when you are facing the raging fury of the Internet.” He used to get death threats about some of his scores. “Now that stuff just rolls off. It’s the ranting of insane people, which you could say about a lot of internet stuff.”

I've always thought that some people take personal offenence to reviews. They are just opinions. Everyone's got one.

The Art of Not Second Guessing [Multiplayer]

Internal communication informing employees of the cut were forwarded to Kotaku last night, indicating that a "new management structure means that Josh Larson's position as VP, Games is being eliminated and Josh will be leaving the company." CNET announced last week that it would cut 10 percent of its work force, about 120 employees. We contacted GameSpot Editor in Chief Ricardo Torres to verify the news this morning.

Torres confirmed that Larson's last day would be April 9, but declined to comment much further on the restructuring, citing the "internal" nature of the news.

It was clear that, at the time, Larson's capabilities as editorial lead weren't well regarded by some of the GameSpot staff. The anonymous "gamespot" commented at sister site Valleywag that Larson was "a suit [...] who had no editorial experience and was only involved on the business side of things." The anonymous commenter lamented that the presence of the sales team had become much more visible under Larson's watch, with other contributors going on and off record with less than favorable comments of CNET management.

In the months that followed Gerstmann's dismissal, GameSpot lost a sizable portion of its editorial staff, with reviewers Alex Navarro, Frank Provo, Ryan Davis, Brad Shoemaker and Jason Ocampo leaving for other, sometimes unspecified opportunities. Torres told us that GameSpot continues to bring on new editorial talent and plans to continue its coverage "with the same breadth and depth we have in our previous 11 years."

Gerstmann and Davis appeared to have been close cohorts, with the pair performing as the musical outfit Suburban All-Stars. Davis wrote in his GameSpot blog within days of Gerstmann's firing that "I would not be in the video game business at all were it not for Jeff Gerstmann," adding that the controversial termination "absolutely breaks my heart" and signaled "the end of an era for both GameSpot and myself."

The GameSpot Exodus Continues as Ryan Davis Leaves [GameDaily.biz]

"GameSpot's gone through quite a few bumps in the road over the years. I know Jeff's fans are upset and I know people are upset over the perception and how it all played out. Really, the best thing that we can do is to just show them that we're good at what we do. Ultimately content is going to prove to people that we're untainted, uncorrupt and committed to serving our readers."

I cannot imagine the pressure the poor guy must be under, what with company morale definitely at a low point and the awesome amount of scrutiny everything GameSpot does is currently under. On top of all of that, Torres still has to find time to write...which is arguably the first passion of any member of the gaming press. If you took away video games from me, I would still write about anything I could get my hands on - movies, my cats, milk...whatever. Take away writing and I'd just about go insane, possibly driving to Colorado to set up camp outside a certain bird-shirt wearing fellow's house. Just saying.

I'm going to try to balance it out. I'm going to try and still do some writing. I'm in this business because I like games, and I'd be really sad if I wound up taking a position where I couldn't play them. The chef wants to sit down every once in a while and try recent cooking, so this is my hope.

Media Coverage: Meet the Games Press: Ricardo Torres [GameDaily]

Torres, who spoke to us recently about the departure of longtime reviewer Alex Navarro, said of the new responsibilities via press release "I'm eager to continue the site's tradition of excellence and I'm confident we can move forward into 2008 and set a new industry standard for how video games are covered." Torres recently set editorial standards for wearing cornrows, pictures of which we desperately wish we had in our possession.

We wish Torres the best in his future endeavors at GameSpot. Full statement from CNet after the break.

GameSpot Names Ricardo Torres Editor-in-Chief

SAN FRANCISCO—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Jan. 28, 2008—GameSpot (www.gamespot.com), a leading video game Web site and a property of CNET Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq:CNET), today announced it has named Ricardo Torres editor-in-chief. Torres, who has been a key member of GameSpot's editorial team since 2001, brings a decade of editorial experience to the position and an in-depth knowledge of the gaming industry. As editor-in-chief, Torres will oversee GameSpot's award-winning editorial staff in their coverage of the latest games and breaking news.

"I'm excited to have the opportunity to help further GameSpot's position at the forefront of the industry," said Torres. "I'm eager to continue the site's tradition of excellence and I'm confident we can move forward into 2008 and set a new industry standard for how video games are covered."

