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[Camp Lo]

I appreciate honesty and the ability for employees to be allowed to speak freely.

Speaking freely doesn't mean unfiltered.

 

[jmizzal]

I don't know how it works in Canada. But I can say that EA couldn't fire him for such tweets in an EU country. Just thinking about it is crazy.



There is a difference between saying your opinion about something and insulting your boss.

I'm talking bout the person who said he was just speaking the truth not people saying it was his opinion

 

[AndrewDean84xX]

I don't know how it works in Canada. But I can say that EA couldn't fire him for such tweets in an EU country. Just thinking about it is crazy.



There is a difference between saying your opinion about something and insulting your boss.

If he signed a contract saying he wouldn't do anything like social media stuff, then he could be fired. My work has a policy like this that we had to sign when being hired. It was basically stating that if I do anything along the lines of making the company look bad on site or off, can be grounds for termination.

I also wonder if the guy posted this from a device given to him by EA. Then maybe he could be fired for mis-use of company property.

 

[gngf123]

I appreciate honesty and the ability for employees to be allowed to speak freely.

Good for you. That doesn't mean you can be an unprofessional arse about it though.

A small detail some people are missing. Take note of this tweet:

It is an utterly intentional decision to focus our resources on markets which actually matter ... like mobile, and Gen4.

He isn't just shouting off his own opinions here, but he is actually representing EA.

 

[Nilaul]

Does the GAMECUBE twilight sales count also?

I guess so, as they released at the same time.

 

[Raonak]

Hahaha. WiiU threads- never failing to bring the entertainment.


Not entirely sure he'll get fired for this. isn't as big of a fuckup as sweet billy causing a PR shitstorm by appearing to confirm always online durango.

 

[Why would you do that?]

Welp that's what I get for consulting ********. <---- LOL @ censor. I thought they'd be at least SOMEWHAT reliable for games that have been out for a long time

Let's just say that there's a VERY good reason why they're censored. I guess you didn't know they were censored until you posted their name just now.

 

[Principate]

You underestimate the Nintendo diehard. As long as a Mario, Zelda, or Pokemon game is being made, the fans will still be there. I just don't get why they are in the home console business. If the only games coming out for your system are first party, why not just exit the console business which is incredibly difficult to survive in? (ask sega)

The reason Nintendo is still alive in the console business is because they managed to sell a zillion rebranded gamecubes with a snazzy controller. Not like they were selling state of the art hardware at a loss.

They got greedy and tried to repeat that success with WiiU. Selling outdated tech with a gimmick controller isn't working this time. It might have if the Wii would've actually had some fun games to play, but it didn't and now even the Nintendo faithful are weary of buying the system if the only games it's ever going to get are first party.

It was a bad strategy and it backfired. I truly feel this will end with Nintendo either burying the system virtual boy style and starting fresh, or exiting full size home consoles all together, handhelds they will probably keep.

If your bread and butter is games, as it has been with Nintendo for over a decade, then they should just go 3rd party and put Mario, etc, on the sony and microsoft consoles. They'd make a freaking killing.

Actually probably not ask Sega who ironically sells best on Nintendo platforms.

 

[gogogow]

He took the EA engineer statement from his profile.

Maybe he never even worked for EA, but was more of a troll.

Eh...if he was a troll, he wouldn't need to delete any of his tweets.

 

[The Bookerman]

Before going on a rant like that on twitter, I'd start by stating these are in no way opinions expressed by my employer. Hell, he shouldn't have said anything.

 

[EmCeeGramr]

If your bread and butter is games, as it has been with Nintendo for over a decade, then they should just go 3rd party and put Mario, etc, on the sony and microsoft consoles. They'd make a freaking killing.

I made a post replying to you outlining all the possible reasons why Nintendo can't just press a Go Third Party Button and suddenly output the same expected standard of quality and output for new hardware. It got ignored.

 

[FunkyPajamas]

He took the EA engineer statement from his profile.

Maybe he never even worked for EA, but was more of a troll.

You're on to something here...

 

[Cerebral Assassin]

Twitter: Enabling Game Industry Members To Make Asses Of Themselves Since whenever Twitter started

It is a witch hunt. There's a pattern developing on GAF where if a person says something politically incorrect or controversial on twitter the pitchforks and torches come out. You're going to start to see companies telling their employees that they can't use twitter because of this nonsense and GAF will be at least partly to blame.

I don't think you know what a witchhunt actually is.

 

[OrangeJulius]

It will be a cold day in hell the day Nintendo just "offers" its IP to the competitors.
They will die with Nitntendo, period.

People said that about Sega too. It's always true....until it's not.

 

[Earendil]

Yes, but most people really should leave the thinking to horses. They do have a bigger head after all. And they don't tweet asinine bullshit, because it's damn hard to type with hooves.

