Duke Nukem PR Man: I Received Threats Against My FamilyDuke Nukem Forever's review scores came in much lower than 2K Games would have wanted, and external PR firm The Redner Group was none too pleased with the tone of some critics. Unfortunately for Jim Redner, this led to a tweet about limiting review copies to those in the press, and Take-Two immediately removed Redner from the job.
IndustryGamers decided to dig a little deeper to find out what Redner's mindset was, how this could/should have been handled, and to get Redner's full take on blacklisting in this industry.
IndustryGamers: Before you made the offending tweet, did you have any hesitation when sending it off?
Jim Redner: No. It was an emotional outburst. I was venting. I would like to believe that I would have handled it differently if I had been thinking. Normally, I would have contacted the writer directly to have a conversation about the review. I do not support the act of blacklisting. I do support choices. I hope that you will see the difference between the two during the course of the interview.
"Do not do what I did. Let me be clear, do not go on Twitter and vent."
IG: Did you expect the backlash from publications right after sending the tweet, or was the negative reaction a surprise?
JR: What I found as a surprise was the level of hate I received from random people. I received threats against me and my family. For the span of 48 hours, my blunder put me in the public eye in a limited way. During the course of that I time I received a ton of emails and twitter messages from people. Some were supportive and others were not. I was heckled. Some of it was quite clever and funny. Some of them were very mean. A few were scary. It got me thinking about celebrities and they type of hate they must receive on a daily basis. I cannot begin to imagine what Kim Kardashian or Jennifer Aniston go through on a daily basis. That must be awful. After reading what I received, I cannot imagine what people say about celebrities via Twitter.
I want to thank PR colleagues, media and other people who have sent lovely letters of support. I will not name anyone publicly, but they know who they are and I will never forget their acts of kindness.
IG: We definitely know of publishers, sometimes even 2K Games, placing publications on blacklists based on poor reviews of previously-released titles [FYI, our parent Eurogamer has publicly stated that it was blacklisted by 2K]. How widespread is blacklisting as a policy? Is this really the best way for PR to deal with journalists?
JR: Blacklisting in an interesting concept. In my limited knowledge, I believe it started as a concept by major film to prevent suspected communists from working. From what I understand, it was the House Committee on UnAmerican Activities that investigated people suspected of non-American political beliefs or associations. In Hollywood in the 1950s, a group of studio executives infamously released what is now called the Waldorf Statement. The statement called out 10 particular Hollywood men who had been cited by the House of Representatives. It went on to say that their actions were a “disservice to their employers.” The studios discharged or suspended these 10 men “until such time as he is acquitted or has purged himself of contempt and declares under oath that he is no a Communist.” Anyone on that blacklist was denied work in Hollywood.
I believe that the reaction to my statement brought forth a broadening of the term blacklisting. If I decide to send a game to one writer and not another for any reason, have I blacklisted that writer? If I pick Shell gas or Chevron, have I blacklisted Chevron? Blacklisting is a control mechanism that denies access to those who are being excluded. If I decide to send one writer the game because I believe that he or she will provide it with a better score and not send the game to another outlet because I believe that person incapable of being fair, that is a choice that I am making for the benefit of my client. Yes, I am excluding someone. But I am not preventing that individual writer from reviewing the game because they can purchase it, borrow it or rent it. In fact, I cannot prevent a writer from reviewing any game. I am not preventing them for working or making a living. I cannot deny them the ability to publish. So how am I blacklisting them?
I have said this before but it is worth stating again. Publishers are under no obligation to provide writers with copies of the game. Writers are under no obligation to review a game from a publisher. Publishers can provide copies of the game to any writer they want for any reason. Writers can write a review in any matter they see fit. It’s called choice.
IG: A lot of people are making you out to be the bad guy, but you were simply following a blacklisting policy it would seem 2K adheres to. Do you feel a bit like a scapegoat in this?
JR: I cannot speak for 2K. That is something to ask them directly.