Previously, Torres was editorial director of GameSpot. In this position, he secured exclusive previews of some of the most highly-anticipated games in the industry, wrote hundreds of reviews and previews for the site, and managed event coverage in the US and abroad. During his time at GameSpot, he has pioneered new content forms, including reviving the popular "Behind the Games" series as a platform to examine different aspects of the game development and the games industry. He was also instrumental in bringing the GameSpot audience groundbreaking live coverage of the PlayStation 3 and Wii launches on the East and West Coasts. In addition, Torres has helped shape the site's exclusive coverage of the industry's most significant events, including the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles and Santa Monica, and international events such as Tokyo Game Show in Japan, the Leipzig Games Convention in Germany, and Microsoft's European events for the Xbox 360.

"Ricardo has been a key member of the editorial team for years," said Greg Brannan, vice president of content, CNET Networks' entertainment and lifestyle division. "I'm extremely confident in his ability to maintain GameSpot's tradition of excellence in being the most reputable and outstanding game content site on the web."

"Ricardo was one the hardest-working, most dedicated people I knew during my 10 years with GameSpot, and he always had a real vision for how the brand could keep growing to best serve game players around the world," said Greg Kasavin, former editor-in-chief of GameSpot. "As a former colleague and a fan, I'm excited to see how GameSpot will evolve under his direction."

Prior to his time at GameSpot, Torres oversaw the videogame coverage at CNET Networks' proprietary game site GameCenter and worked in quality assurance at Rocket Science Games, a San Francisco-based developer.

About GameSpot

GameSpot's (www.gamespot.com) expert editorial team provides more than a million daily visitors with comprehensive, engaging, and unbiased game information for console, PC, and portable platforms. The site's award-winning coverage includes previews and reviews on the hottest titles, breaking news, live Web casts, online tournaments, game downloads, videos, guides, hints, and more. GameSpot also has one of the most active online gaming communities. The GameSpot family also includes GameFAQs, Game Rankings, SportsGamer, and GameSpot Trax, the industry's premier real-time market intelligence tool.

About CNET Networks

CNET Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq: CNET - www.cnetnetworks.com) is an interactive media company that builds brands for people and the things they are passionate about, such as gaming, music, entertainment, technology, business, food, and parenting. The Company's leading brands include CNET, GameSpot, TV.com, MP3.com, CHOW, UrbanBaby, ZDNet, BNET, and TechRepublic. Founded in 1992, CNET Networks has a strong presence in the US, Asia, and Europe.

We haven't been in touch with Navarro yet to learn more about his decision to leave GameSpot or if the termination of Jeff Gerstmann played a role in his departure. Navarro has made appearances on Jeff Gerstmann's personal blog and Points! webcast over the past month, so it's possible the two may work together in some capacity in the future.

Following Gerstmann's removal and the decision of reviews freelancer Frank Provo to end his relationship with Gamespot, the review stable at the site appears to be woefully understaffed. When I asked Torres about the holes in the reviewer line up, he told me "We're going to be realistic about our output" and that the outlet would be looking to fill open positions as quickly as possible.

Asked about the general mood of the remaining editorial staffers at GameSpot, Torres said that "We know we lost fans, but we're still getting e-mails of support from folks who say 'We still love the site and won't give up on it'." He reiterated multiple times that GameSpot is trying to "move forward", stressing "We owe it to the site and our readers who support it."

Provo specialized in critiquing games for the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and PSP during his tenure. He was often tasked with reviewing less than enviable portable fodder, as well as copious amounts of movie licensed games and retro releases via XBLA and the Wii Virtual Console.

He was especially vocal about the Jeff Gerstmann dismissal via his LiveJournal and message board NeoGAF, having harsh words for CNet management and expressing sympathy for peers still at Gamespot. He recently addressed his separation from the outlet by writing "I feel sad about the whole thing, but I can't write for a site that could one day punish me for honesty."

In a response to a comment posted on his GameSpot blog today, Provo defended his former compatriots, writing "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."

Farewell, GameSpot [GameSpot]

I won't spoil number one, but it's certainly the most expensive of the lot. Let loose the finger pointing and HAHA-ing!

TOP 10 BLUNDERS OF 2007 [Next-Gen - thanks, Duane!]

Thanks Laurens!

If you happened to miss yesterday's episode of Attack of the Show on G4, featuring Wired Game|Life's Chris Kohler and yours truly chatting about the Jeff Gerstmann-GameSpot situation, now's your chance. Notice that it's Kohler representing with a bird shirt this time, not a Kotaku editor. Now that we've had ample time to process, with tempers cooled, we rapped about the long term effects of Kane & Lynch: Dead Men Score-gate. I know, that doesn't have the same ring to it, does it?

Q: Was Eidos Interactive upset by the game's review?

