I would agree if this was some kid trying to go viral and make his Youtuber millions. Problem is it's an older guy who's clearly rich as fuck posting a weekly VLOG that's only sometimes tangentially related to videogames.
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Joel Hopkins claims he wasn't sent a review Switch because he refused to say certain positive things about it.
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I would agree if this was some kid trying to go viral and make his Youtuber millions. Problem is it's an older guy who's clearly rich as fuck posting a weekly VLOG that's only sometimes tangentially related to videogames.
Based solely on OP's video - this guy seems like an entitled douche... like no shit they're going to talk about how small the box, cart, system is.... it is small and that was super impressive at launch! Trashing other content creators while whining about being censored- f this guy.
also these embargoed videos seem to be unboxing videos- not system reviews. This is pretty common isn't it- unboxing like a week or two ahead of launch, review week of? Same thing happened with the series x and ps5 in the last few weeks. If the whole point of the video is showing the box, then the size of the box is likely to come up....
also these embargoed videos seem to be unboxing videos- not system reviews. This is pretty common isn't it- unboxing like a week or two ahead of launch, review week of? Same thing happened with the series x and ps5 in the last few weeks. If the whole point of the video is showing the box, then the size of the box is likely to come up....
If he isn't on their list of reviewers, I think it's possible that we are looking at a situation where they didn't want him to do a proper review but a sponsored advertorial kind of video instead.
I'm a journalist (not a gaming one), I've covered switch release in France. I'm asked for some big N games for reviewing purposes too.
They were slow sometimes, and sent us the material to late often enough...but never, absolutely never, would they ask for a positive review ahaha that's so unprofessional it's completely absurd
They were slow sometimes, and sent us the material to late often enough...but never, absolutely never, would they ask for a positive review ahaha that's so unprofessional it's completely absurd
This guy sounds like a piece of work. Lots of clownshoes stomping around in this thread.
Surprise Surprise lmao
This like deserves a thread title update or something
I do have a problem with Nintendo ambassadors. Some are honest like Arlo or Woods but I have seen Nintendo YouTubers spinning every Nintendo decision in something positive. There are legit Nintendo ambassadors who are defending Nintendo's decision to make games only available for a limited time. They also deny any form of drifting problems
I follow tons of Nintendo-centric youtubers, but haven't come across anyone defending these. Any particular examples?
Missclick and player essence for example in a episode of the spawn wave podcast. When the Mario collection was announced Missclick called limited releases "a wonderful thing" and player essence was making funny noises imitating people who critiqued the decision.
They both were really rude to anyone on the cast who didn't agree with them. There are also channels who kept denying that joy con drifting is a reall thing claiming that they haven't experienced it themselves so it must be fake news
So wait, am I'm supposed to feel bad that some guy who has a videogames room that is literally bigger than any house I've ever been able to stay in couldn't get a freebie? I think I'm good.
Well then, I would start by saying don't go to YouTubers/"influencers" begging for free stuff for "reviews" in the first place. They're all just an arm of the marketing divisions of companies.
People are handwaving this away because someone from another Australian outlet in this thread has said this is nonsense.
People already did it before.
Also, as of now it is one person saying something and another something else. It's way too convenient to just trust the one that fits your opinion.
And it's not even like one if them has to be wrong. Companies tell things differently to people different people all the time.
That's exactly what they did by issuing takedown notices on every video on his channel.
Well we got another from Stilgar on this very page, saying Nintendo has never demanded a positive review from them.
Yep. What entitles this guy to get a free Switch to review? And where's the evidence they made these demands? I haven't seen a single other person come forward with anything like this.
He wanted to review the Switch his way, so he had to buy one like the rest of us. Big deal.
So from my understanding, he does not belong to the press, he's just a youtuber or nobody who wants be somebody by doing nothing.
Well honey, if you wanted to get a free Switch before launch date just because of your pretty face, it's stupid to think they would give it to you that easily because your name is Joel, it's obvious they would ask you to do publicity, not to give your opinion when nobody asked you to.
If you wanted to do an unboxing video or whatever giving your own opinion, you waited until launch date or later and pay it with your money like all the mortals have done.
Well honey, if you wanted to get a free Switch before launch date just because of your pretty face, it's stupid to think they would give it to you that easily because your name is Joel, it's obvious they would ask you to do publicity, not to give your opinion when nobody asked you to.
