Kotaku isnt the only A-hole; Totilo screws Flyinglab

[DataGod]

What is it with Game Journos? They all start attending a Douchebag convention?

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1557621/20070419/index.jhtml

The forums over at Flyinglab are going nuts about the paragraph mentioning a delayed launch. Since no Devs have stated such to the community.

FYI This was supposed to ship in June, article spills the beans on an October delay.

[HaemishM]

Didn't you know? It's Raging Douchebag Week.

[Xanthippe]

Aren't you jumping to conclusions here?

Why else would game devs sit down with a journalist unless the point of the meeting was to release information about the game? 

[Etro]

I think the point is that there is an unwritten rule that you don't give out info that the company would probably want to release themselves, be it good or bad.

[Krakrok]

I think the point is that there is an unwritten rule that you don't give out info that the company would probably want to release themselves, be it good or bad.

I believe that is called a scoop.

[Drogo]

Well it appears the devs at Flying Lab have come out to say that the game may be delayed.

http://www.flyinglab.com/pirates/logs.php?log_select=9

[schild]

See, a story like this is different from what Kotaku did. Kotaku released information they were politely asked to not release because a big gala event about the information was about to happen 3 days later. Totilo released information that Flying Labs didn't want released. That's to say, a delay - even when necessary - is not a good thing. HOME however, is a good thing.

Honestly, while people love getting inside information early, Good Things don't qualify as scoops. They qualify as ego-strutting jackass maneuvers to get more readership for information that should have been respected. Bad things, things companies don't want leaked qualify as scoops.

What I just said was kind of muddy, so I'll sum it up.

Totilo did the right thing.

[Xanthippe]

If Flying Lab didn't want it released, then I would think that the devs shouldn't have said anything about it to a journalist during an interview, the sole purpose of which was to talk about their game.

If such information was secret, then it would be the fault of the devs for disclosing it, not the journalist publishing it.  That's how secrets work.  Rule #1 is don't tell anyone.  Especially not a journalist.

[schild]

If Flying Lab didn't want it released, then I would think that the devs shouldn't have said anything about it to a journalist during an interview, the sole purpose of which was to talk about their game.

If such information was secret, then it would be the fault of the devs for disclosing it, not the journalist publishing it.  That's how secrets work.  Rule #1 is don't tell anyone.  Especially not a journalist.

Rule #2: Celebrity bloggers are not journalists. They are the modern yellow journalist.

[Venkman]

The point is the same though.

Perhaps the Flying Labs guys were not told to not say anything. Perhaps they thought it'd be secret, covered by corporate NDA.

Per that link though, this is the critical quote:

But we didn’t realize what the lead time was on selling into the retail channel and so we probably waited later than we should have

Given that they were mostly independent until their cash infusion last year, and are not backed by a major publisher, I actually think this could be the truth. These guys may actually not have known that they needed to have retailers on board last October at the latest. Very soon retail Buyers will be meeting with company reps to talk about their Spring 09 line, which typically gets stocked this coming December or January. When you're a gigantic big-box outfit, or a chain with way many smaller stores, both dealing with millions of products a year, the logistics require you plan way ahead to ensure distribution channels are set up.

So if they're just starting these discussions now, they're looking for December in stock at the earliest, which means "Spring 2009".

This may likely be lost on the fanbois on the forum. I feel for them because a) their favorite game is going to ship later than they thought; and, b) they'll feel slighted that they didn't hear this first from Flying Lab. But that's the breaks. And it's why I've stayed away from their forums (And the AoC ones, and the WAR ones). I already like the games enough I don't want raving fanboi lunatics to ruin it for me, even if it jeopardizes my chances at a beta slot.

[Raph]

Rule #2: Celebrity bloggers are not journalists. They are the modern yellow journalist.

Hmmmm..., Stephen Totilo qualifies a real journalist, not just a blogger, in my book. He works the gaming beat for MTV News. And I say this as someone who had a minor run-in with him over some of his coverage of my speech at Games for Change a year or so ago...

In any case, devs should never forget that journos have their own agenda. Yes, you can have good relationships and confidentiality with journos and even be best friends, but the bottom line is that their job is to publish information, and if it is in their best interest to publish, then they will do so. And that's not a knock -- it's part of the ecology.

[schild]

I was saying Totilo was a real journalist. #2 referred to Gawker Media and all of it's little shitty children.

[Raph]

Never mind me, then. I hope he's grateful I leapt to his defense for no reason. ;)

[Big Gulp]

I'd say it's all fair game unless your subject has given you information that they tell you is off the record.  Pretty basic ethics, really.

And for the record, there are no "games journalists".  There are critics, there are gossip columnists, but journalists, not so much.  It's just a case of people trying to inflate their job title.  Of course, I'm not a machinist, I'm a coordinate measuring machine technician.

[schild]

Gulp, in the gaming industry, it is imperative that you know what IS on and off record without being told.

Mostly because it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that shit out. Kind of like when, at E3, when Atlus said - now this game hasn't been approved by SCEA yet, so no promises and then a bunch of morons posted about Odin Sphere coming out.

It's just common sense. This isn't a hard industry to read. That's why I lol when an "analyst" says something.

[DataGod]

Meh, call me naive then, I jsut think people should be a little less opprotunistic and perhaps a bit more considerate, especially where 1 paragraph can impact an entire comminity in a negative way and possibly cost the interviewee significant embarassment and or money.

OTOH perhaps common courtesey is out of fashion and Im obsolete.....