PR Firm Threatens Publications (Then Apologizes) Over Duke Nukem Review Scores

As Duke Nukem Forever review scores went live across the Internet, The Redner Group, a public relations firm that works with Duke publisher 2K Games, started lashing back at critics.

"#AlwaysBetOnDuke too many went too far with their reviews," read a tweet, now deleted, from The Redner Group's account. "w r reviewing who gets games next time and who doesn't based on today's venom."

That update, and others expressing distaste with scores, has since been deleted. It did not take long for others to dogpile in response, prompting a series of apologies from The Redner Group, including a personal email sent to Giant Bomb and other outlets. The apology appeared sincere.

"I have to apologize to the community," read the public apology. "I acted out of pure emotion. I will be sending each of you a private apology. I need to state for the record that 2K had nothing to do with this. I will be calling each of you tomorrow to apologize. Again, I want everyone to know that I was acting on my own. 2K had nothing to do with this. I am so very sorry for what I said."

2K Games responded today by publicly declaring it had dropped The Redner Group as a firm representing its products. The decision was announced in both emails to press and over Twitter.

"2K Games does not endorse the comments made by Jim Redner and we can confirm that The Redner Group no longer represents our products," said the company. "We have always maintained a mutually-respectful working relationship with the press and do not condone his actions in any way."

Our review of the long-in-development Duke Nukem Forever went up earlier this week.

Getting blacklisted by a publisher is not new. Publishers aren't required to work with any website. The difference is that when this happens, you don't tend to hear about it. Games just don't show up, emails go unanswered. It's part of the job, but what is usually constant is how it's a practice that remains behind-the-scenes. It almost never goes public. In this case, it went completely viral.

Practices like that are why we're always prepared to buy our own review copies, if necessary.

Damn those PR

It's a shame that the game didn't end up as well as it could have, but c'est la vie I guess.

Haha I read this earlier it's a fucking great story!

Well it was a nice business while it lasted. Good luck finding a new job, man.

That's pretty great....

Man, Duke makes people do fucking crazy shit.

I want to see Jeff get into a knife fight with George Broussard.
 
This has nothing to do with the article, I just want to see it happen.

*sigh* Duke.

Don't worry. Everyone is still gonna buy that Bioshock Infinite.

lol    

He's not sorry for saying that. He's just sorry his higher ups found out.

It's a shame to see shit like this happen. But, at least he was man enough to apologize about it. I hope he learns something from all of this.

Was that wrong? Should he not have done that?

How would you buy a "review" copy?  If you could buy it wouldn't the game be out and reviews kind of pointless?

@SethPhotopoulos said:

How would you buy a "review" copy?  If you could buy it wouldn't the game be out and reviews kind of pointless?

Yes. 100% of game sales are on the first day.

All this nonsense over DUKE NUKEM FOREVER?! All is lost.

And now The Redner Group is no longer associated with 2K games. That tweet essentially got Redner canned and made his PR firm unemployable. Great going.

it is interesting to see what game reviews get posted on day 0 across the various outlets

someone should chart that out over a year

PR's are for pussies

I kind of feel bad for the guy, it was a really stupid thing to say and it only harmed him.

I don't think I'll ever fully understand the PR/Publisher relationship..

@TheBlackPigeon said:

It's a shame to see shit like this happen. But, at least he was man enough to apologize about it. I hope he learns something from all of this.

man enough? what was he gonna do instead, tell everybody to fuck off?

@Daiphyer said:

Damn those PR

PR are people too!

I kind of feel bad for the guy losing his job effectively; but on the other hand, its a good message to send that just because you have outlets like Facebook and Twitter doesn't mean that people employed with profressionals should act like teenagers tweeting their most recent emotional whims.   
 
Its good to see the gaming industry moving in this direction - no room for sloppiness

One would think a PR person, of all people, would know better.

Was the guy personally involved in the development of DNF? I don't see why the fuck he would be so emotional about the reviews.

What I don't understand is why the PR group would lash out? It's not like he developed the game. Why do this for a single game and risk this kind of backlash?

DNF will be end of gaming as we know it! lol

This guy is one hundred percent fired now.

That's the shitty thing about Twitter. You can make one stupid statement that costs you everything.

kind of sad this had to happen over duke nukem

Always sucks to hear about this, have to wonder how many publishers have GB blacklisted because of their reviews.

As they say, it's only a crime if you get caught. Doing it behind the scenes is one thing. Doing it publicly is just stupid

haha.

Reviewers to Jim Redner... 
"DON'T BOO US!  Y'ALL SHOULD BE BOOIN' YASELF!" 
Or maybe that was R-Truth to the WWE Universe.  I can't remember.

A PR firm with horrible PR issues. Ohhhhh the irony.

Haha, that guy is fucked

Sounds like the exact opposite of what you want from a PR person. 

I kind of feel sorry for the guy now.  As Gob often said on Arrested Development...
 
http://www.fanpop.com/spots/arrested-development/videos/785114/title/ive-made-huge-mistake

@Mr_Skeleton said:

I kind of feel bad for the guy, it was a really stupid thing to say and it only harmed him.

Yep, sad.. in every way.

@Mr_Skeleton said:

I kind of feel bad for the guy, it was a really stupid thing to say and it only harmed him.

Yeah I kinda feel bad for him too. Though I'm sure almost everyone else will go "Don't feel bad for him, he deserves all the shit he gets!" I suppose that's the downside of being in a high position, the world is watching what you say.

PR's are for pussies

I'm not at all qualified to judge Jim Redner as a dude, and I have no schadenfreude to see a gaff like this cost someone their contract(s). God knows I've said and typed things I genuinely regret. But I do hope that the PR and corporate folks whom we all know read Giant Bomb, understand the magnitude of glass house asshattery this kind of attitude comes off as. Speaking as a paying customer who cares about reading a multitude of balanced reviews, the mere idea that you are choosing whose opinion I should trust is the worst possible PR decision you can make.

If I was a game reviewer this would have been my response: "Jim, we waited 15 years to review this game, we can wait 15 years and 3 days to review your next one. Thanks for the heads up."

Well, I am getting from this that this is a 1-person-PR firm or something (additional staff for 2K PR?), and he feared backlash from 2K over his selection of reviewing sites etc.

For me the release of Duke Nukem could not have been more perfect. If something flounders for 13 years, grow up and leave it behind. A game like Duke Nukem just can't be made today except for by the most skilled developers imaginable.... who? i don't know... Arrowhead?

Man, Jim Rednar got owned.

As much as I disagree with how he acted, it's gotta be hard to see something so personal get ripped apart. Whatever his degree of involvement was, it's very clear he had some strong feelings about Duke and damn if he doesn't have the right to express himself. 
 
That being said, he shouldn't have done so publicly, especially not as the head of the firm. Gotta learn when to keep things private. Poor guy.

What I don't understand is why the PR group would lash out? It's not like he developed the game. Why do this for a single game and risk this kind of backlash?

As much as I disagree with how he acted, it's gotta be hard to see something so personal get ripped apart. Whatever his degree of involvement was, it's very clear he had some strong feelings about Duke and damn if he doesn't have the right to express himself.  That being said, he shouldn't have done so publicly, especially not as the head of the firm. Gotta learn when to keep things private. Poor guy.