From: https://www.reddit.com/r/Steam/comments/7x5p94/insel_games_ceo_threatened_employees_to_force/
Seems pretty shady.
Seems pretty shady.
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Insel Games' CEO sends pressuring email to staff to write positive reviews for new Wild Busters game
- Thread starter Vashetti
- Start date
How big is Insel Games? I can understand that indie studios have a difficult time marketing; it's the "do this or personally explain to me why you won't" that particularly stands out to me here.
If you're like me, you're thinking Incel. Looked it up and it seems like Insel just means island.
If you're like me, you're thinking Incel. Looked it up and it seems like Insel just means island.
I had no idea what this game was and had to look it up.
In regards to the email, the CEO seems desperate if he's sending that sort of crisis message (at 3AM as well). However, I don't think the email is acceptable at all. Requesting your staff to buy the game is one thing, but then asking staff to explain why chose not to carry out this request would cause added pressure and stress on staff, who are already probably stressed out enough worrying about their job.
In regards to the email, the CEO seems desperate if he's sending that sort of crisis message (at 3AM as well). However, I don't think the email is acceptable at all. Requesting your staff to buy the game is one thing, but then asking staff to explain why chose not to carry out this request would cause added pressure and stress on staff, who are already probably stressed out enough worrying about their job.
LOL thats pretty funny lol
How you gonna force someone to buy yall own game and review lol. With that crying tone in his first paragraph regarding performance
How you gonna force someone to buy yall own game and review lol. With that crying tone in his first paragraph regarding performance
A manager forcing his employees to compromise their integrity to compensate for his own failure? You don't saaay...
Dammmmn.... I hope the staff lands on their feet at other places (kudos to them for doing the right thing by refusing), the CEO and the game is pretty much toast now. They'll get a lot of reviews though.
It's never a good idea to present an ultimatum to people you're dependent on.
edit: oh shit, I thought he sent this email to reviewers, not employees. That's even worse.
http://store.steampowered.com/app/681860/Wild_Buster_Heroes_of_Titan__MMOARPG/
Wild Buster is an MMO still in Early Access. Outlets don't normally review things still in EA.
Wild Buster is an MMO still in Early Access. Outlets don't normally review things still in EA.
Well looks like some caved in (from Reddit)
The user only owns 2 games (that are from Insel) and posted 2 reviews... And the timing for Wild Buster coincides with the mail.
The user only owns 2 games (that are from Insel) and posted 2 reviews... And the timing for Wild Buster coincides with the mail.
I can't even be mad. If a game is underperfoming and putting the fate of the studio (and its employees) at risk, I can't fault anyone for trying to cheat the system to gain just a tad more visibility.
Obviously isn't okay either way, but it's up to Steam to detect this kind of behavior. If Valve cares is another question altogether, though...
Obviously isn't okay either way, but it's up to Steam to detect this kind of behavior. If Valve cares is another question altogether, though...
I mean do you blame them? Either they do that or from the way that email ending sounds they get fired either directly after explaining to this asshole why they don't want to do it or later on if the game fails (which is part of the problem with Steam, even good games have a hard time making headway because there is just sooo many other games you have to compete against) its a really shitty situation to be in and all because of the CEO giving this ultimatum to their employees. I hope the blowback on this is huge the CEO is such an asshat for putting his employees in this situation and makes me really wonder how many other smaller companies do the same.
This reminds me of a company I used to work for - we had gone through a rough patch. They had to terminate, roughly, 75% of their employees to reduce the overall burn-per-month. As one of the 25% that survived, the CEO informed us that we should all make a positive review on Greendoor as those who were terminated (without any real warning; just "today, your managers will have one on one discussions with you") were going to flood it with negative ones. I objected to this practice. Mostly because of how shady it was but also how stupid it was. If you're trying to put in "fake reviews" to counter negative ones, you don't do it the same day. I'm not sure where the executives were coming from with that line of logic.
