After a week of vague and empty statements in the face of rampant rumors, Gamespot has released an official FAQ about the firing of Jeff Gerstmann, addressing the various whys and wherefores of his termination, his Kane & Lynch review and Eidos’ role in the affair.
The FAQ claims that statements regarding details of Gerstmann’s departure from Gamespot were not made due to both CNET internal policy and California laws, which led to a “void of information” resulting in “conspiracy theories” suggesting that Eidos had pressured Gamespot into firing Gerstmann following his negative review of Kane & Lynch: Dead Men. Rumors were further fueled by the removal of Gerstmann’s video review as well as edits made to the original review text.
“In the spirit of full disclosure to our readership, Gamespot News has been authorized by management to answer the following questions regarding the circumstances surrounding Gerstmann’s exit,” the FAQ says. According to the post, Eidos “voiced displeasure” to their contacts at Gamespot, but not to the editorial staff directly, and their reaction had no bearing on the decision to release Gerstmann. Questions about changes to the text and video reviews, the Kane & Lynch advertising campaign on Gamespot and other topics are also covered. The full Gamespot on “Gerstmanngate” FAQ can be read here.
