Bethesda responds to NMA's preview

[UniversalWolf]

If I were part of the games media I'd do Bethesda's dirty work for them and try to assassinate NMA. I'd probably net more swag and access in the future because they'd remember how I had their back.

It might not pay off, but on the other hand, you never know...

Just my opinion. I take no responsibility for any bearing it may or may not have on people, either real or fictional. Still, I felt compelled to state it.

 

[Brother None]

I'm sorry for doing this, but could someone clarify a few things for me? Did Bethesda say they wouldn't allow NMA to their showing? If so, did they say it before or after the fact? Also, did they say why they didn't want NMA to come?

Before the event: Silencer was turned down with no reason given.

After the event: Matt Grandstaff noted it was a media event, not for fans

 

[Pope Viper]

Amazing what the spin becomes when something like this happens.

 

[bonanza]

Yes, your editings are beginning to improve it, that doesn't change the fact that you have not apologized for accusing of for taping the event and releasing ill-gotten screencaps with no basis for your accusations, or that you're personally attacking us "a couple kids without scruples." Which is just a cheap, personal, unprovoked attack.

Let's see. You deceived Bethesda (your word, not mine). You can either take responsibility for that, or keep claiming the moral high ground. (I'm not holding my breath here, by the way.)

After reading this, I don't see why you guys are even making the effort to argue with this "journalist".

He is confronted with a clear statement: You made blatantly false statements about how NMA supposedly recorded the presentation although it was against the rules.

Confronted with his missbehaviour, he doesn't ignore it only, he even has the nerves to directly answer to that quote with a blatant attempt to switch the topic and avoid that unpleasent accusation. "You lied about us recording the presentation"
Answer: "You sneaked in didn't you? Dont take the moral high ground now!"

In other words: He is behaving like a fucking troll. I have no other words than to call this style of argumenting disgusting.

 

[SimpleMinded]

I'm sorry but this argument blows my mind.

People are angry at Brother None because he went to this convention representing a site and also represented NMA? So I guess it's a good thing that none of our posters work for PC Gamer, EGM, Gamespot or Gamespy because unfortunately, it would be deceitful if they reported at this event when they also, *gasp* like Fallout!?!?

 

[sickfuck_diablo]

Next mission, infiltrate Bethesda HQ

i'd try, were it not that it is nearly on the other side of the world :p

Fast travel.


oh yeah, and Brother None, you could probably make all your money spent on the trip back by auctioning off the promo shirt... all this hype spouting from angry pro-journalists or whatever may increase it's value.

 

[quietfanatic]

Potentially valid points that could have been more explicitly described include the risk that Bethesda might cut down the number of media representatives to better control the amount and type of detail that can get out, and whether there could be negative consequences for the media outlets that supported NMA. Stating that clearly and objectively would be appropriate.

However, paranoid, false, inflammatory remarks do attract more attention. Drama can be fun. E.g. Matt's offensive little opinion piece could bring some notoriety, and hurt his chances of being invited to press events, along with harming his reputation. Therefore journalists should not be permitted to write blogs, because the content may reflect badly on their associated publication.

These sort of problems affect many relationships, such as between journalists and their subjects/clients, employers and politicians. These issues are ambiguous and usually legally unclear as well.

 

[TheWesDude]

hey matt, just wanted to make a point that i think is being lost on you.

i played a hunter in WoW, and posted on WoW orientated boards. under the persona of my hunter.

i play DAOC. i post on daoc orientated boards under my daoc handle. i do not post on daoc boards under my wow hunter or under that guise. i post as my daoc persona.

i play EQ2. i post on EQ2 orientated boards as my eq2 persona. i do not post on eq2 boards as my daoc char, wow char, or anything else.

BN and SuA went to that gaming convention as reporters for online gaming mags. now they are also members of NMA but they were not invited as members of NMA, they were invited as members of the press for their gaming mags.

if they had been invited as members of NMA and then tried to hide the fact they were from NMA. they were invited as members of the press from the online gaming mags.

as a comparison, you are getting mad/angry/disparaging at NMA/BN/SuA for posting on an EQ board as an EQ player because they also play daoc without saying anything.

your argument would only be valid if they had been asked at any time if they were members or frequent posters or frequent visitors of NMA. if it was never asked, then it should not have been any kind of issue and you have no grounds for that blog post you made nor does beth have any grounds for being angry.

