Kinda silly that you're okay with Sony essentially trying to "blackmail/bribe" the rumor under the rug.
So a company saying "If you cant work with us, we wont work with you" is now blackmail? They got two letters - one cordial, one "ok - gloves off". . .usually in blackmail situations you get one letter, and its not so nice. A true dick move wouldve been to not give KOTAKU any warning and just cancelled all their press access.
Asking for favors after giving gifts with the threat of taking those gifts away or more tends to be a form of blackmail. The short form of it is that Sony tried to literally scare the guy into not posting the rumor.
You realise it's a pretty regular thing in the games industry, right?
An example I brought up in the other thread is that Nintendo sent a copy of Super Paper Mario to Shane Bettenhausen at 1UP. From my memory of what he said on the 1UP Yours podcast, he didn't sign a NDA but just had an agreement with Nintendo to not say much about it (all he's said so far is that it's "pretty good"). If he were to openly start talking about it, I'd bet that Nintendo would "punish" 1UP/EGM by not providing them with the access they usually have.
Yeah, but there's a pretty sharp difference from having the secrets of your game revealed after giving someone a copy and dealing with an unconfirmed rumor.
Kinda silly that you're okay with Sony essentially trying to "blackmail/bribe" the rumor under the rug.
So a company saying "If you cant work with us, we wont work with you" is now blackmail? They got two letters - one cordial, one "ok - gloves off". . .usually in blackmail situations you get one letter, and its not so nice. A true dick move wouldve been to not give KOTAKU any warning and just cancelled all their press access.
Asking for favors after giving gifts with the threat of taking those gifts away or more tends to be a form of blackmail. The short form of it is that Sony tried to literally scare the guy into not posting the rumor.
I don't think "You provided false information, so we're taking our toys and leaving the sandbox!" is quite sinister enough to be considered blackmail.
Honestly, Sony has just shot one of their biggest supporters in her gaping blogina.
You're being sarcastic, right? Nearly all of the bullshit rumours that went around last year were started at Kotaku (including the infamous one where each PS3 game would only be able to run on one system).
Regardless, they're also one of the companies biggest (only?) supporters. Sure, they did some anti-Sony tabloid mucky-muck, too, but they also showed a lot more love to Sony than other sites.
Update: This really wasn't worth it for Kotaku. They do get one good scoop now, but they've potentially blown countless scoops in the future, since Sony has cut off ALL information to them. And blabbing about the blackballing could ensure it continues for quite some time.
Uh?
Am I the only one who remembers that 'scoops' simply don't exist any more? The instant one site (blog or otherwise) reports something, it's everywhere within minutes.
Yeah but...whoever posts the info first is the one that got the 'scoop'. And they generally get credit from other sites for being the one to break the story. So over time, they gain a repuation as the go-to place for new info. It's just that, in the old days everyone got the story the next day, whereas now it's the next few minutes. Same concept though.
So, attaining the scoop is all about the 'cred'? Gosh. I'm not sure about anyone else, but I'll go to a site out of habit and good content, not whether they can be first out of the gate with a corporate-sanctioned press-release. Does the scoop factor in to any one elses reading choices?
Kinda silly that you're okay with Sony essentially trying to "blackmail/bribe" the rumor under the rug.
So a company saying "If you cant work with us, we wont work with you" is now blackmail? They got two letters - one cordial, one "ok - gloves off". . .usually in blackmail situations you get one letter, and its not so nice. A true dick move wouldve been to not give KOTAKU any warning and just cancelled all their press access.
Asking for favors after giving gifts with the threat of taking those gifts away or more tends to be a form of blackmail. The short form of it is that Sony tried to literally scare the guy into not posting the rumor.
So its not KOTAKU's bad for taking that access and gifts in the first place, but SONY's for (shockingly) leveraging that relationship to cash in on some of that Quid-Pro-Quo?
The short form of it is that Sony tried to literally scare the guy into not posting the rumor.
