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[cja]

The huge, 60+ page, thread at gamesradar.com (detailing the dodgy nature of the 90% scores in PSM2 and Xbox World) has been deleted. For background info and the first two thirds of the thread which have been archived go here:
http://worldofstuart.excellentcontent.com/drivergate/drivergate.htm

A mod at gamesradar.com has now said any mention of the thread will immediately be deleted:
http://www.eurogamer.net/forum_thread_posts.php?thread_id=15286&forum_id=1

Future Publishing are responsible for the biggest selling PlayStation, Xbox and PC games magazines in the USA and UK.

Main threads here detailing the two driv3r scandals (first the bent scores, second the viral marketing):
The Driv3r THREAD OF SHAME OH HANG YOUR HEADS ATARI
Viral Marketing Scandal: Atari publicists posing as forumites to promote Driv3r!

 

[Chopin Trusty Balls]

Dr1v3r,n3v3r f0rg3t

 

[Brannon]

Too bad that so many people have already archived it to fucking death.

OOPS.

 

[Deg]

Dr1v3r,n3v3r f0rg3t

lol

 

[Grizzlyjin]

Oh, they walked in some poop but think they can make it all go away by wiping off their boots. What about the tracks you left? Huh? Huh? Huh? Doing something like deleting the whole thread and saying any mention will be deleted makes them seem even more guilty. You would think that Xbox World and PSM2 said that the oral sex would stop if their practices were brought into the light anymore.

 

[Chittagong]

EDGE is by Future, 3/10. But not read by the manipulatable masses with too much money. Just by the manipulatable niche with too much money.

 

[Matlock]

Hell, I'll give Driv3r a good score nowadays if they give me ten bucks.

 

[Flynn]

I don't really see the viral marketing aspect of "Driv3rgate" as all that terrible. It's a common practice in other fields and not much different than the fake testimonials we see on television every day.

 

[Musashi Wins!]

I don't really see the viral marketing aspect of "Driv3rgate" as all that terrible. It's a common practice in other fields and not much different than the fake testimonials we see on television every day.

Agreed. And there are fanboyz for the consoles who pimp mediocre games all the time...for free!

 

[Mike]

I don't really see the viral marketing aspect of "Driv3rgate" as all that terrible. It's a common practice in other fields and not much different than the fake testimonials we see on television every day.

The fake testimonials run a disclaimer at the bottom of the screen.

 

[Chopin Trusty Balls]

They also faked orgasm

 

[xsarien]

The fake testimonials run a disclaimer at the bottom of the screen.

Go to google and look up the whole mess that was the PR campaign for "The Animal."

 

[Teddman]

If there were any doubt left, I think it's safe to say that Future Publishing has now lost any and all credibility as a review source.

Blatant coverups like that only affirm suspicion.

 

[D2M15]

If there were any doubt left, I think it's safe to say that Future Publishing has now lost any and all credibility as a review source.
Blatant coverups like that only affirm suspicion.

WELL THAT ABOUT WRAPS IT UP FOR FUTURE PUBLISHING

 

[Flynn]

The fake testimonials run a disclaimer at the bottom of the screen.

Not always. There are commercial from bigger companies, like IBM and AOL, with actors talking about the product. The pretense is that they're real people in the natural way they talk.

 

[DSN2K]

 

[Teddman]

WELL THAT ABOUT WRAPS IT UP FOR FUTURE PUBLISHING

I'm sure they'll continue to sell tons of magazines, if that's what you're implying. But I've never seen a gaming magazine/website so cavalierly write off their credibility with the hardcore gamer crowd, not to mention their journalistic reputation in the industy.

What they just did at GamesRadar was tantamount to an admission of guilt. I mean, not even a decent attempt at a spin doctoring before resulting to "destroy all evidence" mode...

 

[Deg]

EDGE is by Future, 3/10. But not read by the manipulatable masses with too much money. Just by the manipulatable niche with too much money.

and it was done well after the game came out. Right in time for people not to read it.

I'm sure they'll continue to sell tons of magazines, if that's what you're implying. But I've never seen a gaming magazine/website so cavalierly write off their credibility with the hardcore gamer crowd, not to mention their journalistic reputation in the industy.

What they just did at GamesRadar was tantamount to an admission of guilt. I mean, not even a decent attempt at a spin doctoring before resulting to "destroy all evidence" mode...

I think it was bound to happen eventually. It happened with Driv3r.

 

[pilonv1]

and it was done well after the game came out. Right in time for people not to read it.

Probably because they wouldn't adhere to the "9/10 or no review copy" policy Atari was after. So they had to wait like everyone else.

 

[Tellaerin]

Not always. There are commercial from bigger companies, like IBM and AOL, with actors talking about the product. The pretense is that they're real people in the natural way they talk.

The difference is that they're still commercials. People usually know enough to take testimonials like that with a grain of salt, if only for the fact that they are being presented by a company to boost sales of a product.

Viral marketing on messageboards blurs that line. It's the equivalent of a company paying people to talk up their product to unsuspecting friends and relatives, so they won't realize they're listening to what is in essence a paid advertisement. That 'stealth marketing' element is what makes it so sleazy.

 

[Flynn]

The difference is that they're still commercials. People usually know enough to take testimonials like that with a grain of salt, if only for the fact that they are being presented by a company to boost sales of a product.

Viral marketing on messageboards blurs that line. It's the equivalent of a company paying people to talk up their product to unsuspecting friends and relatives, so they won't realize they're listening to what is in essence a paid advertisement. That 'stealth marketing' element is what makes it so sleazy.