This seriously made me laugh out loud...

 

[jello44]

I always wonder that. do people like type in "Horrible video game stories/rants" and see what pops up?

Original tweet came from someone that he follows. (Looks like some tech blogger who c/p'd a Verge link.)

When someone tweets something and someone replies to it, you can see all the replies to that tweet, provided they are not protecting them.

This guy replied to that tweet, someone looked at their profile and viola.

 

[Azull]

Well, it's not like he's lying.

 

[ciridesu]

Guys, they're not gonna fire a relatively veteran employee merely hours after for the sake of two tweets, which are not 'offending'. Most people agree with him (except tilman, oh my god lol that picture was sad as fuck) hence why the discussion. He's simply attempting to blank out any links to his employer.

 

[The_Monk]

You're on to something here...

The same picture on Twitter matches his Linkedin profile, however.

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

Does anybody know how to act like a professional in this industry?

Twitter is the internet version of alcohol, and it's glorious.

 

[dark_prinny]

I appreciate honesty and the ability for employees to be allowed to speak freely.

I hope you are not an entrepreneur.

 

[Jackben]

Oh dear that's just a little bit too late! Once it's on the net there's no turning back. My bets is..
"Dring Dring!"
"Hello"
"Oh hi Bob it's carol at EA"
"Oh hi Carol"
"Yeah just to let you know that Malcolm wants a word with you"
"Erm...Malcolm?"
"Yes...Hold on"

"What the fuck do you think your saying on twitter you twat?"
"Excuse me?"
"Calling nintendo shit. What the fuck are you doing that for?"
"Well they are a bit at the moment"
"That maybe fucking true but for fuck sake be professional. Stay off twitter or I'll come a round and break every fucking finger in your right hand so you can't wank ever again"
"But they are shit! I'm sorry but the WiiU is doing awful"
"For Fuck sake man. You know how fucking hard I'm going to have to spin things if the WiiU does well. I'll have Peter fucking Moore breathing down my neck"
"I was only making a point"
"Fuck your point, you're property of E-fucking-A. You have no views anymore, except for Sport franchises are great and you'll code them until you die. Which will be a few hours if you carry on going"

Sorry I've been watching The thick of it.

Just wanted to quote and say this was spot on, dunno if anyone else laughed but I did.

 

[Meelow]

Eh...if he was a troll, he wouldn't need to delete any of his tweets.

Maybe he didn't know it would get this much exposer.

 

[EmCeeGramr]

People said that about Sega too. It's always true....until it's not.

Sega literally did not have enough money left to even market the Dreamcast. It wasn't just the Dreamcast faltering, it was the 32X debacle, the Saturn disaster, and the fall of the arcades. Sega's decline was one that started over half a decade and multiple failed hardware products earlier.

 

[ThisWreckage]

I don't think you know what a witchhunt actually is.

I absolutely do and that is exactly what is going on.

 

[RM8]

People said that about Sega too. It's always true....until it's not.

Sega's situation was quite different. Dreamcast was the last of their struggles, not their first one after their biggest success ever, for starters.

 

[Camp Lo]

Well, it's not like he's lying.

Orth wasn't lying either.

 

[The Bookerman]

He took the EA engineer statement from his profile.

Maybe he never even worked for EA, but was more of a troll.

http://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/by_genre/developerId,119852/

 

[Steve Youngblood]

It is a witch hunt. There's a pattern developing on GAF where if a person says something politically incorrect or controversial on twitter the pitchforks and torches come out. You're going to start to see companies telling their employees that they can't use twitter because of this nonsense and GAF will be at least partly to blame.

Personally, I find it amazing that anyone who's not new to the internet -- and particularly someone who works in the tech industry -- would need to be told to exercise discretion when posting publicly. Maybe some people can't make subtle changes to their personality at the drop of a hat, but I honestly don't find it terribly difficult to adjust my level of etiquette for varying situations.

 

[jaosobno]

There goes his career.

Nope. They might even give him a raise.

 

[OrangeJulius]

Actually probably not ask Sega who ironically sells best on Nintendo platforms.

That reinforces my point, not shits on it.

 

[Uncle Rupee]

Before going on a rant like that on twitter, I'd start by stating these are in no way opinions expressed by my employer. Hell, he shouldn't have said anything.

But then he'd be being dishonest, and the point of his posts was honesty.
Those tweets probably do represent a large portion of people at EA.

 

[big_erk]

I've bought every single Nintendo console since SNES. I was hoping that WiiU would be different. Nintendo promised us it would be different.

SNES and N64 have been my most favourite consoles. I'd hope that WiiU would be the same.

Nintendo consoles have always been my favorite game consoles, even though I own all platforms. I am a gamer first and foremost, so I go where the games are.

