PR – MMO Fallout

Gaijin Entertainment hasn’t had the greatest history with public relations, going back to a 2014 scandal in which a staffer attempted to extort a Youtuber. This week, however, Content Partner Manager over at Gaijin managed to rustle some feathers during a stream in which he referred to players as “puny beggars.”

The exact details are somewhat spotty, but it appears that Andrey Artamokhin (whose LinkedIn lists him as “Content Partner Management” at Gaijin), was responding to suggestions from viewers that Gaijin offer discounts for recently released content.

Artamokhin’s statement was translated below:

“I would like to say hello to those puny beggars (literal translation here) who believe that we should give 50% discount on the new stuff, good luck to you, I hope you’re OK in your nice wonderland where you get 50% discount on all goods like new iPhones, and wish you all drown in your own bile”

Source: Reddit, Youtube

Bungie is in the middle of dealing with a PR fallout this week, first from customer backlash over how Bungie handled the collector’s edition of the Taken King DLC, to an interview with Eurogamer in which the company has been accused of disrespecting its longtime customers. Luke Smith, creative director at Bungie, has apologized for his tone in the interview:

Reading my interview with Eurogamer and imagining it came from some random developer of a game I love – that random developer looks like an Asshat. But that Asshat was me – and those words rightfully anger you. I’m sorry. My words made it sound as if Bungie doesn’t care about their most loyal fans. We do care. We are listening. And we will make it right.

To compensate, customers who pick up the Taken King DLC will be able to grab the collector’s edition limited content for $20, which includes the 3 emotes, 3 armor shaders, and 3 exotic class items with xp boosts. Players who already have a light level 30 guardian, or if you’ve played through the Dark Below and House of Wolves packs, you’ll receive a Year One VIP shader, emblem, and sparrow.

Another blog post is coming today that should answer more questions.

(Source: Bungie)