A: It has been confirmed that Eidos representatives expressed their displeasure to their appropriate contacts at GameSpot, but not to editorial directly. It was not the first time a publisher has voiced disappointment with a game review, and it won't be the last. However, it is strict GameSpot policy never to let any such feelings result in a review score to be altered or a video review to be pulled.

Q: Did Eidos' disappointment cause Jeff to be terminated?

A: Absolutely not.

Q: Did Eidos' disappointment cause the alteration of the review text?

A: Absolutely not.

Q: Did Eidos' disappointment lead to the video review being pulled down?

A: Absolutely not.

Also, GameSpot will be hosting a tribute to Gerstmann tomorrow. UPDATE: Apparently this tribute was sought after by Gamespot's editors and is quite a genuine gesture.
Gamespot Statement [gamespot]

you asked if it's realistic for readers to expect a church and state separation between editorial and sales. Realistic or not, I think readers should demand that from a publication. Some people probably think that's a little old-fashioned or hopelessly idealistic, given the changing nature of advertising these days, but there you go.

...somewhere in that complex mess of relationships is the right amount of disclosure. Gaming publications should tell their readers what to expect. If you're running a publication and you're comfortable running infomercials and advertorials, they should be clearly marked as such.

This whole thing is a mess.

Ex-GameSpot Editor Jeff Gerstmann Talks Standards, Suspicions Of Older Fishy Reviews [mtvmultiplayer]

Yet CNET hasn't said a word. And according to a trusted source within the organization, none of CNET's writers are all that happy about the delay despite CNET higher ups launching an investigation on the matter.

The main point of contention seems to be this: CNET released a memo quickly after Gerstmann's media extravaganza erupted. The letter wasn't rude or commanding. It merely reaffirmed CNET's "commitment to editorial integrity"—a quote straight from the subject line. The letter also stipulated that Gerstmann had been fired for legitimate reasons.

Our contact clarified that CNET editors really aren't all that concerned about Gerstmann's departure, but that since this internal memo was released, CNET has not said the same (or anything, for that matter) on the Gerstmann topic to the external media. And meanwhile, CNET editors are trying to be respectful of the company's situation and allow the booming CNET voice to speak first. Our source thinks their company should "hurry up."

The last tidbit we learned is that CNET is sending in their Vice President and Editor-in-Chief Jai Singh to conduct an internal investigation into Gamespot policies.

Wow. Does that read like Daddy's coming home to give a proper spanking or what?

The confusion over the reasons for Gerstmann's termination, compounded with a lack of transparency from management has created a feeling of "irreconcilable despair" that may eventually lead to an exodus of Gamespot editorial staffers. "Our credibility," said the source, "is in ruins." Over the course of the previous days, a "large number of Gamespot editors" have expressed their intentions to leave. Tales of emotionally deflated peers, with no will to remain at the site, were numerous.

Unless cooler heads prevail or concerns are addressed, Gamespot could see "mass resignations", our source revealed.

Rank and file employees of the Gamespot organization are unaware of the real reasons behind Gerstmann's termination. Our source admitted that Eidos was less than pleased with the review scores for Kane & Lynch: Dead Men, but the team has "dealt with plenty of unhappy publishers before." Our contact stressed that "Money has never played a role in reviews before" and that "[Gamespot] has never altered a score." No pressure from management or sales has been exercised to remove or alter content, the source reiterated.

However, the source did speculate that disagreements between Gertsmann and VP of games Josh Larson may have been the root cause of the former being terminated. Larson, successor to former editor in chief Greg Kasavin, was described as out of touch with the employees who report to him. The VP is the one allegedly responsible for telling Gamespot editorial staff that it was Gerstmann's "tone" that was at the heart of his dismissal.

"People used to think of Larson as a sort of non-intrusive cousin of Bill Lumberg from Office Space—an empty suit who was more of an annoyance than a liability," our source told us. "Now, people are referring to him as the moron lieutenant from Aliens who sits around stunned, doing nothing as everyone drops dead around him."

The source also indicated that Larson's paraphrased assertion that "AAA titles deserve more attention" was not necessarily a hint that Gamespot's reviewers be more lenient to those titles. Instead, in light of some rather controversial review scores—for example, the 7.5 for Insomniac Games' Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction—the editorial team needed to be more conscious of accuracy and impact of its scores.

As for the now-pulled video of review, it appears the reasons for it's removal are less nefarious than assumed. "Jeff showed up late. It was thrown together quickly, the sound sucked, there was only footage from the first level of the game—it was a mess," our source said. We were told that the redacting of the clip was based on a producer's decision and not a demand from upper management.