Cyber, I'm sure you are no different than me, you buy Nintendo consoles for Nintendo games. If a third party puts an amazing game on the system I will buy it, but that is just icing on the Nintendo cake. As long as Nintendo continues to make games I want to play I will support their hardware.

As for EA, "People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones." They have killed 2 of my favorite franchises this gen (Dragon Age and Mass Effect). The last installments of those 2 games were pale imitations of what came before. EA has moved away from what a game company should do, which is try to create fun experiences. Instead, they focus on monetizing everything to the detriment of the hobby I hold dear.

I hope we don't have a repeat of the game crash of the 80s. But unless big publishers like EA get their heads out of their asses we will.

Damn, sorry for the rant.

 

[GRW810]

This thread needs a Lionel Mandrake-esque summary in the OP.

 

[gogogow]

Maybe he didn't know it would get this much exposer.

You said maybe he didn't work for EA and was a troll. A troll would be doing it on purpose, so the more exposure the better. So no, he works for EA and he was told to shut up.

 

[Flightmare]

Maybe he didn't know it would get this much exposer.

If he's a troll he would love that

 

[The_Monk]

He took the EA engineer statement from his profile.

Maybe he never even worked for EA, but was more of a troll.

Well here's his Linkedin page fellow GAFfer:

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/bob-summerwill/6b/261/73b

 

[jett]

LMAO what movie/show is this from?

Mad Men.

 

[fluffydelusions]

Well here's his Linkedin page fellow GAFfer:

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/bob-summerwill/6b/261/73b

Feels kinda bad since he has a little kid and all.

 

[freddy]

The same picture on Twitter matches his Linkedin profile, however.

So you're Hideo Kojima then?

 

[Doczu]

We lost a gaffer.

He lost his job.

In the console war no one wins.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cch0wrwg4tg

 

[Schnozberry]

I made a post replying to you outlining all the possible reasons why Nintendo can't just press a Go Third Party Button and suddenly output the same expected standard of quality and output for new hardware. It got ignored.

Yeah, it would be a big move that would only be done in absolute desperation. They make too much money on licensing and the margins on hardware are pretty good after the first couple of years. Despite the Wii U selling like drizzling shits, they have a lot of inventory paid for and they still have a ton of money in the bank. With the 3DS doing relatively well, they just need to rescue the Wii U out of the toilet and into profitability to weather the storm. I know it doesn't fit the story of Nintendo washing up on the rocks, but they don't need Wii U to be another Wii in order to survive.

I also wouldn't be surprised if they went entirely mobile for their next hardware, with an HDMI dock and an add on controller.

 

[antonz]

Nintendo during it worst years ever prior to the Wii U were still making more money off hardware and software than Sony or Microsoft. Frankly posts saying Nintendo should stop making hardware and sell software to others are STUPID.

 

[Principate]

That reinforces my point, not shits on it.

No it means Sega games don't sell on xbox box and ps3 due to the fan base why do you think Nintendo will magically do significantly better. They'll do better but likely not to the degree that it'd be worth it.

 

[OrangeJulius]

I made a post replying to you outlining all the possible reasons why Nintendo can't just press a Go Third Party Button and suddenly output the same expected standard of quality and output for new hardware. It got ignored.

This thread is like 32 pages. It's hard to follow. Sorry if you feel ignored. Are you an industry analyst? Do you have insider knowledge of Nintendo and their financial goals and plans?

How in the holy hell would you be able to say why Nintendo can or can't go 3rd party?

Are you Iwatas wife or something?

 

[ciridesu]

Well here's his Linkedin page fellow GAFfer:

Can we not paste his linkedin account and picture everywhere please.

 

[GAMERG0D]

I guess so, as they released at the same time.

The Gamecube version came out later.

 

[Vorundor]

fucking GAF. Leave the guy alone. smh

If he gets fired then GAF is not to blame.
Heck, I'd say a majority agreed with his sentiments. There was no witch hunt here.

Well another question is, does EA even care if they're no longer partners with Nintendo?

Not a partner now but he can cost EA business down the line. Nintendo might be flaky now but they still hold a large portion of the market.

 

[jello44]

Man, after this Bob guy deleted his tweets, lots of venom being thrown towards this Scott Hanselman guy too and he didn't even have anything to do with it.

 

[Carpe Libertatem]

This thread is like 32 pages. It's hard to follow. Sorry if you feel ignored. Are you an industry analyst? Do you have insider knowledge of Nintendo and their financial goals and plans?

How in the holy hell would you be able to say why Nintendo can or can't go 3rd party?

Are you Iwatas wife or something?

If your bread and butter is games, as it has been with Nintendo for over a decade, then they should just go 3rd party and put Mario, etc, on the sony and microsoft consoles. They'd make a freaking killing.

The irony.