Phoenix Point - new Julian Gollop turn-based strategy game

I would expect the community manager I hired to not call the community cock waffles, especially when things get heated.

Ok, jokes aside, I get it. You’re not getting younger, and you’d like to make sure your masterpiece and employees will be fine. I’m sure you’re a good person and all that. But changing the deal 5 years later, when it’s a major issue to return money (which I know you didn’t budget when thinking of this) and after it’s been made clear how unpopular it is (whether you agree with the reasons or not) is just… dumb. And screwing those who are going to be in your shoes in the future.

One of the few positive things in the AMA was that when this incident was posted several people immediately disarmed the situation by confirming the Community Manager probably overstepped the line somewhat, but did the right thing and the other guy was a cunt.

Maybe they could win back some support with another AMA on 8chan.

Guess I’ll finally be getting the epic app :)

Hey, because of the anger over Phoenix Point on Reddit I found out that Mutant Year Zero is only $12 on Humble Bundle right now! Yeah!

Community managers should not use that sort of language no matter how much they are provoked. Ignoring people and going to the mods for the forum they are in (if any) is the path they need to take. Hell, even when I got death threats running the CGOnline boards I didn’t call people names like that.

I don’t think companies have any obligation to pretend shitburger “fans” aren’t shitburgers.

No legal obligation, no. Taking the role of a community manager, though, entails certain compromises. You give up your right to respond naturally and viscerally. I was a volunteer sysop on CompuServe’s gaming forums, for instance, years ago. We couldn’t say what we wanted, even if it was totally warranted. I just think it’s, overall, bad policy to indulge in personal responses. Understandable, and I certainly wouldn’t hold it against the employee doing it, in the sense of thinking it was a bad thing morally, but it’s just not good business IMO.

Obligated? Of course not. That’s kind of a weird word choice. But it’s a pretty poor performance from a community manager from a company already dealing with a PR fire. When your fans are riled up and angry, the last thing a community manager should be doing is engaging in personal attacks and insults. Their job is about managing a community and trying to defuse these situations.

If it was a developer on the game it would still be boneheaded but I’d cut them a little more slack, but a CM? That’s just being shit at your job.

I think Epic is getting a free pass just because they are new. I doubt the sentiment here will be the same if Gollup announced a Windows Store exclusive.

Yet the principles involved are exactly the same.

No, some potential customers are going to be dick boils and there is nothing to be gained by playing nice with them.

If the PR person working for me said that to one of our clients, I’d be looking for a new PR person.

I understand your position, but there are better ways to deal with a disgruntled or hostile customer than slinging mud and not everyone is cut out for the role of publicly dealing with customers. The only thing that’s going to accomplish is to make you look bad, particularly in an online climate where a response can be posted out of context (like this).

A policy of playing nice with garbage people is how GamerGate happened. I’ve worked at many customer service positions were there was a zero tolerance approach to abusive customers. I’d suggest you stop throwing the resumes of applicants with backbones in the garbage.

The gulf between zero tolerance and publicly labeling a customer a dick boil is enormous.

It’s kinda like the gulf between needing to rely on your community for sales and then suddenly not.

Clearly, community managers calling angry customers cock waffles is how we will avoid a Gamergate in the future.

I think this is very accurate. Whether they like it or not, their attitude towards the community changed completely once they realized they didn’t need their money.

That’s a great point. I was thinking of a GOG exclusive, but given how little credit Epic has, Windows Store is a much better analogy. People would be burning down game companies if they declared
themselves Windows Store exclusives.

This made me laugh.

Where were the Epic store supporters when the Games For Windows Live Marketplace needed them most! Competition for Steam. Exclusives. Big money backing. :-P