Kane & Lynch Gamespot Review Causes Controversy

When I browse the Internet for games, I usually go for reviews first. I want to know how well or how bad a title before going out and purchasing a copy. One site a visit regularly, and quote often in this site as well, is Gamespot. Now, what happens when Gamespot has a review that clashes with the massive advertising that the game’s publisher invested in the website? The rumor mill answer: the editor gets fired.

We’ve heard an unsettling rumor today from an anonymous tipster that longtime game reviewer Jeff Gerstmann from Gamespot has been let go. That wouldn’t necessarily be newsworthy, but the conditions under which he was allegedly dismissed were. According to the source, Gerstmann was fired “on the spot” due to advertiser pressure for his review of Eidos’ Kane & Lynch: Dead Men. A visit to Gamespot shows that the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 game has taken over the site very prominently, with backgrounds and multiple banner ads all pitching Kane & Lynch . Allegedly, publisher Eidos “took issue with the review and threatened to pull its ad campaign.”

Here’s the video that supposedly led to the firing:

In the end, who does Gamespot answer to? Its sponsors or its readers?

Source: Kotaku

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