Editorial: How Not To Get Your Game Reviewed
by Rob LeFebvreUpdate: We’re posting this as a protection, because at this point, we’re thinking that the developer we talk about in the article below may in fact present a threat to our site, our business, or us personally. If anyone can point us to the correct governing body, we will gladly report the full identity and details of said developer. We’d also like to note that while we are posting this so that all sites and developers can beware, we have not published any identifying information.
Here’s what we received today:
you dared bring this to the press Rob ? you’re done man, ohoh !
We hope this developer is just upset that we described the situation on our site, and that other sites have picked up the story, and not, in fact, planning to harm us in any way.
We’ve been lucky here at The Portable Gamer, and have not had to deal with the kind of developer I’m about to tell you about. Every single other developer or PR person, from the single person in their home to the largest company, has been professional and polite, friendly and pleasant. Which makes what happened today all the more upsetting.
I and other editors at the site received an email yesterday asking us to write about a certain entertainment app. The app is one of those “adult entertainment” apps, which really makes us wonder about the “adults” in the world. Here’s a snip of the email, which began politely enough:
I’m willing to pay 300$ (USD) if you’ll write an article about APPX where you’ll mention about an upcoming version (APPX 2).
I’ll be able to pay you right after the article is published and you sent me a link – please include your paypal email
I emailed back, letting him know that we didn’t take money for written content, but he was welcome to submit his app for review, as well as place an advertisement on our site. The entire editorial staff didn’t want to review this app at all, due to the content and the approach. They felt it was bribery. As part of the O.A.T.S Network, we pride ourselves on being ethical and never charging for our reviews. That way, we can remain honest and unbiased in delivering our impressions of portable games to our readers. Here’s what our developer responded with:
Rob – what about USD$500 ?
The email I sent back, as the executive editor, was teasing, but firm:
Ahahahahha! No. Please don’t contact us again. :)
In retrospect, perhaps I shouldn’t have been so flip. I think I angered the developer. My apologies to him. Here’s what he sent back:
What’s wrong with you stupid f**k ?
I hadn’t expected this response, so I emailed back, asking him to stop being rude, and to refrain from contacting me. I also mentioned that I’d passed along his information and emails to a group of sites I work with. I was figuring the matter was done, or he’d just spew more curse words at me. What he responded with took the interaction up a notch:
We’ll i have listings of hundreds of sites and editors as well
What about I fake some emails and mass contact this list saying you guys do posts for money ? could be fun
Wanna play games like this and ruin your reputation ?
So – will you talk about APPX?
Now he’s threatening me and the site with an attack on our reputation if we don’t talk about his app. That will not stand. This is what I said:
Seriously, DEVELOPERX, please stop emailing me. We want nothing to do with you or your application. You’ve so sullied any kind of credibility you had when you sent the first email that there’s really no point. I’ll not be responding to any more emails.
I hoped that was clear. I feel as if it’s fairly honest, though I do realize that I made a bit of a personal attack there in the third sentence. This is how he responded:
Are you serious talking to me like that Rob ? I’m going to massacre you a**hole…
I have not responded. But I felt that other developers thinking that buying positive press is the way to go should maybe read this and see how it comes across to a site like ours. We’re not a huge site, we don’t make any money from it. We get apps and games for review, and we write about them for our readers. We do it because it’s fun and enjoyable, and we’d like to make enough money to keep the lights on and keep writing about games. This kind of interaction just sours any kind of relationship that might have been built though positive, pleasant interactions, like every other developer and promotional person that we have dealt with.
So, honestly, if you want us to write about your application? Don’t offer us money, and don’t threaten us. It’s not the way to go.
Update: Since writing the above, a couple other sites we have good relationships with have said that they have had similar interactions with this developer. It’s sad that he feels this I the best way to promote his app, but good to know it wasn’t just us.
I write for Platform Nation…made sure to inform all writers there too
I'm glad you guys didn't post his info… no need to give them ANY attention. What a tool. I guess it's no surprise that someone who starts right in with bribery turns so quickly to threats.
Rob, thanks for posting this. You guys have always been professional and awesome to work with (giving the indy a chance). It's too bad you have to deal with situations like this, but judging from what I see in the iPhone developer forums, there are a lot of immature developers just trying to make a buck and not really develop anything of quality.
Wow, how pathetic is that? That is the very definition of insecurity. It is not like he makes REAL Apps or anything. All he probably does is take XXX pictures and makes a slideshow and calls it an APP. A mentally challenged gorilla with down syndrome and brain damage could develop something like that. Real Developers wouldn't sink so low to make an APP like that, hence he is not a real developer, but simply a worthless hack who couldn't develop a polaroid.