 

[SuAside]

I'm sorry for doing this, but could someone clarify a few things for me? Did Bethesda say they wouldn't allow NMA to their showing? If so, did they say it before or after the fact? Also, did they say why they didn't want NMA to come?

I'm seeing conflicting stories, and I just want to get this straight.

Silencer, BN and I applied for the showing. Silencer was the only to apply under the name of NMA. Silencer got a reply that he couldnt attend because "there was no more room". (yet at the event itself, 2 reporters got seats by simply asking)

afterwards, Grandstaff (Beth community manager) said no fan sites were allowed to view the preview and that that is why Silencer was turned down.

so who is right? Lunch PR (the people that handled the European PR for the event and turned Silencer down on the account of no seats) or Gstaff (who said no fansites were allowed).

 

[Sander]

I don't know that I have or haven't made false accusations, firstly. I certainly expressed an opinion. Has Michael Jackson had any work done? No one really knows for sure, but plenty of people speculate all the time.

Commonly, if you are expressing an opinion you make it known that you are expressing in fact, an opinion, and not making factual statements. You did no such thing. Aside from whether or not Brother None or SuAside were being deceitful and hurting the press, you have no (and I mean absolutely zero) reason to believe that they took screencaptures, made sound-recordings or made video-recordings. However, you, as a self-proclaimed professional journalist, *still* insisted on claiming that they did, without any disclaimer pointing out that that was just your opinion. This could be considered slander, even, but it fits more with simplistic personal attacks to try to make your point.

Are you in the habit of accusing other people of things you have no proof for whatsoever, or is this just a one-time thing you try to justify by 'Well, they broke *other* rules'?

Oh, and if you do have some reason to believe that they did sneak in recording devices, please be so kind as to tell us what those reasons are, since so far you have failed to do any such thing.

The one where Bethesda disallowed NMA from attending, and you went anyway.

Bethesda had no such rule, anywhere, at any time for as far as we knew before they went to the event. Silencer was denied, but with the reason of 'not enough room' given. Only when already at the conference did Brother None and SuAside hear differently from Grandstaff.
Perhaps you should not try to second-guess what 'rules' Bethesda laid out privately, and then try to pretend as if they had made those rules public (or known to us). Because Bethesda has done no such thing. To the best of NMA's knowledge, Brother None and SuAside did not break any rules and if you have some insider knowledge as to those rules, then NMA can't be faulted for not having that insider information.

 

[Bradylama]

I'll have to remember in the future that rules cannot bend. Thanks, Matt.

 

[El_Smacko]

Matt Matt Matt, oh dear what are we to do with ye? You know your wrong. You know you made false accusations, you know your wrong, and you know every one of your points has been successfully rebutted multiple times in this thread. Yet you persist to say the same thing over and over again instead of furthering the argument.

This will not get you anywhere. You cannot simply go "NANANANA I'm right your wrong" and glide over every counter-point and call that a win. Just because you refuse to man up and cede the point, does not mean your leaving here with your balls intact.

Lets face it, you lost. Your wrong, and your backtracking and refusal to face reality have done nothing but further cement the obvious fact that you are a fool. A fool jealous of a couple of blasted meddling kids who wrote an informative and honest preview that blew every other one right out of the damned water.

Personally, I say we just stop this argument here. This guy is not going to man up (even though he knows hes wrong) and has already achieved maximum hypocrisy. Lets just lock the thread and move on.

 

[Blazerfrost]

Potentially valid points that could have been more explicitly described include the risk that Bethesda might cut down the number of media representatives to better control the amount and type of detail that can get out

I agree, although if they do take this course of action it will be a bit obvious that they only want reviews that they deem as okay to their image. Kind of like a censorship board, no? It's understandable that a company wouldn't want any negative press but to go as far as to manipulate what is being said is a bit drastic. Then it would cross the line from "informative article" to "propaganda", so then they might as well just do away with press coverage and release their own statements that says and shows exactly what they want about the game. So why have press coverage in the first place? Because it's supposed to be more credible due to the fact that an outside person does it (although mostly I seem to find that game reviews tend to say the exact same thing as the PR people form a company). I see the NMA preview still isn't on their links list, even though lots of people have said it is the best and most informative review they've read. Just because this preview wasn't sanctioned by them? Just because it isn't the only one where the people writing it actually knew what Fallout is about and wasn't being preoccupied by the flashy bloom and exploding heads?