I personally believe people are really misusing the term blacklisting. They are applying to situations where it does not fit or are stretching its meaning to fit this discussion. Blacklisting involves the denial of access in order to prevent someone from working. To blacklist is to deny someone work in a particular field. I am denying them access to a copy of the game, but there are many ways to get a copy of the game besides receiving it from a publisher. Since there are many other ways to get a game, I am not preventing a writer from publishing a review. Therefore, I am not preventing them from working.
Additionally, I did not name names in my tweet. I have not called for some sort of boycott of a particular writer, so I fail to see how I am blacklisting. I am not denying work. I have not called for an industry boycott. I am only refusing to provide a copy of a game to a writer. The criteria I use to make that decision is mine. It can based on many things including past coverage, personal preference, ease of working relationship or any number of reasons. It is my choice. So when I pick one writer over another, I usually am choosing someone I believe will provide my client with fair coverage or better.
For gamers, I know this may sound sinister, but this is a business. Businesses operate to make money. It just so happens that many of us are fortunate enough to be in the video game industry that we love and have found a way to earn a living.
IG: Have you ever blacklisted publications or warned about blacklisting them in the past?
JR: I do not blacklist. Almost every journalist I work with is fair and provides really solid coverage, both positive and negative in tone. I have approached some writers, in the past, that I thought were unfair. Say a game generates a cumulative score in the 80s and then there outlet that gives it a 40. I instantly am intrigued. If I read, and it is backed in fact and fair, then I have no complaint. The writer just did not like the game. He or she has a job to do and an audience to communicate with. There have been games that received stellar reviews that I purchased and did not like. But, if I read a review and it is factually incorrect or blatantly mean, I will contact that writer.
Here’s some information on the review process. For most major video games releasing I receive more than 800 media requests for a copy of the game. I tend to have, on average, about 400 copies to give out during the course of the reviews process. I usually have 200 to 300 upfront and then a week later I have a few more. If I turn down 400 plus writers who requested the game, does that mean I blacklisted them? Remember, they can buy it, rent it or borrow it from a friend in order to write a review. Some writers get the game and some don’t. I try to take care of the writers that have provided me with coverage during the campaign. I try to pick writers that I feel will provide my game with the best coverage possible. When I know a game is going to generate less than desirable reviews, I pick editors that I feel will be fair. If I know a certain writer dislikes FPS games, why would I send them another FPS game to review? Was that person blacklisted? If a writer publishes an inappropriate story about a game, why should I continue to support that writer? Why?
Let me post this question. Why should I support such a writer? I know it has zero to do with getting access to the game for review, because we have already established that there are other means of getting a copy of the game. Since they can get a copy of the game by other means, they can still review the game. So why should I support such a writer?
IG: What's your advice for a journalist/publication that has been blacklisted? How can they improve the relationship without becoming a pawn for PR's wishes, thereby losing journalistic integrity?
JR: First off, if you are going use the term blacklisted, make sure you are correct. Is a publisher preventing you from working by not providing you with a copy of the game? Remember, you can buy the game at retail stores. You can rent it. You can borrow it from friends. There are many ways to get a copy of the game besides getting a free copy from the publisher.
If you find yourself in a situation where you think you are being treated unfairly, call the PR person and have a real discussion. Do not do what I did. Let me be clear, do not go on Twitter and vent. If you cannot get a hold of that person, go up the ladder. If you still are not getting what you need and cannot get anyone to respond to you, then don’t cover their products. The lack of coverage is more hurtful than anything you can do.
In future dealings, be fair with your coverage. There is no need to personally attack someone from creating a lousy product. Trust me, publishers have their games reviewed during the development process. There are companies that actually play early builds of games. They provide in-depth feedback. Sometimes, based on that feedback, games will be delayed so that developers can make changes in order to deliver a better game to consumers. This really helps create the best game possible. By the time PR gets ready to send out copies for review, we have a good idea what our overall cumulative score will be. Believe me, no one walks into a meeting and says, “I have an industry shattering idea for game that will score in the low 20s.” Every game on paper is going to be a 10. Along the development road, things happen. Everyone tries to make the best game possible. They put in long hours. People who work to bring a game to gamers spend irreplaceable time away from family and loved ones in order to create the best game possible. So when a review personally attacks these people, I take offense. I feel the writer has exceeded their journalist integrity.