Seems to me they said "Hey buddy - dont post this. . .were cool right, do me a solid" - at which point the scary letter came which wasnt a threat at all, but was a statement of consequence for not doing the solid.
I think at this point I should stop talking since the concept of this seems to be well above your head.
thematically, the baby doll one is incredible. Very 2001 monolith style. The young, blank slate of a child is completely awed and blown away by the knowledge that the ps3 imbues into it. It only works with the doll too, a real child would have been not good enough. there is impact there, the reflection of all the images in the eyes as the tears flow, then retract.
Sorry, but copping the entire concept from a classic (and awesome) movie to hock your game system doesn't strike me as thematically incredible. Not to mention, the '2001 monolith' angle has exactly zero impact on anyone who isn't familiar with the movie/book (which is a lot of people these days).
guess it just boils down to personal perception.
i just choose to look at more than a catchy song and pretty graphics and dig a little deeper.
i DO get the meaning for the 2001, and i for one really "get" the commercial despite the fact that i'm a 360 owner, and despiser of the ps3.
I "get" the commercial too. It just came across as creepy and pretentious, even though I understood the reference and the meaning.
They need to hire back whatever firm came up with the PSP "Take Me Out" TV ads. Even though they didn't show any footage of games, it did a really good job of making the PSP seem like something fun.
Bullshit Headlines to Find Legitimacy through use of Humble Question Mark?
*shrug* I just can't get excited about this. I find the caliber of writing at Kotaku to be quite low; they haven't shown Sony any particular love or attention so I think we're once again climbing Mount Molehill. When you break it down - it's Sony's party and they can take choose to share cake or not.
No more cake for Kotaku. I don't think the world's going to stop spinning because of it.
no, i mean, Mad world is a GREAT song, but the pacing in that commercial was horrible past the first 30 seconds in the longer version, in the shorter version its even worse. the horrible literal lyrics of "familiar faces" as he looks into the reflection in the puddle, and then "worn out faces" as he turns the face of the broken statue. Right at the end, the piano in the dark with only the orange eyes illuminating the scene start to work, but as soon as the creature is revealed the pace of the song is too slow for what you are seeing on screen.
--
and artistically, the gears commercial was nothing more than a fan trailer with dubbed music. it just looked so amature. and hell, for that we have this decent metallica remix.
I knew there was a reason I liked you. First time I saw that commercial it was after reading everyone waxing lyrical about it, and my reaction was just 'huh. Pop culture song on some cinematics'. It was like the work experience boy slapped it together and they thought 'hey, might as well chuck that out there.'
As to this: good on Kotaku. They're basically one giant opinion column, and there's nothing to stop them running with a story like this. I know I was interested in reading it, and it generated interest on my part for the company and their shiny monolith of a product.
Am I right in thinking that, effectively, Sony doesn't actually have a PR department? They fired that one exec a while ago, and from what I've heard they had trouble filling the position.
Willeth on
@vgreminders - Don't miss out on timed events in gaming! @gamefacts - Totally and utterly true gaming facts on the regular!
Am I right in thinking that, effectively, Sony doesn't actually have a PR department? They fired that one exec a while ago, and from what I've heard they had trouble filling the position.
I think their Japanese publisher relations person quit sometime last year. I don't remember hearing if they ever filled it though.
Maybe they reacted that way because the story is false.
"So, I hear the PS3 Network is getting a much-needed upgrade, what some believe can finally push the online aspect to the levels of Xbox Live. "
"Well... no, not really."
"...Oh. So, anyone for some co-op Crackdown?"
Actually, the story is about Playstation Home, which is essentially a mix between Miis and Achievements.
And their reaction only helps to validate the story since they don't actually prove it false.
And even if it IS false, why shut them up - it's still good press at this point. If Sony crushed every innacurately positive PS3 article, there'd be nothing left at this point.
and yet they don't quash stories that it's selling well. Double standards!
Kinda silly that you're okay with Sony essentially trying to "blackmail/bribe" the rumor under the rug.
