RSS Feeds
industry news
GameSpot Names New Editor In Chief
Posted by Michael McWhertor at 11:25 AM on January 29, 2008
CNet Networks announced today that GameSpot veteran Ricardo Torres has been named the new Editor In Chief of the online publication, replacing former site lead Greg Kasavin in the role. The site had been without an official EIC since Kasavin's departure in January of last year to work at Electronic Arts. Torres, who shared editorial director duties with former GameSpotter Jeff Gerstmann, has been with the site since 2001 and has been focused on previews and worldwide event coverage.
Torres, who spoke to us recently about the departure of longtime reviewer Alex Navarro, said of the new responsibilities via press release "I'm eager to continue the site's tradition of excellence and I'm confident we can move forward into 2008 and set a new industry standard for how video games are covered." Torres recently set editorial standards for wearing cornrows, pictures of which we desperately wish we had in our possession.
We wish Torres the best in his future endeavors at GameSpot. Full statement from CNet after the break.
GameSpot Names Ricardo Torres Editor-in-Chief
SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 28, 2008--GameSpot (www.gamespot.com), a leading video game Web site and a property of CNET Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq:CNET), today announced it has named Ricardo Torres editor-in-chief. Torres, who has been a key member of GameSpot's editorial team since 2001, brings a decade of editorial experience to the position and an in-depth knowledge of the gaming industry. As editor-in-chief, Torres will oversee GameSpot's award-winning editorial staff in their coverage of the latest games and breaking news.
"I'm excited to have the opportunity to help further GameSpot's position at the forefront of the industry," said Torres. "I'm eager to continue the site's tradition of excellence and I'm confident we can move forward into 2008 and set a new industry standard for how video games are covered."
Previously, Torres was editorial director of GameSpot. In this position, he secured exclusive previews of some of the most highly-anticipated games in the industry, wrote hundreds of reviews and previews for the site, and managed event coverage in the US and abroad. During his time at GameSpot, he has pioneered new content forms, including reviving the popular "Behind the Games" series as a platform to examine different aspects of the game development and the games industry. He was also instrumental in bringing the GameSpot audience groundbreaking live coverage of the PlayStation 3 and Wii launches on the East and West Coasts. In addition, Torres has helped shape the site's exclusive coverage of the industry's most significant events, including the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles and Santa Monica, and international events such as Tokyo Game Show in Japan, the Leipzig Games Convention in Germany, and Microsoft's European events for the Xbox 360.
"Ricardo has been a key member of the editorial team for years," said Greg Brannan, vice president of content, CNET Networks' entertainment and lifestyle division. "I'm extremely confident in his ability to maintain GameSpot's tradition of excellence in being the most reputable and outstanding game content site on the web."
"Ricardo was one the hardest-working, most dedicated people I knew during my 10 years with GameSpot, and he always had a real vision for how the brand could keep growing to best serve game players around the world," said Greg Kasavin, former editor-in-chief of GameSpot. "As a former colleague and a fan, I'm excited to see how GameSpot will evolve under his direction."
Prior to his time at GameSpot, Torres oversaw the videogame coverage at CNET Networks' proprietary game site GameCenter and worked in quality assurance at Rocket Science Games, a San Francisco-based developer.
About GameSpot
GameSpot's (www.gamespot.com) expert editorial team provides more than a million daily visitors with comprehensive, engaging, and unbiased game information for console, PC, and portable platforms. The site's award-winning coverage includes previews and reviews on the hottest titles, breaking news, live Web casts, online tournaments, game downloads, videos, guides, hints, and more. GameSpot also has one of the most active online gaming communities. The GameSpot family also includes GameFAQs, Game Rankings, SportsGamer, and GameSpot Trax, the industry's premier real-time market intelligence tool.
About CNET Networks
CNET Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq: CNET - www.cnetnetworks.com) is an interactive media company that builds brands for people and the things they are passionate about, such as gaming, music, entertainment, technology, business, food, and parenting. The Company's leading brands include CNET, GameSpot, TV.com, MP3.com, CHOW, UrbanBaby, ZDNet, BNET, and TechRepublic. Founded in 1992, CNET Networks has a strong presence in the US, Asia, and Europe.
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
hidys
Posted January 29, 2008 11:38 AM
At least they have fixed the damn editorial policy having one man on marketing and editorial is a huge conflict of interest.
PooPooKaKaBumBum
Posted 11:53 AM 29/1/08
I give him six months.
Do I hear five months?
Going.....going...........
PooPooKaKaBumBum
Enigma_20XX
Posted 11:53 AM 29/1/08
"I'm excited to have the opportunity to help further GameSpot's position at the forefront of the industry," said Torres. "I'm eager to continue the site's tradition of excellence and I'm confident we can move forward into 2008 and set a new industry standard for how video games are covered."
he.. heh heh... he he he... ho ho ho...
BWWWWWWWWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!!!!
But seriously, Gamespot... if you wanna start on the right path to redemption, try offering Gerstman his job back... and canning that prick who put the invesrors first...
Enigma_20XX
bobbus-maximus
Posted 11:53 AM 29/1/08
Gamespot sucks anyways, they were bad before the Kane and Lynch thing and are bad now.
bobbus-maximus
BD
Posted 11:53 AM 29/1/08
Well there you go Captain of a Sinking Ship.
Wouldn't want to be him no matter how much the paycheck was.
BD
wild_world_girl
Posted 11:53 AM 29/1/08
I haven't been to Gamespot since the whole Kane-Lynch scandal. Honestly. I surprised myself, but I have actually moved on from ever using that site again.
Thus, I couldn't care less who they have named their puppet-in-chief.
wild_world_girl
hahnchen
Posted 11:53 AM 29/1/08
Given that the whole Gerstmann thing was a bunch of unfounded rumour and bad reporting, here's some rumour-mongering of my own:
Gerstmann and his allies were forced out of CNET after a long and difficult battle against the Torres block for the post of Editor in Chief at Gamespot. I'd watch out for Icepicks if I were Gerstmann.
hahnchen
GorbyGipper
Posted 11:53 AM 29/1/08
@icepick314:
I haven't been to Gamespot of any of its sister sites since. I used to really dig Tim Tracy's game reviews and kept going there after he stopped reviewing. Kane and Lynch, though....I'm sorry but I can't support that no matter what minor changes are made.
IGN, Kotaku, 1up, and other sites COULD be on the take. They COULD take a little something here and there for a kind word. But I don't know that and I'm not one for conspiracy theories. Gamespot's marketing/editorial mash-up issues, though....I've heard too much to trust them any time soon.
GorbyGipper
Glitch
Posted 11:53 AM 29/1/08
Well I am sure all 5 people that still flock to Gamespot.com for their credible gaming press will be thrilled. Did I mention that all 5 of them are Eidos employees.
Glitch
icepick314
Posted 11:53 AM 29/1/08
so do Kotaku readers care about Gamespot anymore after Kane and Lynch debacle?
personally i never did like Gamespot to begin with...
icepick314
purplehanz
Posted 11:53 AM 29/1/08
My favorite Ricardo Torres moment has gotta be the time when he played through the beginning of Mobile Suit Gundam: Frontlines for the PS3, during Gamespot's PS3 sleepover-in-their-own-studio special.
purplehanz
GorbyGipper
Posted 11:53 AM 29/1/08
Why isn't this story tagged as "Hot Tears of Shame?" ...Too much whoring to avoid that tag.
GorbyGipper
spot778
Posted 11:53 AM 29/1/08
So do we say Congrats Bud or Sorry to hear that dude
spot778
SAGA
Posted 11:53 AM 29/1/08
im still not going back.
SAGA
hopanoe
Posted 11:53 AM 29/1/08
@doubtful: Nope. Stouffer's.
hopanoe
Anthropomancer
Posted 11:53 AM 29/1/08
Uh, it seems they're just promoting based on seniority rather than talent. If you have insomnia, watch one of the guy's video reviews. Boredom induced coma, here I come!
Anthropomancer
doubtful
Posted 11:53 AM 29/1/08
I'm eager to continue the site's tradition of excellence...
Well, it's a good thing it came from a press release since it would've been next to difficult to say with a straight face.
Was the press release brought to you by EIDOS?
doubtful
kw4k
Posted 11:53 AM 29/1/08
kasavin's review style was the best. as for torres, @blazinnoni: i'd have to agree with you
kw4k
tomsamson
Posted 11:53 AM 29/1/08
I never read any of his reviews but he seemed like a nice chap in the podcast and on the spot show.
he should leave gamespot like alex (and the other staffers should, too) and they should open their own game site.
With this comment:
"I'm eager to continue the site's tradition of excellence and I'm confident we can move forward into 2008 and set a new industry standard for how video games are covered."
he obviously made a total invitation for jokes though seeing the recent Gamespot news.
tomsamson
Fadakar
Posted 11:53 AM 29/1/08
Great, the over-expressive guy with the lisp. As if the lisp wasn't annoying enough, he goes on and on about stuff the gamers don't want to hear.
Fadakar
KeithCourage
Posted 11:53 AM 29/1/08
*roll eyes*. Care meter 0. I trip on the site occasionally but I went from always doubting them to...never even thinking of them when I'm browsing game news and reviews.
KeithCourage
Wildarmsjecht
Posted 11:53 AM 29/1/08
@WalletMan:
I see what you did there.