However, rumored perception from management that Gerstmann's work had become sloppier, more flippant and smacked of a celebrity attitude may have only been solidified by the questionable quality of the review.

And the removal of the Kane & Lynch site ads, following initial reports? A reflexive action taken by the sales team, a move that may have been executed too late.

What was accurate, according to the Gamespot staffer, was the account of user "gamespot" at sister site Valleywag. The anonymous blow-by-blow "could have been written by a stenographer", indicating that it perfectly captured the sequence of events and emotional landscape at the company—one of confusion, fear and anger.

The overflowing emotions, combined with a lack of transparency from CNet and Gamespot management has lead the full-time editorial staff to near mutiny. Some feel the site's brand has been irrevocably tarnished, that the controversy is "a cataclysmic event in Gamespot history."

At this point, editors at Gamespot seem most frustrated that CNet management isn't listening to their concerns. Poor decision making has been and continues to be a sore spot, with a CNet internal investigation into Gamespot's review practices and code of ethics—one handled by outsider Jai Singh, editor in chief at News.com—adding to that frustration.

Our Gamespot source pointed out that during the course of the week, we may see a more human, more revealing version of the story, as editorial staff will address the situation in podcasts and videos. If parent company CNet will respond to editorial requests for greater transparency of the situation, a move that may help repair the mental health of staffers and the bruised credibility of Gamespot itself, remains to be seen.

CNet Networks Entertainment VP Greg Brannan goes on record, assuring readers that advertising dollars do not affect the Gamespot's editorial content. He calls accusations that Gerstmann's termination was due to pressure from Kane & Lynch publisher Eidos "unsubstantiated and untrue." Brannan points to unspecified "internal reasons unrelated to any buyer of advertising on Gamespot."

Additional statements from Gamespot staffers are at the news story linked below.

Gerstmann, GameSpot part ways [Gamespot]

There are a couple of themes from all of this, both the personal accounts that have wound up in our inbox and the wider discussion as a whole: this is nothing new and the ramifications are a little further reaching than a single reviewer, game company, or site.

I've been musing on all of this, mostly because reviews are part of an academic's life - epic flame wars have been fought on the pages of academic journals in every field, frequently over a scathing review or editorial. Feelings get hurt, professional relationships get strained - but money is almost never a concern. Your average PhD may make shit for a salary, but the upside is that professional integrity is rarely compromised in an attempt to hold on to the all mighty dollar.

It's amazing to me that some companies find this an acceptable course of action in some situations, and even more amazing that some bosses go along with this. Is losing credibility and mountains of bad press really worth those advertising dollars? But Kevin Gifford's Gamasutra editorial points to the very way video games are reviewed as part of the problem:

But many outlets have failed to stir up any reader interest in the text behind the review, or the overall atmosphere of the mag or website they're exploring — instead, readers increasingly care exclusively about the score, so they can praise and/or whine about it online. Entire game-media outlets have been, and are defined by, the numerals they publish...instead of, you know, how fun they are to read.

The Internet has largely made the job title "critic" redundant. The problem is that no one at most game mags and websites got the memo. Until they do — until they realize that it's their content that defines them, and not their scores — they'll have to be content with being abused by publishers and their readership for the rest of their existences.

I don't expect that game reviews are going to start looking like something out of The New York Review of Books - but getting away from the numbers would probably help on a number of levels. That's not to say that all of us - or even most - are somehow in some company's back pocket. Write anything, be it critical or glowing, and someone, somewhere will accuse you of horrid biases, even if you're simply speaking your mind and not acting as a surreptitious corporate mouthpiece. Our inbox attests to that. It would seem that game reviewers (and journalists at large) are frequently in between a rock and a hard place, and something needs to give.

It'll be interesting to see what the long term fallout from all of this is. It just makes me glad I've never aspired to a high powered career of game reviewing for a big site. I'll take my chances in the shark-infested waters of the Journal of Asian Studies and Modern China, thank you.

Commenter "gamespot" responded.

The main problem here is that no one in the entire editorial team was aware that this was about to occur, least of all Gerstmann. We're very clear in our review policies that all reviews are vetted by the entire team before they go live - everything that goes up is the product of an entire team's output. Our freelancers are especially guilty of making snide comments, but those are always yanked before the review goes live, because everyone in the office reads these reviews and makes sure they're up to our standards before they get put up.

