COMMENTARY - We need to seriously stop putting any stock in unsubstantiated reporting and stick to the facts

Maximum possible face palm.

By Jonathan Garrett
10/04/24

There needs to be a referendum on the usage of terms like “it’s claimed” and “sources say”, without any sort of verification or validity. Time and again we’ve been given spoilers for game announcements, the timing of said reveals, and the contents of upcoming digital events, without a seconds hesitation for the hard working publishers and developers who understandably want to reveal their efforts on their terms.

Those that choose to indulge this kind of reporting are just as frustrating, by leveraging privileged access to formulate a narrative that suits the trends presented by their SEO reports. Now, we’re not so naïve to think this kind of journalism doesn’t have a vital commercial component; more clicks and engagement equals greater revenue from advertising and other funding sources, which in turn plays a part in keeping the lights on.

It’s also important for true investigative journalism to expose examples of mismanagement and poor conduct, to hold people in power accountable. But when Jeff Grubb goes on a podcast and says “They were working on Dead Space 2, and they are no longer working on it. It is on the shelf”, without citing any specific sources or providing any sort of tangible evidence, it should be dismissed as nonsense coming from an “influencer” desperately seeking clout and relevance.

What makes it worse is mainstream games media then reports it like it’s factual and proven. Eurogamer and VGC both ran the story, along with countless others, despite the fact that IGN have already shared EA’s vehement denial of the “report”. The classic “just because it hasn’t happened yet doesn’t mean it’s not true” logic can’t apply here either, because that isn’t journalism. This is guesswork pretending to be reality, and it’s pathetic.