Wildarmsjecht
WalletMan
Posted 11:53 AM 29/1/08
Tradition of excellence? Since when?
WalletMan
Witzbold
Posted 11:53 AM 29/1/08
He doesnt look very happy in that picture.
Witzbold
Deadeyereborn
Posted 11:53 AM 29/1/08
"I'm eager to continue the site's tradition of excellence and I'm confident we can move forward into 2008 and set a new industry standard for how video games are covered." - This quote brought to you by Kane and Lynch dead men out now!
Deadeyereborn
blazinnoni
Posted 11:53 AM 29/1/08
His reviewing style always bored the hell out of me.
blazinnoni
poopsonlawn
Posted 11:53 AM 29/1/08
i like him but i just can't shake the thought that he's a pedophile.
poopsonlawn
Eastman
Posted 1:53 PM 29/1/08
@ArmyofJuan: As for Kasavin going to EA, there is a bit of a tradition among GameSpot staff to go to EA. It started with Amer Ajami, who produced Command & Conquer 3, and then Carrie left for EA. So with old friends (contacts) now at EA, there's no surprise they go there with some ease.
Bob Colayco going to Blizzard, on the other hand, that was no surprise, him being the no. 1 WoW-nut.
As for 1UP staff, they seem to be a bit more split. I think Shane Bettenhausen, being by far one of the biggest Sony supporters out there (to the point where it's not even comical anymore, it just feels kind of unethical), is about to join Sony, or one of Sony's primary developers, in 2008.
Eastman
Eastman
Posted 1:53 PM 29/1/08
@Witzbold: That's the most excited he ever looks, except for a half smile now and then. Greg Kasavin might not have been the most animated person, but he showed some passion in his work. Gerstmann was very animated, and passionate. Torres, on the other hand, all he expresses is boredom.
Then there's being too animated (Ryan MacDonald), but that's another story entirely.
I guess Torres is good at his job, and the big hair aside, he strikes me as a "suit" more than anyone at GameSpot. So I hope his dry personality doesn't reflect too much upon the site as a whole.
Eastman
Omi
Posted 1:53 PM 29/1/08
@spot778: I'd say Sorry to hear that dude. He will always have Gertsmangate hanging around in the back of his mind along with the thought Will I be next?
I will never get to read a single thing this man writes at GameSpot now that I've added all CNet sites to my firewall, just to be sure I don't go there by accident.
Omi
Soldrak
Posted 1:53 PM 29/1/08
Gamespot cited among Ricardo's strengths being "the ability to consistently tie review scores to advertising revenue." Gamespot then went on to assure developers that their future crappy games are in good hands with Gamespot.
Soldrak
ekin
Posted 1:53 PM 29/1/08
you guys are too much - torres is good people and what do u expect a press release to say...we want to be bad?
As for Gerstmann and many other things that we don't know the full story on, I'll reserve judgement before taking any shots, I'm sure their are plenty of commentors on this site that would not like the spotlight shown on them or to see inane uninformed opinions written on themselves.
Ah well, you know what they say about opinions there certainly seem to be plenty of assholes to go around on this one.
ekin
Ruisu
Posted 1:53 PM 29/1/08
I'm wishing Ricardo best of luck
Ruisu
Cell9song
Posted 1:53 PM 29/1/08
way to stand up to the system dude.
*rolls eyes*
Cell9song
NotAZombie
Posted 1:53 PM 29/1/08
@icepick314: For a while I really liked the site. After the Kane and Lynch thing I havn't been back. I won't give them the page hits.
NotAZombie
ArmyofJuan
Posted 1:53 PM 29/1/08
i always thought it was odd how Kasavin went to EA. Out of all the game development/publishing studios i would have always thought we was going to go to Bioware or Bethesda.
And torres is a very timid man
ArmyofJuan
Metaly
Posted 1:53 PM 29/1/08
I'll always associate that name with previews that sounded like they were written for a late-90s fansite.
p.s. Be sure to stay tuned to Gamespot for more news on [insert game here] as it develops!
Metaly
blackadvent
Posted 1:53 PM 29/1/08
"Tradition of excellence"
BUZZ! I'm sorry, that went straight out the window when Gerstmann was fired and when Navarro and Kasavin quit.
The correct response is that you need to earn respect.
blackadvent
altgod
Posted 1:53 PM 29/1/08
@PooPooKaKaBumBum:
Five months! If he does last only that long, I might actually start believing that gamespot is on it's way out. Please God, make it happen.
altgod
DugDawg
Posted 3:52 PM 29/1/08
Before Gerstmanngate, Gamespot was my favorite gaming site on the web. Hell, I've been going there for over 7 years! But now that all of the site's talent has up and quit or been shit-canned, I've moved on to greener pastures. Hello Kotaku!