This dude must know this, since he feels he needs to offer this site his welfare check for a good review. How sad is that, honestly? That's worse than a certain journalist being fired for giving a certain game a bad review from a certain website in which the developers were advertising said game….::cough cough:: Gamespot ::cough cough:: Maybe he feels he needs to make "Adult" Apps to compensate for the lack of any Real Adult Action in his own life. You can't blame him though, it must be hard to have a girl over when your mom lives upstairs and you don't have a car.
Well, some good came from this. I am now going to become a regular visitor of this site. I had never even heard of it until I read an article on Pocket Gamer about this incident. I love the App Store and I am constantly downloading Apps, from REAL Developers, and I am happy I found another legit site that has just proven to me, and the rest of the world, that their integrity can not be bent by some second rate low life wannabe hack.
I would take a threat to "massacre" me as a death threat to be taken to the police.
That really is a bit of a shocker to be honest. I've never known of a person to get to angry about something like this.
But I have to say, a big congrats for not giving into him, I know quite a few people who would have given in to the threats.
Good on you Rob. That's pretty awful that someone would think they can buy editorial. I always hate that mentality and hope that dev gets what he deserves. You might want to report him to the FCC since they now have a law against what he is doing. Could be fun ;)
FTC that is
Reading this made me sick. Doing PR for an app developer is so much fun I often forget that it is technically work. The reason it's so rewarding is getting to work with people (like Rob and the Portable Gamer staff) who enjoy gaming as much as I do.
I hate that bad seeds like this person reflect so poorly on the rest of us.
Yes, I believe some law went into effect Dec. 1st via the FTC.
Bottom line, it was a threat made via wires (the internet), either interstate or, considering the grammar and spelling, from another country. It may be prudent to file an FBI report, or at least call your local FBI office.
You should have stopped responding after he said $500.
Wobble 2, right?
The "correct governing body" is your local police, of course.
greetings from Robbie in New Zealand.
just got to put my ten cents in for you guys, I know your predicament, you want to be nice and some short minded guy or girl (could be you never know these days).
the point is some people like destroying other’s confidence in any manner possible and to wield an open ended question seems to be the prefect weapon use in this case.
Although from my prospective, only having snippets of the emails, I’m thinking your to darn polite the (I’ll use dude) Dude isn’t in anyway intimidated by your reply and feels compelled to boast his offer of something you have the least bit of interest in … money.
so next time with my permission :-) take the dude out as I do this with perfect results.
example:
some company / person / hacker and so on tries to get on to my computer but fails to execute passed me (the last resort virus checker between the screen and the office chair)
I see they have got into my regedit file and made them selves a permanent foothold.
So being the nice guy that I am I track the little f*c*ers down on my computer the Internet and answers.com who’s-who etc and send them a reminder notice that goes something like this ..
title: how to get your big fat A*se off of my computer.
body text:
dear (offender)
Could you please send me instructions of how to get your big fat ar*e off of my computer immediately and I will in return not sue you for a sum not exceeding one billion pounds sterling.
If you choose to disregard this e-mail be assured that your use of my board rate and computer hardware space used by you (offender) will be taken to the highest courts in the world to take from you the aforementioned sum with the greatest pleasure
yours very very sincerely
All in the best possible taste
(my signature and address on the Internet for their reply)
after sending such an e-mail I have in the past usually received explicit instruction from the said offenders within the global time difference of a single day showing me where they have violated my system and instructions on how to remove them completely.
hoping to give you a little feed back to giggle about
Enjoy
Robbie Kleij
a.k.a. mdbobbo all over the Internet.
I've never pay for a review (and I get a very few for my app) and that is unethical (to ask for a paid review).
The part that he is rude, well that show what kind of developer he is.
Who Does He Think He Is?
Just a quick note to say that I am incredibly proud to be part of a network (GRE) that does not give in to threats and bullying. I feel it is important to have confidence in your work, your team, and your team leader. I feel inexplicably lucky to have a confident (and competent) man at the helm of this virtuous ship. Thank you. You handled the situation beautifully, as usual.
I've read this a couple of times through sheer shock. The biggest lengths I'll go to to get someone to review our apps is a second or third email, and even then I feel cheeky.
Good choice not to name the developer, too.
Great read. Thank you.
Great write up – five stars. I bookmarked this page.
You seem very knowledgeable on this. Thanks for the help.
I have no journalistic integrity. I'd have taken the money, written the review and absolutely panned the shit out of the app :)
In circumstances where the dev has threatened to publish an untrue statement of fact with the intention to smear your reputation (i.e. suggesting you take $ for reviews) , it sounds like you may have grounds for a defamation claim (I guess that would be a US legal action, depending on which jurisdictions Rob/Portable Gamer and the dev are based in).
If this ever escalated, or if other sites find themselves in the same position with devs in the future, this may be a useful point to make in future exchanges.
Happy to discuss further if helpful.
Jas
Lots of respect to you guys. Can you share with us who the developer actually is (privately of course) so I can ensure that our writers are aware.
Regards
Tim Smith from SPOnG.com
did anyone see the banners about this.