If you wanted to do an unboxing video or whatever giving your own opinion, you waited until launch date or later and pay it with your money like all the mortals have done.
A three page thread of people shitting on him 2 weeks after he made the video apparently?
What a cunning plan.
You can throw me into that as well.
I can back Shancake up in saying that after working with Nintendo of Australia for years that they have never once requested a positive review or asked for anything specific to be included in any coverage of any sort.
For that matter, no developer, publisher or distributor I've worked with at any point has made any sort of demands on the contents of our reviews beyond asking that spoilers be avoided.
I think thats pretty much it - he is a youtuber and thought that because of his clout or followers would get the same treatment as IGN, Edge, Gameinformer and co.
I've seen reviewers say mulitple times that nintendo doesn't seem to care what they say and often send them the games to review ages in advance because they're so confident of their games
If this is true, why would Nintendo even do that? If anything this would be bad Marketing because you would destroy a good relationship to reviewers in the long term. Many people don't want their opinion to be bought and it is not like Joel Hopkins is implying that Nintendo was offering him money to have a more positive review by him. It would be strange when this many journalists would trowing their integrity over board to get a console some weeks earlier. I mean the switch had reviews by non-gaming media like the guardian or the new york times. They would have no interest in lying about the quality of a gaming console.
Was it every video or just the videos of the games on the system he obtained illegally? That's a very important distinction.
According to the video, he's alleging that he got takedown notices on everything Nintendo-related, regardless of the actual video content. Of course, there's no way to verify that what he's saying is true, so I'm taking it with a pinch of salt.
Yes possibly but I kind of get the idea this dude is obscenely wealthy YouTube channel or not.
He's probably not seeking money, he's just trying to spin a tale that makes him look like the hero fighting back against big bad Nintendo, and getting validation from people falling for it. Like they are in this thread.
No it's more simple than that, it's just people not having read the debunking post.
People see what they want to see. And there's a lot of people unhealthily obsessed with Nintendo being big bad here.
I can't confirm or deny this particular story but I've been working with Nintendo for more than a decade and while they can be... particular in some ways, I can't remember them ever trying to influence coverage or withholding early products because of negative coverage.
I'm surprised they'd send a Switch to someone with such a modest Youtube presence, to be honest, but I don't know the Ozzie YT situation.
This is a weird video. Like, I sorta' agree with him in that I wouldn't entirely feel right being Nintendo's mouthpiece but after listening to this guy, he does come off a bit entitled and sound a bit slighted during his review, and honestly, it makes it hard to agree with him.
Those two would still be as bias even without being ambassadors honestly. Reason why I don't care listening to them.
I've seen his tour video before... I always wonder just how large his house much be to have that much space dedicated to gaming (or he lives in a converted warehouse or something).
I have a huge problem with this practice, for example the Eurogamer review of the PS5 was changed after publication because Sony claimed one part of it (the error screen when you insert an m2 drive in the console) violated their review guidelines.
Eurogamer were clear that they had changed the article but it raises the question of how games journalists can be honest about the products they are covering if the manufacturers have final say on content.
We should demand transparency from anyone publishing a review and no manufacturer or publisher should have final say on any product review.
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I follow Playeressence and he only makes fun of people that complain and complain, and end up buying the thing. Which is stupid, honestly. I can't speak for the other one though.
So with even Jason Schreier shedding doubt on this guy can we just put this flimsy narrative to bed?
It was in a episode of the spawn wave podcast. Nate was arguing that limited releases are anti consumer. Missclick and OJ acted extremely rude towards him. It was uncomfortable to watch.
After that I stopped following both.
The vote with your wallet thing I find difficult. I was sceptical about Pokémon S&S. People said I had to play the game first otherwise you can't have a opinion. Bought and played the game and did not like it. Now people are saying I'm part of the problem since I complain but still buy it. It's a lose lose situation
Yeah that's always a weird fanboyism, that there's essentially no correct way to criticize a game without your decision regarding playing it somehow undermining it. Either you don't play it, so you're wrong, you do buy it and it's "well they got your money so haha," you borrow/play at a friend's and "you didn't get the full experience," or you outright pirate it and your opinion is invalid because you Did A Bad.
I'm genuinely curious how this Missclick persion spun a limited release as positive, since most defenses are basically that it's a neutral decision.