So a company saying "If you cant work with us, we wont work with you" is now blackmail? They got two letters - one cordial, one "ok - gloves off". . .usually in blackmail situations you get one letter, and its not so nice. A true dick move wouldve been to not give KOTAKU any warning and just cancelled all their press access.
Asking for favors after giving gifts with the threat of taking those gifts away or more tends to be a form of blackmail. The short form of it is that Sony tried to literally scare the guy into not posting the rumor.
So its not KOTAKU's bad for taking that access and gifts in the first place, but SONY's for (shockingly) leveraging that relationship to cash in on some of that Quid-Pro-Quo?
The short form of it is that Sony tried to literally scare the guy into not posting the rumor.
Seems to me they said "Hey buddy - dont post this. . .were cool right, do me a solid" - at which point the scary letter came which wasnt a threat at all, but was a statement of consequence for not doing the solid.
I think at this point I should stop talking since the concept of this seems to be well above your head.
Someone doesnt agree with an internet posters definition of a situation, so their grasp of said definition is OBVIOUSLY faulty. Welcome to the Internets: Where Nothing Changes.
But by all means - stop talking.
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no, i mean, Mad world is a GREAT song, but the pacing in that commercial was horrible past the first 30 seconds in the longer version, in the shorter version its even worse. the horrible literal lyrics of "familiar faces" as he looks into the reflection in the puddle, and then "worn out faces" as he turns the face of the broken statue. Right at the end, the piano in the dark with only the orange eyes illuminating the scene start to work, but as soon as the creature is revealed the pace of the song is too slow for what you are seeing on screen.
--
and artistically, the gears commercial was nothing more than a fan trailer with dubbed music. it just looked so amature. and hell, for that we have this decent metallica remix.
I knew there was a reason I liked you. First time I saw that commercial it was after reading everyone waxing lyrical about it, and my reaction was just 'huh. Pop culture song on some cinematics'. It was like the work experience boy slapped it together and they thought 'hey, might as well chuck that out there.'
it was all in game
but yeah, lame commercial, great song, yadda yadda.
So pretty much Kotaku just threw this shit in their face, called their bluff, made the whole thing public, and then Sony backed down.
Awsome.
Or nothing happened.
I'm having a hard time believing Sony would play by their rules, considering Kotaku is nothing but a blip in the gaming community, if even that.
Kotaku is a pretty influential site. The fallout about the blacklisting had spread to many of the other major sites, and even to places like Slashdot.
I think that Sony just realized that they had nothing to gain from blacklisting Crecente and Co.
Well, to be fair I wouldn't really put it past Kotaku to make stuff up for the attention... but I doubt they would do so in a way where there's slander involved.
I think at this point I should stop talking since the concept of this seems to be well above your head.
Sony gives Kotaku items for good press, which Kotaku has been doing lately (God of War 2, Motorcross). Sony threatened to cancel the deal if they didn't get what they wanted. Extortion.
*shrug* I just can't get excited about this. I find the caliber of writing at Kotaku to be quite low
I'm no grammatical hero, and definitely not a spelling expert, but even I cringe at some of the mistakes that make it onto their front page.
And, as I expected (and much to chaossoldier's dismay), Kotaku got away with it.
All I know is if I suddenly had blackballs I would get that shit looked at. Could be serious.
RACIST! ;-)
Sleep: Wow, I never knew that the reviews God of War 2 got from 1UP and IGN were because Sony gave them some items. I guess it has nothing to do with it being a fucking awesome game and all. What I'm trying to say is, perhaps that good press is because they're good games.
Anyway, meh, I was hoping that Kotaku would somehow come out in a bad situation. I really hate that site.
Glad to see someone in the company realized how bad for PR this was.
"Kotaku....we're blackballing you." "Fine!" *Moments later, the internet is filled with the story.* "Uhh...guys, I think we made a mistake." "PRESS THE RED 'REVERSE TIME' BUTTON!" "It's not working!" "Damn thing never does...Maybe next time."
I'm amazed there hasn't been a rip in the space-time continuum from the amount of backpeddling Sony's been doing lately.