Sleazy, true. But salesmanship has never been known for its tastefulness.

And I imagine there's plenty of unsuspecting friends and relatives who have gotten an earful about Amway.

 

[boutrosinit]

The huge, 60+ page, thread at gamesradar.com (detailing the dodgy nature of the 90% scores in PSM2 and Xbox World) has been deleted. For background info and the first two thirds of the thread which have been archived go here:
http://worldofstuart.excellentcontent.com/drivergate/drivergate.htm

A mod at gamesradar.com has now said any mention of the thread will immediately be deleted:
http://www.eurogamer.net/forum_thread_posts.php?thread_id=15286&forum_id=1

Future Publishing are responsible for the biggest selling PlayStation, Xbox and PC games magazines in the USA and UK.

Main threads here detailing the two driv3r scandals (first the bent scores, second the viral marketing):
The Driv3r THREAD OF SHAME OH HANG YOUR HEADS ATARI
Viral Marketing Scandal: Atari publicists posing as forumites to promote Driv3r!

Their SHAME must nevver be forgotten. Commendations to you sir for continuing to spread the word. Atari and UK Games mags = TEH EVIL!!111

 

[Mr Mike]

YES! FUTURE IS BLANKET EVIL! Let's disregard the fact that other in-house mags, some with massive circulation figures, that aren't Edge have now stepped up to give the game 'average' scores!

Seriously, a few mags that aren't Edge but are by Future have said that it's a duff game, so it's not the company as a whole that's at fault - it's more a case that a few shit editors of some unofficial single format mags are to blame.

And it's hardly a fucking surprise if the content on their own forum accusing them of libellous acts (the mags probably weren't directly 'bribed' per se, after all) has been deleted, is it?

 

[Funky Papa]

Viral marketing is the act of spreading the buzz about a product (a game in this case) using mouth to mouth techniques, converting the player into the consumer and the marketer. There are a lot different ways to achieve this, creating false individuals to lie about the quality of a game is a despicable method that no way represents the rest of work.

(the mags probably weren't directly 'bribed' per se, after all)

Editors in chief can be bribed somehow, like promising huge advertisement campaings in magazines were they earn comissions, but most of the sensible stuff happens at writer level and doesn't involve money but expensive promo items without apparent reason or free plane tickets and nights on fancy hotels while going to interview somebody. In this last case it is not bribing but being "extremely amicable" with the staff.

 

[boutrosinit]

YES! FUTURE IS BLANKET EVIL! Let's disregard the fact that other in-house mags, some with massive circulation figures, that aren't Edge have now stepped up to give the game 'average' scores!

Seriously, a few mags that aren't Edge but are by Future have said that it's a duff game, so it's not the company as a whole that's at fault - it's more a case that a few shit editors of some unofficial single format mags are to blame.

And it's hardly a fucking surprise if the content on their own forum accusing them of libellous acts (the mags probably weren't directly 'bribed' per se, after all) has been deleted, is it?

Er dude... I said UK GAMES MAGS. I don't have a beef with any one publisher and I know for fact Future aren't the only ones who 'massage scores'. Kristan from Eurogamer wrote a great article in last week's MCV on this very matter. Fact is, mags can't be trusted 100% because of the financial structure and thus the balance of power.

 

[DrLazy]

YES! FUTURE IS BLANKET EVIL! Let's disregard the fact that other in-house mags, some with massive circulation figures, that aren't Edge have now stepped up to give the game 'average' scores!

How much you getting paid?

 

[SFA_AOK]

"If there were any doubt left, I think it's safe to say that Future Publishing has now lost any and all credibility as a review source."

Dickhead! Future Publishing aren't a review source, they're a magazine publisher. To write off all their magazines is stupid....

"Their SHAME must nevver be forgotten. Commendations to you sir for continuing to spread the word. Atari and UK Games mags = TEH EVIL!!111"

Oh, but this guy goes there! I thought this was a joke but there's a follow up that suggests it's not...

"Er dude... I said UK GAMES MAGS. I don't have a beef with any one publisher and I know for fact Future aren't the only ones who 'massage scores'. Kristan from Eurogamer wrote a great article in last week's MCV on this very matter. Fact is, mags can't be trusted 100% because of the financial structure and thus the balance of power."

So UK mags (specifically) can never be trusted? :rolleyes The stupidity is giving me a headache...

 

[D2M15]

not to mention their journalistic reputation in the industry.

Would that be the same industry that sets up score deals with magazines in the first place?

 

[boutrosinit]

So UK mags (specifically) can never be trusted? :rolleyes The stupidity is giving me a headache...

FFS. NO I said UK GAMES MAGS. Not ALL UK GAMES MAGS. I was being general. And yes it was a joke. And yes it does happen ALL THE TIME. And I only know this because my friends are UK journos.

 

[Teddman]

In all honesty, it does seem like UK mags/websites are more easily persuaded to do stuff like this.

 

[cja]

Some peeps are taking these claims rather personally. Mr Mike goes from broad smiley when I lampooned Dan over his singling out of Future in this thread to defending them here. Odd that .

Gamesradar.com is the website for all Future Game publications, if gamesradar.com are deleting threads then that reflects on all of their game magazines.

 

[Raxel]

.

 

[SiegfriedFM]

CVG: Galleon = 92% "Totally unmissable"

*rolleyes*