There has been much anticipation and perhaps equally as much disappointment over the launch of Duke Nukem Forever.
Although you certainly can’t please everybody, the response from some publications has been so negative that Duke Nukem’s official PR team recently took to Twitter and threatened to blacklist anyone writing a negative review of the game.
The Redner Group’s tweet read: “#AlwaysBetOnDuke too many went too far with their reviews…we r reviewing who gets games next time and who doesn’t based on today’s venom.”
When a company sends a out a game for review, it is typically assumed the review could go well for the company, or not, based on the reviewers opinion. Really, it’s almost always a gamble for a PR team.
The Redner Group followed up the original tweet saying, “Bad scores are fine. Venom filled reviews…that’s completely different.”
Although there have certainly been certain journalists blacklisted in the past for harsh reviews, it’s PR 101 not to publically mention such blacklists…especially on Twitter.
When Ars Technica reached out to Jim Redner for comment, they received an email back stating, “I believe reviews are completely subjective. Everyone is welcome to their own opinion and opinions are never wrong.” He added, “It is not my intention to bully anyone. I over reacted. I just voiced an opinion. I have poured my heart into this project and I just want it to succeed.”
Needless to say, the makers of the title promptly fired the Redner Group stating, “2K Games does not endorse the comments made by Jim Redner and we can confirm that The Redner Group no longer represents our products. We have always maintained a mutually-respectful working relationship with the press and do not condone his actions in any way.”
(Via Ars Technica)
