Update :
Gamespot owner CNET, has issued an official comment on the situation, stating that "GameSpot takes its editorial integrity extremely seriously. For over a decade, Gamespot and the many members of its editorial team have produced thousands of unbiased reviews that have been a valuable resource for the gaming community. At CNET Networks, we stand behind the editorial content that our teams produce on a daily basis."
CNET refused to give any more details, asserting that "it is CNET Networks' policy not to comment on the status of its employees, current of former."
It is nice to have an official response, but we don't expect such a short and unrevealing statement to hush down all the buzz surrounding the incident.
Original Story :
Veteran reviewer, Jeff Gerstmann, has been with Gamespot since 1996 but he was fired Wednesday morning, presumably for harsh Kane & Lynch review.
The story was revealed by Primotech who accredited it to "a fellow Gamespot contributor and close friend of Gerstmann who wished to remain anonymous".
It was also confirmed by Penny Arcade which published a comic about the incident. Penny Arcade's Jonathan Gabriel then stated that "the comic is true. You should see the news breaking soon."
Eidos have been heavily advertising Kane & Lynch on Gamespot for quite a while, but the campaign stopped soon after the Gerstmann's firing news/rumor broke.
Gerstmann's Kane and Lynch review has been harsh, but not as harsh as his video review of the same game. In the video review, Gerstmann criticized the game's "impossible to like" characters, "lazy" script and excessive profanity.
After some digging around we can confirm that Gerstmann has been fired, but we can't confirm if Kane & Lynch's review was the reason.
The review has been published on 13, November, 2007 while Gerstmann has been fired on November 28th. Also, the review in question is still available on Gamespot. Both facts may indicate that the whole story is just a rumor. However, the delay can be justified as the time needed for Eidos to negotiate/pressure with Gamespot, and we must point out that the harsher video review is no longer linked on the site.
