Parker Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Pretty sad if this is true but certainly not very surprising. GAMING microsoft, youtube, games Microsoft paying YouTube personalities for positive Xbox One endorsements Hayden Dingman@haydencd Jan 20, 2014 12:15 PM print Forget the console wars of years past—the bombs dropped on E3 stages, the quippy ads with lines like, "Genesis does what Nintendon't." Those days are gone. We've now entered the Cold War phase of the console wars, a period of secrecy and cloak-and-dagger tactics. The latest example: Ars Technica reports that Microsoft secretly paid out money to YouTube personalities who promoted the Xbox One—three dollars per thousand views, to be exact. That might not sound like much, but we're talking about channels that often receive hundreds of thousands or even millions of views per video. NEOGAF.COMThis leaked image shows off some of the details of the Machinima/Xbox One promotion. Popular games platform Machinima has become the focus of this scandal: The promotion was advertised by Machinima UK in a now-deleted tweet; a leaked emailconfirms the deal. What's unclear is the breadth of Microsoft's efforts. It's doubtful Machinima was the only entity the Xbox maker contacted. Per the Machinima email, the rules were simple: incorporate thirty seconds of game footage into a video and specifically mention that it's played on an Xbox One; tag the video with XB1M13; and then submit the link through Poptent, a platform that specializes in crowd-sourced video-marketing campaigns like Microsoft's. Oh, and content creators had to keep the promotion secret. Under cover of nightA copy of the full legal agreement behind the promotion escaped into the wild. In it, there's a confidentiality section that states unequivocally, "You agree to keep confidential at all times all matters relating to this Agreement, including, without limitation, the Promotional Requirements, and the CPM Compensation, listed above." Additionally, creators "may not say anything negative or disparaging about Machinima, Xbox One, or any of its Games" in their videos. So Microsoft is paying for positive word-of-mouth from trusted community figures, in secret. Such faux grass-roots campaigns (known as astroturfing) are particularly effective because they don't look like advertising, so viewers typically have their guards lowered. It's also far cheaper than traditional advertising. Microsoft and Machinima ran a similar campaign during the Xbox One's launch last year. Ars Technica uncovered a similar Microsoft/Machinima promotion from November of last year (when the Xbox One launched). With YouTube a growing force in games coverage, it's naive to think that such things won't happen again. Still, the tactic is questionably legal. Under FTC rules (PDF), bloggers are supposed to make it clear which posts are paid endorsements—a condition that was potentially violated here. But more importantly, how will this revelation affect the YouTube games community at large? This type of promotion is a betrayal of hard-earned trust. YouTube personalities gained sway largely because they were seen as trustworthy and "one of us" by fans, without the taint of advertising dollars. Revelations like this potentially hurt the credibility of not just those few personalities who took advantage, but the entire platform. Whether viewers will care is another story. Source: PC World This is exactly why I don't believe in game reviewers getting paid for positive reviews either. If that was the case it would be inevitable for someone to leak the paper trail and besides a few cases (Kayne and Lynch) we don't see it. Anyways, thoughts on the topic? Parker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomato Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Not really surprised most of them get paid to just play certain games in the first place, so only natural I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STRANGEgenius Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Not surprised honestly. Console Wars are stupid IMO anyway. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Memnoch Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 It's basic marketing for the industry - I'm not at all surprised. Other companies will invite people to paradise islands for cocktails, cigars, skimpy bathing suits and 30 minutes playing a game. I haven't trusted reviewers for years really and most people have principles until they start offering a decent amount of money. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DK_Scuba Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 (edited) I'm sure Sony and Microsoft have both done this in the past as well. But I've learned the reviews themselves are alright if you read the IGN/Gamespot reviews themselves instead of just watching the videos. Watch some gameplay and read the reviewers opinion and you can usually tell whats BS and whats legitimate. Edited January 21, 2014 by ImmigrantWithGun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BooneJusticius Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Yeah, I agree. If a person is truly a gamer then there is no console war. A person might prefer one over the other for whatever reason but that doesn't make it a war. It's the idiotic fanboys that make it a war. I know in the past that Game Informer would give lower reviews to purely digital games since GameStop wasn't making any money off them. I noticed it and a local GameStop store manager noticed it too and commented on it once. Too many people put too much weight on what a reviewer says and base whether or not they buy a game or system entirely on what they say. The only difference between a reviewer and you or I is that the reviewer is paid. Their opinion is no more valid or invalid than anyone else's. I actually hope more instances of this come to light so people will wake up and make decisions on their own more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Even if you only own 1 console, its in your interest for all consoles to do well. Competition is good for the consumer. In regards to the OP - this happens all the time now, as youtube 'reviewers' are just dudes. They aren't journalists, and they are not beholden to any kind of journalistic integrity, if they get sent a game for free they are likely to say they like it as it will likely result in more games for free. AAnyone taking these kind of 'reviewers' seriously is a muppet, but I doubt many do 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Technatorium Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Since I don't listen to any one reviewer exclusively (I shop around and get a general consensus.) I do like WATCHing some of the reviewers for their content and personalities. I don't see them in the same light as a journalist. (Journalism can be just as bad to be honest.) So yeh, I look to see what they do and I enjoy their entertainment. Some guys are honest while others are suspect. At any rate, I am not surprised if they try this stuff all the time. This is just another leak of the behind the scenes process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voodoo_eyes Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Heard about this the other day. Not really surprising considering one of the most shifty companies in the world is involved... They must be employing a ton of idiots, for even having considered this to be a good idea. It wasn't even necessary, as the console sold quite well as far as I know, but hey greedy bastards will be greedy bastards. What they apparently didn't realize is that by doing so, it shows lack of faith in their own product. Which for the consumer should be a bloody warning sign to stay away from the product. Unfortunately the result will be a slap on the wrist for Microsoft as it always is, and they'll be pulling this sort of shit again in the near future. As for Machinima, they might as well be removed from the platform for all I care. They have never been relevant for me at least, as I barely watched anything from them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HaSoOoN-MHD Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 (edited) Why are people suddenly linking this to reviews? stuff like this often gets busted and reviews are usually safe and non-biased. Heck, if you doubt a certain reviewer, use aggregate sites. That's a general consensus. Reviews don't have as much pull on the market as people think, nor are people mindless sheep that they purely rely on reviews. I admit, reviews do play a part in my interest as i'd be a bit more interested when I see a game with like...95% on Metacritic, but in the end it's not the only factor and i'm sure that goes for many people. Edited January 21, 2014 by HaSoOoN-MHD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daniezutton Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 I would have never thought they would do something so deceiving and sinister... oh wait, yes I did. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhyperiorx Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 I would have never thought they would do something so deceiving and sinister... oh wait, yes I did. Well Sony did do the same sinister thing with their pricing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lporiginalg Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 So sick of advertising being everywhere. They should pass laws that anything that is paid advertising should need to be labeled as such... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PREDRAG-K Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 I guess Microsoft has to do anything and everything to try and get people to buy the Xbox One. That's what happens when you have no exclusive games to offer, at least in the near future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PSXtreme_ Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Totally surprised. Would never have expected this of such a high-standarded company like Microsoft Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrasticAutomatic Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Don't blame them, looking at the sales figures for the PS4 they should be worried. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JG-Ray Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Paid reviews is just everywhere. IGN is horrible for that. Assassin creed 3 comes out. -A bunch of articles about how awesome it is. Conclusion: Big sales One month after it's release -A bunch of articles on why Assassins creed is not a good game Conclusion: gamers stop buying it and move to something else. It's so stupid. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parker Posted January 21, 2014 Author Share Posted January 21, 2014 Paid reviews is just everywhere. IGN is horrible for that. Assassin creed 3 comes out. -A bunch of articles about how awesome it is. Conclusion: Big sales One month after it's release -A bunch of articles on why Assassins creed is not a good game Conclusion: gamers stop buying it and move to something else. It's so stupid. If I'm not mistaken (I very well could be) don't review sites like IGN get money from the amount of views articles get? If so it would make perfect sense why they would run articles that pick out flaws in a very popular game, it would generate more traffic which in turn gets them more money. Plus, just because one review thinks that game is a 10/10 doesn't mean the person who wrote the article on the flaws of the game has that same opinion. Also, I'd love to see some solid evidence about IGN getting paid for reviews. I see many people making that claim but they never have any evidence. Parker 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullstomp Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Pretty sad if this is true but certainly not very surprising. Source: PC World This is exactly why I don't believe in game reviewers getting paid for positive reviews either. If that was the case it would be inevitable for someone to leak the paper trail and besides a few cases (Kayne and Lynch) we don't see it. Anyways, thoughts on the topic? Parker Don't agree with this for two reasons - I've known reviewers for GamePro (remember that mag?) and Game Informer and they don't always get money. Sometimes they get "perks" (fully paid trips to E3, free merchandise, a job in the publisher's company at a date in the future). That is much harder to find and report on. By this philosphy you wouldt think there was no corruption in government since there are no politicians being federally prosecuted currently. But we all know thats not the case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parker Posted January 21, 2014 Author Share Posted January 21, 2014 Don't agree with this for two reasons - I've known reviewers for GamePro (remember that mag?) and Game Informer and they don't always get money. Sometimes they get "perks" (fully paid trips to E3, free merchandise, a job in the publisher's company at a date in the future). That is much harder to find and report on. By this philosphy you wouldt think there was no corruption in government since there are no politicians being federally prosecuted currently. But we all know thats not the case. I'm actually just looking for solid evidence that proves game reviewers getting paid is a common thing. I hear people claim it all the time but they never have any solid evidence to back up that claim and generally say something like "CoD got a 9/10, obviously it was a paid review." Again, I'm not saying reviewers getting paid doesn't happen on occasion but without any evidence I certainly don't believe it is as widespread and common as many others seem to think. Of course I could be wring, which is why I want the evidence and facts to support it. Parker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quikdrawjoe Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 If this is actually legit they were only paid $1/1,000 views. Reading the contract though makes me suspicious though since it reads like someone copy pasted a contract without having any idea on how a contract should actually work. That could of course be poor proofreading or someone pasting it in pastebin incorrectly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr_Mayus Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Paid reviews is just everywhere. IGN is horrible for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JG-Ray Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 I'm actually just looking for solid evidence that proves game reviewers getting paid is a common thing. there isn't going to be solid evidence but there are traces of it. Disney Epic Mickey for the Wii. They scored it 8.0. It's pretty obvious that it scored that because of the disney label. The game is VERY unplayable because the camera pans weird making you run around the game totally blind. This happens every 2 minutes and lasts until you blindly get through an area. Also as I mentioned before. Shortly before and right at the release they will boost a game but then after a month they will pump article after article talking bad about the game. The reason is fairly simple. The high amount of sales is down and people are just Playing(not buying). They are nudging players to get away from the game and pay attention of the newest game out(or upcoming games). They have done this for GTA5, the call of duty's, and a bunch of big shot games. This is a pretty common business tactic and used from dog food to calculators. It's just far more noticeable for gaming and movies because they depend on trend marketing to sell well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkStar83x Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 I read that what MS did might actually be against FTC regulations. If so, they're going to be in deep shit. That being said, nothing surprises me from Microshit. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tofu341 Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 I know this is a Playstation forum, but there is a ton of fanboyism going on here Do you guys really believe that Sony or even Nintendo hasn't done anything like this in the past? Come on 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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