What I don't get is why did they prohibit recording in the first place?

 

[Brother None]

Silencer was denied, but with the reason of 'not enough room' given.

Be factual, people, Silencer was denied with the note "Unfortunately I am not going to be able to confirm an appointment for you to see Fallout 3 at Leipzig." Nothing more, nothing less.

What I don't get is why did they prohibit recording in the first place?

Information control. It'd suck for Bethesda if video, screens or sounds would leak.

 

[Araanor]

Deceitful NMA-villains, bringing illegal recording and analytical devices to the preview - brains! You should have been aware that these contraptions are forbidden at all Bethesda media events.

 

[Per]

Potentially valid points that could have been more explicitly described include the risk that Bethesda might cut down the number of media representatives to better control the amount and type of detail that can get out

I agree, although if they do take this course of action it will be a bit obvious that they only want reviews that they deem as okay to their image.

Exactly. If the media had any integrity, they'd be perfectly content to stand aside and leave these choices up to the developers, now, then and whichever incidents may happen. And if it does become clear that developers screen attendees to exclude anyone less than 94% likely to present a favourable impression, it merely proves that things weren't the way they were made out to be. People wringing their hands over the supposed injustice inflicted on Bethesda aren't concerned that the state of events might be rotten, they're just concerned that it might become apparent. And when "but they didn't want people to learn it from you" is made the linchpin of a barrage of unsubstantiated personal attacks, not to be retracted for any reason, that's just hilarious. Or maybe "sad" is the word I'm looking for.

Lets face it, Personally, I say we just stop this argument here. This guy is not going to man up (even though he knows hes wrong) and has already achieved maximum hypocrisy. Lets just lock the thread and move on.

Newsposts don't get locked. However, any more instances of pointless abuse will be splut.

 

[Sander]

Be factual, people, Silencer was denied with the note "Unfortunately I am not going to be able to confirm an appointment for you to see Fallout 3 at Leipzig." Nothing more, nothing less.

Ah, right. I wonder why I got that mixed up.
Anyway, the point still stands: at no point before Leipzig did Bethesda make it clear there was a rule that anyone who was a fan or affiliated with a fansite was banned from their preview screenings.

 

[Futurity]

Its simple they went there as journalist of some gaming magazines.

 

[welsh]

If I were part of the games media I'd do Bethesda's dirty work for them and try to assassinate NMA. I'd probably net more swag and access in the future because they'd remember how I had their back.

It might not pay off, but on the other hand, you never know...

Just my opinion. I take no responsibility for any bearing it may or may not have on people, either real or fictional. Still, I felt compelled to state it.

They wouldn't have to got to such lengths. They have something like $20 mil dedicated to this game, I think. Bethesda has more in its war chest then we do.

Remember, NMA does not make a profit. In fact we still need to pay off the debts for this little adventure. No one here makes a dime on this site- what we do here, is done for the love of Fallout and with intention of serving the fallout community.

(hint- if you want us to do more things like this, donate.)

Many thanks to those of you who donated. Your contributions are greatly appreciated.

 

[Dracon M'Alkir]

If I were part of the games media I'd do Bethesda's dirty work for them and try to assassinate NMA. I'd probably net more swag and access in the future because they'd remember how I had their back.

It might not pay off, but on the other hand, you never know...

Just my opinion. I take no responsibility for any bearing it may or may not have on people, either real or fictional. Still, I felt compelled to state it.

They wouldn't have to got to such lengths. They have something like $20 mil dedicated to this game, I think. Bethesda has more in its war chest then we do.

Remember, NMA does not make a profit. In fact we still need to pay off the debts for this little adventure. No one here makes a dime on this site- what we do here, is done for the love of Fallout and with intention of serving the fallout community.

(hint- if you want us to do more things like this, donate.)

Many thanks to those of you who donated. Your contributions are greatly appreciated.

I would like the know the total debt that was attained for this little covert mission, so that I can approximate how much of a donation would not be considered horrendously cheap.

Example: Trying to donate 50 cents when something like $4,000 is needed.

I was seriously impressed with Kharn + Suaside's mission, and I loved the preview. Was about time we got an honest to bones look at Fallout 3.

P.S: Please PM me if you do not wish to reveal the value publicly.