DugDawg
RawSteelUT
Posted 3:52 PM 29/1/08
"I'm eager to continue the site's tradition of high revenue from advertiser-bought reviews, and I'm confident we can move forward into 2008 and set a new industry standard for how video game reviews are sold."
Indeed.
RawSteelUT
Philudo
Posted 3:52 PM 29/1/08
I've never really liked Riccardo's writing style, but he seems like a good person.
Philudo
ArmyofJuan
Posted 3:52 PM 29/1/08
@Eastman: Carrie Goosegoose? Or Couscos? or something that sounds similar to those?
ArmyofJuan
Dauragon88
Posted 3:52 PM 29/1/08
Good luck to Ricardo......
Man If I were him I would be getting my handy dandy noose ready. This has got to be extremely tough to deal with.
Dauragon88
Cell9song
Posted 3:52 PM 29/1/08
@Eastman:
Seeing Shane is one of the most despised game...commentators (I refuse to call him a journalist) in recent memory I seriously doubt his moving to Sony won't be viewed as anything other than a blessing.
Cell9song
silverbackne
Posted 3:52 PM 29/1/08
NO CRED NO FUTURE
silverbackne
Islandkiwi
Posted 3:52 PM 29/1/08
"I'm honored to be named the Captain of this sinking ship...now find me some corks or a better ship!"
Islandkiwi
Gadgetron
Posted 3:52 PM 29/1/08
gamespot is a dead and meaningless site. but good luck chief.
Gadgetron
19nazzy
Posted 4:53 PM 29/1/08
I've never really liked him very much. Whenever I've seen him do videos or on a podcast, he doesn't seem to have a personality and isn't very interesting at all. Although I haven't cared much about Gamespot since the K&L review.
19nazzy
diodegrey
Posted 4:53 PM 29/1/08
i have no use for gamespot.
kotaku
1up
ign
tomshardware
anandtech
zero punctuation
this is all you need.
diodegrey
Garo
Posted 5:53 PM 29/1/08
Meh... I can't stand him :/
Garo
zaglis
Posted 5:53 PM 29/1/08
what guy is soooooooooooo boring
zaglis
Jimbo4
Posted 10:52 PM 29/1/08
Well look who was willing to let advertisers write there own reviews.
Jimbo4
ARboom
Posted 10:52 PM 29/1/08
Ricardo? I guess cause everyone else who would've fit the bill had quit or been fired. That site is a joke now, and that's coming from someone who used to visit them everyday.
ARboom
St_G
Posted 10:52 PM 29/1/08
"Tradition of excellence." Ha!
St_G
machinespirit
Posted 10:52 PM 29/1/08
I hope Torres realizes he has a long uphill battle to restore GameSpot's credibility. While he's not going to say anything negative about the site or CNET publicly, I think the community deserves to see an editorial detailing what changes he's going to be making to "ensure quality" in the review process.
machinespirit
Jagzthebest
Posted 2:53 AM 30/1/08
@poopsonlawn: Hmmm.... I thought he was homosexual more than anything, he talks like a poofter.
Jagzthebest
Wolf_Dog
Posted 2:53 AM 30/1/08
@Sinnix:
Really?
Man, I'd love to see Jesus review Mass Effect :P
Wolf_Dog
Sinnix
Posted 2:53 AM 30/1/08
They could promote Jesus to head that group and I still wouldn't care. I trust them about as much as I trust a hooker not to steal my wallet in the middle of the night.
(I always lock up my wallet when hookers are over and you should too kids. Remember, play safe.)
Sinnix
Limafoxtrot
Posted 2:53 AM 30/1/08
I work in PR and I have to say this guy is screwed - he can't win. It takes far longer to recover and build a reputation than it does to trash it. What GameStop has done to their image will take years to recover from.
The suits seem to have realized they F*'d up their rep and are now trying some damage control. Probably too little too late. He might can restore them to the standards they had 3+ years ago - but will anyone be there to see it? Nope - which is why he is doomed. Also management has to let him succeed which means if a game sucks, they say it sucks - no matter how much ad space the game bought.
Limafoxtrot
finelicker
Posted 9:01 AM 30/1/08
That dude is camper than a bag of camp things coming first in a being camp competition.
finelicker
TearsandScreams
Posted 9:01 AM 30/1/08
@Jagzthebest: Classy. But you're right since Medieval times we have learnt to detect sexual orientation purely through the sound of voice. Oh what powers we have! What magnificent things we are!
TearsandScreams
ViolentLee
Posted 9:01 AM 30/1/08
Ricardo is good people -- hard worker and nice guy. I hope he's happy and successful in his new role.
ViolentLee