If there was a problem with his reviews, then it would've been a problem with the entire team. Firing him without telling anyone implies that anyone else on this team can be fired at the drop of a hat as well, because none of us are writing any differently or meaner or less professionally than we were two years ago before the management changed. I'm sure management wants to spin this as the G-Man being unprofessional to take away from the egg on their face that results after a ten-year employee gets locked out of his office and told to leave the premises and then no one communicates anything to us about it until the next day.

Addressing the timing, "gamespot" weighs in again.

Also, despite the fact that this occured two weeks ago, there was no way they were going to fire him then; the last big games didn't come out until just before Thanksgiving, and there was no doubt that management knew that the rest of the reviewers would refuse to write any reviews after his termination, which is indeed what is happening. After thanksgiving nothing major comes out in games; everything is either before thanksgiving or comes out in January. They waited to fire him until they knew that any strike or walkout by the rest of the staff wouldn't have much of an effect.

Also, keep in mind that these salespeople do have axes to grind with editorial. I know a lot of people busted their asses to get not only this large deal with Eidos done, but also other huge ad deals. The salespeople and the marketers are the ones who have to deal with the publishers when a heavily-advertised game gets a bad review, so obviously they like it if every game that comes out is peachy keen and gets a 9.0 or above. If a salesperson knows anything about unprofessional review practices, then that says a lot about the management team that we have in place because not a single other member of the editorial team had heard word one about this until Jeff was fired. Surely site management would want to let us know about their concerns before firing the most senior staff member and one of the most respected game critics in the industry? If they're sharing their concerns with the salespeople and not with us then that says a lot about their priorities.

In response to Valleywag write Paul Boutin's opinion that he doesn't believe the rumor that Gerstmann was solely fired for his Kane & Lynch review, partially based on the fact that no named sources have weighed in on the topic, "gamespot" responded again.

No one wants to be named because no one wants to get fucking fired! This management team has shown what they're willing to do. Jeff had ten years in and was fucking locked out of his office and told to leave the building.

What you might not be aware of is that GS is well known for appealing mostly to hardcore gamers. The mucky-mucks have been doing a lot of "brand research" over the last year or so and indicating that they want to reach out to more casual gamers. Our last executive editor, Greg Kasavin, left to go to EA, and he was replaced by a suit, Josh Larson, who had no editorial experience and was only involved on the business side of things. Over the last year there has been an increasing amount of pressure to allow the advertising teams to have more of a say in the editorial process; we've started having to give our sales team heads-ups when a game is getting a low score, for instance, so that they can let the advertisers know that before a review goes up. Other publishers have started giving us notes involving when our reviews can go up; if a game's getting a 9 or above, it can go up early; if not, it'll have to wait until after the game is on the shelves.

I was in the meeting where Josh Larson was trying to explain this firing and the guy had absolutely no response to any of the criticisms we were sending his way. He kept dodging the question, saying that there were "multiple instances of tone" in the reviews that he hadn't been happy about, but that wasn't Jeff's problem since we all vet every review. He also implied that "AAA" titles deserved more attention when they were being reviewed, which sounded to all of us that he was implying that they should get higher scores, especially since those titles are usually more highly advertised on our site.

I know that it's all about the money, and hey, I like money. I like advertising because it pays my salary. Unfortunately after Kasavin left the church-and-state separation between the sales teams and the editorial team has cracked, and with Jeff's firing I think it's clear that the management now has no interest at all in integrity and are instead looking for an editorial team that will be nicer to the advertisors.

When companies make games as downright contemptible as Kane and Lynch, they deserve to be called on it. I guess you'll have to go to Onion or a smaller site for objective reviews now, because everyone at GS now thinks that if they give a low score to a high-profile game, they'll be shitcanned. Everyone's fucking scared and we're all hoping to get Josh Larson removed from his position because no one trusts him anymore. If that doesn't happen then look for every game to be Game of the Year material at GameSpot.

Please note that this post is tagged "rumor" for a reason. We have no way to confirm that commenter "gamespot" is actually employed at Gamespot or CNet or has access to information about the current situation.

GameSpot editor (?) on fired reviewer [Valleywag]

GameSpot takes its editorial integrity extremely seriously. For over a decade, GameSpot and the many members of its editorial team have produced thousands of unbiased reviews that have been a valuable resource for the gaming community. At CNET Networks, we stand behind the editorial content that our teams produce on a daily basis.

As many of our readers and peers have noticed, Gamespot is no longer running the prominent Kane & Lynch: Dead Men ads on its web site. They were removed late last night, a few hours after publication of the original story. It is unknown whether this change was in response to the rumor that Gerstmann was fired over reasons surrounding the Eidos published game or if the promotion had simply run its course.