The situation where the CEO is reimbursing their employees to purchase and, subsequently, review the game they worked on seems to be focused the goal of "reaching customers" without realizing that it alienates any genuine customers. Reviews can be nice but they also need to be candid, honest. Reimbursing your employees to review the product they worked on just seems short-sighted.
The situation where the CEO is reimbursing their employees to purchase and, subsequently, review the game they worked on seems to be focused the goal of "reaching customers" without realizing that it alienates any genuine customers. Reviews can be nice but they also need to be candid, honest. Reimbursing your employees to review the product they worked on just seems short-sighted.
Absolutely not (I should have said it in my post), I get they don't want to lose their job. Hell, I hear so much shit about how hard being a game developer is I can only sympathize with them.
Is there anything in Steam developer/publisher guidelines that prohibits employees of companies from reviewing their own games? A few thoughts in general
- The job thing did come off as a little threatening, but he also included himself in it
- The request for employees to buy and get reimbursed for the game seems fine at surface level, but when you factor in the previous request for review then it get's a little shady (i.e. get the game so that you can review it) vs. get the game so then you can provide feedback to me
- I think mandating individual conversations is a tiny bit extreme, but especially if they are a small dev isn't completely inappropriate
- I TOTALLY get an email encouraging your employees to get the word out/promote the game. "Hey guys, our game isn't doing great I would appreciate if you could make an effort to help get the word out!" but the approach here is mighty icky
Even though I get that the CEO is desperate and that he's not wrong about losing jobs, the whole situation still stinks. It would have been slightly better without the "explain" or "talk privately" clause at the end.
Man thats sad, you can tell that person is doing their best to sell the product, what a world we live in.
It's absolutely "wrong." It falls under the category of being completely unethical. Unless you are preceding all of these reviews with, "BY THE WAY I HELPED MAKE THIS GAME" ... you don't get to offer a review of the game intended to sway people to purchase it.
I agree but I can't help feeling sorry for the employees, even for the CEO. I can't imagine working in the industry, where job security is basically nil.
Why should anybody compromise their integrity for a venture doomed to failure? If the game is bad they're only delaying the inevitable.
You don't have to write the review. Leaking the email is a different thing entirely, regardless of the content it's an unprofessional breach.
Everyone puts themselves on a pedestal for integrity. Why not just quit and not take the money instead?
No one comes out of this looking good
Big difference in shadiness between
1) 'Hi all, we need to promote our game, would anyone mind sticking it up on your social media channels, talking about how you worked on it etc? You can find what we've approved for PR images on x server. Maybe we can generate some press interest. Any more ideas or contacts that could help to maximise visibility, now's the time, let's discuss.'
and
2) Buy the game and write a user review. I'll check up with each of you personally. Your job is on the line.
I don't think they should have to, but if they like the workplace otherwise people might want to protect it.
This isn't a good look and hopefully this wasn't meant serious threat, but it's an unfortunate situation even in the best case.
I got no problem with a CEO saying "hey guys, our game isn't doing well, try and help get the word out any way you can and maybe some positive WoM".
But this dude straight said "I can't force you to buy the game and give it a good review, buuuuuuut if you don't you are basically a terrible person and I want you to explain your actions"
Way, way too aggressive and ridiculous.
But this dude straight said "I can't force you to buy the game and give it a good review, buuuuuuut if you don't you are basically a terrible person and I want you to explain your actions"
Way, way too aggressive and ridiculous.
How can someone set up to make a freaking MMO and have like, 0 marketing for its launch? They where doomed from the get go.
"We have a beautiful team here at Insel Games... Would be a shame if something were to happen to it. Eh, Journo?"
Hah, this is kind of what I was trying to say in my post above... just not as well as you did.
You have a completely opposite definition of "unprofessional" to mine, if yours covers "whistleblowing that I was coerced into doing something immoral and possibly illegal". Must fucking suck being your coworker.
This is not whistleblowing, let's not dramatize this and make the leaker seem heroic. You seem to have no sensibility of the world outside of gaming.
I am not defending the CEO or the content of the email. I am saying leaking is unprofessional. You may understand this when you work long enough.