GameSpot and the Gerstmann Firing
By now I’ve heard and read enough about Gerstmann’s firing, on and off the record, to be worried about where GameStop’s headed.
I’ve never considered GameStop a key source of cutting-edge game critique, but for years they’ve done a reliable job of picking apart games and exposing their flaws. In terms of providing consumers with detailed buyer’s-guide review content, they’ve done an excellent job. I wonder if that will continue to be the case.
I started worrying about GameSpot back when they disclosed that they sold key front page space to their ad clients. In other words, decisions about which games were featured prominently on the page were driven by publisher dollars. Even though GameSpot claimed their editorial department remained completely independent, it was still troubling.
The bottom line is that I’m now even less sure I can count on GameSpot to come down hard on games that are uninspired, underdeveloped, and poorly made. I’m sure there’s more to the Gerstmann firing than one Kane and Lynch review, and we’ll probably never know the entire story, but in the end I’ll be eyeing their content with a great deal more skepticism.