To: Jon Hicks [Jon.Hicks@futurenet.co.uk], Tony Ellis [tony.ellis@futurenet.co.uk] Alec Meer "james.stables@futurenet.co.uk" [james.stables@futurenet.co.uk], craig pearson [craig.pearson@futurenet.co.uk], Graham Smith [graham.smith@futurenet.co.uk], "tim.edwards@futurenet.co.uk" [tim.edwards@futurenet.co.uk], Ross Atherton [ross.atherton@futurenet.co.uk], Daniel Vincent [daniel.vincent@futurenet.co.uk],
Date: 12 Feb 2008 20:05 Subject: Re: Post-match PR damage control
Body:
Look, this needn't be a big deal. If we manage it right, no-one ever has to know that PC Gamer US won. Just off the top of my head, I can think of a few strategies we could go with:
Option 1: What Match? Simply pretend it never happened. Fake e-mails sent at the time of the match to all PCG US staff, angrily asking where they are and why their Team Fortress 2 server is completely empty.
Option 2: Why, What Does Your Replay Show? We send the demo file to our Valve contacts and request that they alter the outcome. Also ask them to testify that PCG US's version of the file shows evidence of tampering.
Option 3: Extreme Evasion Extensively cover the match without ever mentioning who won it, hope readers don't ask.
Option 4: Selective Memory Extensively cover, and I mean extensively cover, round 3. Commiserate our US cousins on their defeat, reassure them that they played well despite the result, and imply without directly stating that they never really had a chance.
Option 5: US Vs Them Quickly change our Steam names to theirs and claim that the 'US' was to clarify that it was us, PC Gamer UK. The downside of this, and I'm not sure it's a price we're willing to pay, is that we'd have to adopt that awful 'coconut monkey' as our mascot.
Whichever one we choose (and I'm leaning towards 1 for simplicity's sake), please delete this e-mail as soon as you've read it. That reminds me, Graham, did you ever find out who was hacking your work mail and leaking all that stuff about you and the Second Life prostitute?
-
Tom Francis www.pcgamer.co.uk
On 12/02/2008, Ross Atherton [ross.atherton@futurenet.co.uk] wrote: > > You're all fucking fired. > > > - Ross > >
Funniest thing I've read all day. My commiserations on your collective suck-a-tude PCG. We all had such high hopes. I'm assuming it was all Pentadact's fault?
I'm a bit disappointed in you to be honest. But that is the British way to compete, lots of hope and positive thinking and inevitable defeat followed hastily by excuses and the firing of the manager.
An additional excuse, the US team had put off this match for along time, obviously they have been up to no good during this extra time. If we had played on the original date set I'm sure you would have trounced them.
In any case, the Wikipedians have decided (I think) that PCG UK stays on the top of the page anyway. So, win?
Excellent point, Gap. Clearly what actually happened is that while our soldiers had PCG US distracted in-game, our spies infiltrated the innermost circles of Wikipedia editors and gently guided their hand to our agenda. Fine job!
Interestingly the grudge match has sparked a new suggested topic for the page in the discussion section: "The slight hatred from US and UK". Ahem, slight?
Remarkably my predeliction for writing 50,000 words of raw copy comes up, too. Truly, Wikipedia knows all.
you lost. You ACTUALLY lost. I mean, c'mon guys, I know you got beaten by the awesomeness of the reader army on dustbowl but still. You LOST to PCG US? What is the world coming too? Looks like tom's podcast prediction came true.
Interestingly the grudge match has sparked a new suggested topic for the page in the discussion section: "The slight hatred from US and UK". Ahem, slight?
Remarkably my predeliction for writing 50,000 words of raw copy comes up, too. Truly, Wikipedia knows all.
No Tom, Wikipedia doesn't know all: DKMFan does. And by God he writes it.
I think this is the third indirect mention of me in PCG. 1 in the podcast, and twice now. I love being popular
Just out of interest, did they turn up 20 minutes late after you had spent that time fighting someone else, only to drop a logic bomb, thereby decisivly ending the match?
Copyright 2006 - 2009 Future Publishing Limited, Beauford Court, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath, UK BA1 2BW England and Wales company registration number 2008885