Oh, how the mighty has fallen. What was once one of the leading and most powerful and innovative corporations in the world is now whipping boy to patent campers, retailers, the media, and apparently anyone with a computer and an opinion.
I think at this point I should stop talking since the concept of this seems to be well above your head.
Sony gives Kotaku items for good press, which Kotaku has been doing lately (God of War 2, Motorcross). Sony threatened to cancel the deal if they didn't get what they wanted. Extortion.
That what I love most about this whole thing. Proof again that bullies will play nice if you stand up to them
Are you serious? That is in no way, shape, or form an appropriate metaphor. Please think harder next time.
Well the way I see it, Sony wanted to control what got out there. They sent Kotaku a note saying that if they ran with the story, they'd sever ties. That's the bullying part. And then Kotaku says 'yeah? Well, go for it.' and calls their bluff. And Sony backs down.
Willeth on
@vgreminders - Don't miss out on timed events in gaming! @gamefacts - Totally and utterly true gaming facts on the regular!
I think at this point I should stop talking since the concept of this seems to be well above your head.
Sony gives Kotaku items for good press, which Kotaku has been doing lately (God of War 2, Motorcross). Sony threatened to cancel the deal if they didn't get what they wanted. Extortion.
Thats not extortion.
Correct. If anything, it's like...the converse of extortion or some shit.
Correct. If anything, it's like...the converse of extortion or some shit.
If anything, it's like when a company threatens to pull their sponsorship of a TV network unless the network cancels a certain documentary that they don't like.
Kotaku were trying to run an independently-sourced story. Sony threatened consequences for doing so. Kotaku called their bluff.
If anything, it's like when a company threatens to pull their sponsorship of a TV network unless the network cancels a certain documentary that they don't like.
Except that Sony aren't exactly providing Kotaku with their funding and only have a fraction of a say in whether they stay afloat or go under. Crecente himself said they weren't going to stop reporting on Sony news, and there are plenty of other sources than the horse's mouth.
Willeth on
@vgreminders - Don't miss out on timed events in gaming! @gamefacts - Totally and utterly true gaming facts on the regular!
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Yeah, but there's a pretty sharp difference from having the secrets of your game revealed after giving someone a copy and dealing with an unconfirmed rumor.
I don't think "You provided false information, so we're taking our toys and leaving the sandbox!" is quite sinister enough to be considered blackmail.
So, attaining the scoop is all about the 'cred'? Gosh. I'm not sure about anyone else, but I'll go to a site out of habit and good content, not whether they can be first out of the gate with a corporate-sanctioned press-release. Does the scoop factor in to any one elses reading choices?
I think at this point I should stop talking since the concept of this seems to be well above your head.
I "get" the commercial too. It just came across as creepy and pretentious, even though I understood the reference and the meaning.
They need to hire back whatever firm came up with the PSP "Take Me Out" TV ads. Even though they didn't show any footage of games, it did a really good job of making the PSP seem like something fun.
Sony to Take Ball and Go Home?
Bullshit Headlines to Find Legitimacy through use of Humble Question Mark?
*shrug* I just can't get excited about this. I find the caliber of writing at Kotaku to be quite low; they haven't shown Sony any particular love or attention so I think we're once again climbing Mount Molehill. When you break it down - it's Sony's party and they can take choose to share cake or not.
No more cake for Kotaku. I don't think the world's going to stop spinning because of it.
As to this: good on Kotaku. They're basically one giant opinion column, and there's nothing to stop them running with a story like this. I know I was interested in reading it, and it generated interest on my part for the company and their shiny monolith of a product.
Am I right in thinking that, effectively, Sony doesn't actually have a PR department? They fired that one exec a while ago, and from what I've heard they had trouble filling the position.
@gamefacts - Totally and utterly true gaming facts on the regular!
I think their Japanese publisher relations person quit sometime last year. I don't remember hearing if they ever filled it though.
http://kotaku.com/gaming/sony/sony-and-kotaku-makeup-240922.php
*cough* Sony backflip *cough*
@gamefacts - Totally and utterly true gaming facts on the regular!
