Profile of SturmtigerCobra

New Activision Blizzard greed exposed in re-hiring practices and cost-cutting initiatives.

Former BLIZZARD Employee Calls Them Out Over Dodgy Hiring Practices:

"Building up the Hearthstone community and global communications efforts these past six years."

Update to this news story, Hearthstone community team are a shambles:

7:30 - Update

https://twitter.com/ZerinaX/status/1145902541420371968

Christina Mikkonen, 1. jul. 2019
‏@ZerinaX
Really Blizzard? You laid off your entire HS community team and left it in shambles. Other CMs you laid off are still looking for work (not me) and you post this? SHAMEFUL. SHAME ON YOU.
REHIRE THE PEOPLE YOU LAID OFF THAT ARE STILL LOOKING FOR JOBS
HOW HARD IS THIS
I would like to thank everyone that interacted with this post. It’s difficult to bring awareness to issues when things are constantly swept under the rug or when people pretend like it doesn’t exist.
The game industry needs to change.
LMAO it’s literally a three person role all mashed together. Any sane person with experience would take one look at this and nope out.
I’ve only missed one BlizzCon. WoW was a part of my life for years. I never thought I would think this way about Blizzard.
It is a very hard area of expertise to be in right now. The value of communication outside of influencer marketing seems to be getting lower overall.
People are afraid, I don’t blame them. Being outspoken on social media can lead to them not finding employment elsewhere.
The last remaining Global CM just quit, what a mess.

She then got blocked by Blizzard:
https://twitter.com/ZerinaX/status/1145918170810605569

Ironically enough, this is a pretty Blizz standard way of solving problems. Get rid of it and don’t say anything ... and it doesn’t exist!

A reminder to those in gaming that follow me, unionize.
Follow @GameWorkers

Longer news story:
https://www.coh2.org/topic/92606/ea-rebrand-loot-boxes-to-surprise-mechanics


Official Sonic Twitter Makes Fun Of EA’s ‘Surprise Mechanics’ By Announcing Sonic Horses
https://www.thegamer.com/official-sonic-twitter-makes-fun-eas-surprise-mechanics-announcing-sonic-horses/

Sega Tweet:
https://twitter.com/sonic_hedgehog/status/1141503740605652992

@sonic_hedgehog
Hi everyone - we are pleased to announce new "Surprise Mechanics" for Sonic Horses!

You can now buy a "Surprise" for only 5 SonicBuxx™, or our new "Gaggle of Surprises" package for 200 SonicBuxx™!

Don't worry - our treatment of these Tiny Horses is entirely ethical.

... AND Homeless?
Oh, my. The inconvenient truth he spouts!

IMO we need to support the diversity of opinions/intellectual diversity as no one knows all the answers. If gamers don't support each other, no one else will.
Old school access media/media conglomerate has serious conflict of interest and not pro-gamer.
Big corporate media has supported hit pieces on the gaming community all the way back to Dungeons and Dragons board games.


Quoted for truth:



Patton quotes source:
11 quotes that show the awesomeness of Gen. George Patton
https://www.wearethemighty.com/articles/general-george-patton-quotes
https://www.businessinsider.com/general-patton-life-lesson-quotes-2016-11?op=1&r=US&IR=T#do-your-duty-as-you-see-it-and-damn-the-consequences-13

The AAA game industry is in disarray and only a few game "journos" have been honest about this.
Talk about failed priorities and digging your own grave.
Evolution of games "journalism" and marketing:




sources:
https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/9-things-we-learned-from-the-2018-user-generated-content-ugc-report/513245/
https://www.tintup.com/blog/38-mind-blowing-stats-effectiveness-user-generated-content/

YouTube and/or streaming influencers such as Drdisrespect is the new access media that sell games.
Old school access media will become irrelevant as they failed to adapt.
Even EA marketing is making significant investments into influencers to sell games/MTX:

Report: EA Paid Ninja $1 Million To Play 'Apex Legends', Which Is Way Too Little
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/2019/03/14/report-ea-paid-ninja-1-million-to-play-apex-legends-which-is-way-too-little/#77f74ff127f3

This is the future!
Personally, I'm hoping independent creators such as Bellular News continues to grow and they have aspirations to create new gaming documentaries/investigative journalism.

For a deep dive into the downfall of old school gaming journalism watch this video series:

As for the slippery slope of censorship. This game director explains the history of game censorship. The new Chinese game market is very pro-censorship to the detriment of western gamers:

Epic CEO Defends ‘Ends Justify The Means’ Exclusive Stance, Leaves Out KEY Information:

More of the industry weighs in on revenue splits:


More half-truths from Epic CEO.

Journalist:

Game is racits, you shoot at diverse racial gangs! Evil white man at play again!!

TL;DR:
Hilarious short clip from Yongyea YouTuber sums it up:

Yongyea losing faith in gaming journalism?

To be clear game journos are not all unhinged but they are grasping at straws with Cyberpunk 2077.
I understand why The Quartering is a controversial YouTuber/gaming critic but attacking Yongyea makes no logic.

Gamergate’s Latest Targets Are Cyberpunk 2077’s Critics:
https://medium.com/@TheRealAKhaled/cyberpunk-2077-transphobia-poster-mike-pondsmith-gamergate-92fa6e3a922d

Sure enough, when typed into YouTube’s search box, “cyberpunk 2077” brings up just in its first page two notable gaming provocateurs — Cleanprincegaming, and YongYea.

A few days later he double down on the YouTuber's hitpiece:
https://medium.com/swlh/gamergate-game-journalism-youtube-zoe-quinn-anita-sarkeesian-cleanprincegaming-yongyea-thequartering-901e63c05a3b

I accidently helped a reporter create a youtuber hit piece article. In this article he talked about 'angry gamers' and I let him interview me about it. I had no clue it was going to be a hit piece against youtubers and I had no clue it was going to result in people losing their sponsors. Here's my story.

These are the type of blogger activists that are hired and/or paid to write news articles for gaming news sites. Desperate for clicks or enjoying the smell of your own farts/intellectual smugness?
What is worse Google+MSM bias is supporting a fake narrative that make gamers and YouTubers look bad.
Some of us saw this censorship/demonization coming from a mile away but now we got clear evidence to prove Google bias.
Within a short period of time Youtube/Google has practically merged with MSM content and that has serious implications especially for Youtube content creators.
Long story short, Youtube/Google is digging their own grave and facing new criminal charges/antitrust investigation (both US and EU) + public scrutiny.

Is there a silver lining?
Yes, but first we got an internet war to win:

Quoted for Truth:
Gabe Newell's advice in 2013 still rings true: 'Nobody is smarter than the internet'
https://www.businessinsider.com/valve-ceo-gabe-newells-advice-to-businesses-still-rings-true-today-2017-11?r=US&IR=T

MSM can't handle competition from independent creators and media. Also tried to remove the biggest gamer on Youtube, Pewdiepie but that failed:
https://www.tubefilter.com/2017/02/16/pewdiepie-wall-street-journal-response/

That does not mean Pewdiepie is safe from Google/MSM censorship as this big investigation suggest:
YouTube’s Trending section puts creators at a huge disadvantage over big brands
22, Study collected data on more than 40,000 videos
https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/29/18642833/youtube-trending-coffee-break-pewdiepie-late-night-sports-highlights