Another Giant Falls

Gerstmann-gate was bad enough.  CNet was more interested in advertising deals than honest, quality criticism.  Many of their employees at Gamespot weren’t willing to ride it out after they threw Gerstmann out the door, and I think Giant Bomb is as good a result as any.

But that was a handful of people.  Tonight comes the news that UGO (a company I thought long defunct) has ‘aquired’ 1UP.  And by ‘aquired’, they mean ‘fire them all’.  Well that’s an exaggeration, they only fired almost everyone.

According to twitter posts, GAF posts and phonecalls to MTV, around 30 staffers were let go today, including Skip Pfister, Ryan O’Donnell, Philip Kollar, Jay Fresh, Cesar Quintero, Nick Suttner, Anthony Gallegos, Matt Chandronait, Shane Bettenhausen and former EIC James Mielke.

Gamevideos has also been terminated, which means no more 1UP show.

I’d like to think this means that these guys (and gals) will all find a new soapbox (that will allow them, y’now, not to have to live in a box), but that’s rather pie in the sky.  The reality is that UGO has purchased one of the best, longest living, most personable and evolving gaming magazines, and they’ve eviscerated it.  It’s like a rich kid buying some Italian supercar and just smashing it into a brick wall.

I’m not sure even the UGO blog suspected such a thing, being so chipper.  That, or he’s one cold amigo.

First of all, let me come out and say that there is no other gaming site like 1UP. Unlike some of the lumbering, impersonal behemoths out there, 1UP is all about its personalities, and its fans are awesome, passionate and willing to fight to the death over whether Final Fantasy X2 was an abomination or a triumph. It’s an honor to bring that passion into the UGO fold.

Looks like most of that passion will be digging up old resumes in the coming days.  Some of them having worked at the magazine for over ten years.  It’s a sad day.

*UPDATE*

Kotaku has posted, via Gamasutra, Ziff Davis’ letter to 1UP employees.