The fact is, opinions are never wrong. Reviews are subjective. As a writer, if you receive a game that deserves a two, give it a two. Back your opinion up with fact and try to be fair. There is never a need to personally attack someone, especially without just cause. Every once in a while a writer or PR professional exceeds their station and when that happens I believe there should be consequences (case in point, me). Writers don’t get to write a vicious attack on someone and then hide behind journalist ethics when it fits. Integrity and ethics are not badges that can be applied when needed and put away at other times (same goes for PR people). There are always consequences to actions.
IG: Do you believe the state of game reviews is in disarray? Is all of this controversy because publishers place too much emphasis on Metacritic?
JR: It would be amazing to see an industry standard review process, but that is not possible. It would make life easier for publishers, but it would stifle media and we look to them to provide us with their opinions. Scores are different because people’s tastes are different. Outlets review games differently. They weigh their scores differently. We cannot and should not force media to conform to a standardized review process. I love how Kotaku doesn’t give a score. I always liked how Roger and Ebert provided films with a simple thumb up or down score.
For now, the Metacritic, GameStats, GameRankings sites that compile reviews and produce a cumulative score are necessary. Sales teams live and die by those sites - more so from the retail side than the publisher. A buyer at Wal-Mart doesn’t have time to check multiple sites for game reviews. These sites make it easy for that buyer to get an overall feel for the game.
It is by no way perfect, but for now it is how it works.
IG: Every PR person at some point has had to "polish a turd" that they knew would get slammed by press. What advice do you have for PR, perhaps having learned from this unfortunate Duke situation?
JR: Publishers actually have the game reviewed along during its development. So we PR people know exactly the type of game we are pushing. We know if we have an award-winning, game of the year contender or, as you say, a “turd.” We do the best we can with what we are given. In the past, when faced with a “turd,” I have recommended not sending games out at all. I have also recommended sending only to editors that believed would be sympathetic. In order to make that determination, I would research past reviews, look over pre-launch coverage, and evaluate email and phone conversations.
I have also worked on games that we knew were game of the year candidates. In that case, we tend to be less cautious because we know the game will generate a high eight or nine out of a possible ten. In the end, it really depends on the game and the situation. Just like movies, the first week or two of sales is super important. It dictates the overall lifetime projections. So, if we have a less than stellar game coming out, it behooves us to limit the amount of bad reviews during that first week in order to keep the score as high as possible. I am sure that you have noticed, games are always at their highest score during the first week of launch. Eventually, even for amazing titles like Mass Effect 2, Arkham Asylum or the first BioShock, their cumulative Metacritic score drops during the course of the reviews process. Sometimes the drop is minimal as is the case for those three games I just mentioned. Sometimes the drop is massive.
IG: Did you get a chance to defend yourself to 2K Games before they fired you? Are you surprised at 2K Games for ceasing the relationship?
JR: I contacted them when it first went down. I apologized for my actions. I actually recommended resigning the account the night of the incident. I think their Twitter post dismissal added fuel to the fire, but they needed to instantly distance themselves from theRednerGroup and our comment. It required quick action on their part. We spoke after their response was issued and I assured them that I supported their actions, not that it mattered. I still do support their decision. If the shoe had been on the other foot, the end result would have been the same.
IG: Are you worried that this whole incident will make it hard to get business from new clients?
JR: I am a one man shop, so competing against big agencies with multiple offices is very difficult to begin with. For now, I have made it more difficult. As time goes by, it will become less so. What I do feel is that no one will be ever able to question my passion for their project. They can question my ill-advised public venting, but not my passion or commitment.
IG: Do you feel publications that have worked with you have forgiven you?
JR: Yes and no. Immediately after the tweet I started contacting media colleagues to explain and apologize. A lot of them have privately provided continued support for theRednerGroup. Trust me, they stood up for themselves in the process, as they should.
One of the great things about people is their ability to compassionately forgive and move on. As Alexander Pope wrote, “to err is human, to forgive is divine.” I guess I can learn from this quote too.