Do we have reason to believe this was anything but a ploy to spur conversation?
and yet they don't quash stories that it's selling well. Double standards!
Awsome.
Someone doesnt agree with an internet posters definition of a situation, so their grasp of said definition is OBVIOUSLY faulty. Welcome to the Internets: Where Nothing Changes.
But by all means - stop talking.
but yeah, lame commercial, great song, yadda yadda.
Damn, that was fast.
I think this gives blogs more power now as Sony has realized how fast bad press like this can spread
Or nothing happened.
I'm having a hard time believing Sony would play by their rules, considering Kotaku is nothing but a blip in the gaming community, if even that.
That what I love most about this whole thing. Proof again that bullies will play nice if you stand up to them.
Oh, I know. It was using the game engine, but it was an FMV. By my book, that falls under the heading of 'cinematic', but it's really splitting hairs.
@gamefacts - Totally and utterly true gaming facts on the regular!
Kotaku is a pretty influential site. The fallout about the blacklisting had spread to many of the other major sites, and even to places like Slashdot.
I think that Sony just realized that they had nothing to gain from blacklisting Crecente and Co.
@gamefacts - Totally and utterly true gaming facts on the regular!
Well, to be fair I wouldn't really put it past Kotaku to make stuff up for the attention... but I doubt they would do so in a way where there's slander involved.
It also made it to the front page of Slashdot in record time. There's usually a lag of quite a few hours with Slashdot stories.
Making it to Slashdot's front page is a pretty big deal. For example, my boss wouldn't know a PS3 from a DS, but he reads Slashdot every day.
I guess Sony found out that bad news travels fast, and had to act quickly themselves.
So...you're pointing out the obvious why?
Sony gives Kotaku items for good press, which Kotaku has been doing lately (God of War 2, Motorcross). Sony threatened to cancel the deal if they didn't get what they wanted. Extortion.
I'm no grammatical hero, and definitely not a spelling expert, but even I cringe at some of the mistakes that make it onto their front page.
And, as I expected (and much to chaossoldier's dismay), Kotaku got away with it.
Sleep: Wow, I never knew that the reviews God of War 2 got from 1UP and IGN were because Sony gave them some items. I guess it has nothing to do with it being a fucking awesome game and all. What I'm trying to say is, perhaps that good press is because they're good games.
Anyway, meh, I was hoping that Kotaku would somehow come out in a bad situation. I really hate that site.
Glad to see someone in the company realized how bad for PR this was.
I think someone at Sony forgot to take there happy pills for the last year or so...
"Kotaku....we're blackballing you." "Fine!" *Moments later, the internet is filled with the story.* "Uhh...guys, I think we made a mistake." "PRESS THE RED 'REVERSE TIME' BUTTON!" "It's not working!" "Damn thing never does...Maybe next time."
Oh, how the mighty has fallen. What was once one of the leading and most powerful and innovative corporations in the world is now whipping boy to patent campers, retailers, the media, and apparently anyone with a computer and an opinion.
I remember the good times.
Thats not extortion.
Well the way I see it, Sony wanted to control what got out there. They sent Kotaku a note saying that if they ran with the story, they'd sever ties. That's the bullying part. And then Kotaku says 'yeah? Well, go for it.' and calls their bluff. And Sony backs down.
@gamefacts - Totally and utterly true gaming facts on the regular!
If anything, it's like when a company threatens to pull their sponsorship of a TV network unless the network cancels a certain documentary that they don't like.
Kotaku were trying to run an independently-sourced story. Sony threatened consequences for doing so. Kotaku called their bluff.
Except that Sony aren't exactly providing Kotaku with their funding and only have a fraction of a say in whether they stay afloat or go under. Crecente himself said they weren't going to stop reporting on Sony news, and there are plenty of other sources than the horse's mouth.
@gamefacts - Totally and utterly true gaming facts on the regular!