1UP Layoffs: See You at the Crossroads

A pillar in the gaming criticism and journalism industry, the 1UP staff and community has now been victim to a near implosion of its identity. In a new deal conceived by Ziff Davis (the producers of all 1UP content) and UGO Entertainment claims to expand and "strengthen" the "1UP brand and its products". The very language used in press releases indicates the callous and profit-minded mentality employed by the UGO corporate investors, with respect to the community which their newly acquired website served.

While Ziff-Davis' CEO, Jason Young, points towards progress and expansion, dozens of memorable characters, from Ryan Scott to Anthony Gallegos have been laid off; presumably to make room for more commercially-inclined employees and content-providers (editors, writers etc). While the corporate merger may be commercially beneficial, it is negligent of several facts. Primarily, the individuals who provided 1UP network content, their talents, opinions and idiosyncrasies are all what made the website and its podcasts so special. People tuned in and read on a daily basis, not to see ads and banners, but to hear "fanboy-bating commentary and office tom-foolery" (as described by EGM). 1UP did its utmost to minimize the division between the editors and the readers, by encouraging message board conversations, in-game collaboration (an example being the 1UP WoW guild, "Can't Quit You")

After the termination of Jeff Gerstmann as a result of (allegedly) poor review scores given to "Kane and Lynch: Dead Men", my confidence in the - then - innocent, free-spirited and creatively-driven industry of video games was shaken. But this....this is unconscionable. To think that UGO would be so arrogant! They believe, that despite the irrational and unannounced firings of the majority of the 1UP.com staff, people would continue to visit their site. That by simply fueling more money into the website and their endeavors, the void left by the departure of so many editors and writers would cease to exist.

Well, I for one hope and trust that the terminated editors, takes a cue from Jeff Gerstmann and Ryan Davis: establish your own site! Through word of mouth and a little luck, the 1UP club members and community will flock to any new content outlet provided by the laid-off workers, not only to for the sake of entertainment, but to prove that quality of content is paramount next to the bottom-line.

As Shawn Elliot put it accurately.....

"Those were the glory days. Where did they go? Without a few fossils there's no way to know.....lets do this....like 1991"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeLC3ecwmSo&feature=related