When YouTubers Were Accused of Taking Bribes

[@sunset7424]

I love you please pin me :^D

[@creatorsfreedom6734]

Noted

[@justenough215]

FTC did a good thing by requiring creators to put "sponsor" in the video and anytime you see it you should take a huge grain of salt.

[@TheKingerd]

Yep, big round of applause for WB Games and shadow of Mordor botching it so badly the FTC got involved 😂

[@ToxicMothBoi]

I learnt this the hard way from Paul Tassi. Once respected him, only until he blantantly disregarded anything negative to praise the shit he got paid to talk about. Worst part is he is so brainwashed he doesnt have an opinion anymore

[@Tigerhearty]

now they don't disclose being fled out to the literal gaming company HQ and given hints and tips and advantages on place. they just changed methods and do it in real life rather then in the public online space.

[@milkycannon444]

you should take it with a grain of salt anyway. its just another persons opinion about a game.

[@theforevermachine]

I take anything that anyone says on the internet with a huge grain of salt and a shot of insulin - no matter what

[@AvalancheReviews]

They're flying out people with 70k subs?!?!? I have made it very clear that I'm for sale and still, nothing!

[@kevo300]

Shill jokes arent funny

[@TheKingerd]

😂😂😂

[@Doomface-x6t]

Yeah but the crossover audience between fatal frame and a Ubisoft game are of a more refined calibre 😂

[@fortniteclipz2902]

@@kevo300u going to cry it’s not that hard to know when a game is bad but you’re probably to stupid to think for yourself

[@Desmond-Dark]

Dude I love your channel.

[@simonphoenix3789]

I hate how these people act all innocent and pretend as if they are totally innocent of taking bribes because they weren't directly given money. As if they don't understand that by being flown somewhere and given exclusive access, they have already been bribed to give an expected opinion.

[@jurassicarkjordanisgreat1778]

whats even worse is that this type of shilling is effective because people think influencers are down to earth and don't realize they are just as pathetic and bought out as celebs. This is also why there is such a huge toxic positivity movement in gaming. Instead of realizing the issues with the game industry, they get paid off by the studios to stay quiet and happy so these people defend the state of things and gaslight that its not bad. The studios realized if they bought out the controllers of public opinion, people would stop trashing their slop.

[@snakekingblues3017]

Yup more then one way to bribe someone That what they like to Conveniently overlook

[@MrKrewie]

In some countries, accepting "gifts" like this is considered accepting bribery and your integrity should be questioned, I'm amazed that people can't see that , like these people have this iron will of resistance gimme a break 😂

[@65firered]

Luke Stephens keeps denying being involved in access journalist but it's not just Ubisoft this year but EA with Dragon Age Veilguard where he and several other creators are participating in the practice. Also, no wonder why Ubisoft has no money and is near bankruptcy.

[@fro_e]

Luke Stephens has rat like qualities.

[@jimjohnson6944]

100%, dude will say anything to get his bag ​@@fro_e

[@acudaican]

I'm of two minds about it because I find that his sponsored videos are never wrong exactly (even Star Wars Outlaws did a few things really well) and he does raise concerns, but the tone is always _such_ a far cry from his usual negativity that it reeks of an obvious lack of integrity. It's like he turns into Matty whenever you give him money.

[@65firered]

@@acudaican He also tends to rate games higher if they're from companies he's sponsored by though that seems to be much more of a problem this year with Ubisoft and EA.

[@65firered]

@@AbhijeetMishra Unless it's Ubisoft and especially Assassin's Creed. He's pretty out of touch there. And there's his coverage of DA The Veilguard which has been overtly positive and he keeps making these backhanded comments about people criticizing the game... despite how many people are criticizing the game. Which isn't a great sign that he will be particularly fair especially since he took a sponsorship for it.

[@DDobs12]

Luke Stephens is a word salad who likes to pretend he is an in-depth critic.

[@acudaican]

That's Legendary Drops. Dude just parrots whatever negative sentiment is on reddit, and always takes on the most insufferably didactic tone. He's YongYea lite.

[@DDobs12]

@@acudaican oh yawn yea....what a guy.

[@cainhurst17]

@@acudaicanlmao i can see the similarities now, that’s accurate 😂

[@StevenZephyc]

​@@acudaican One of them praised cyberpunk 2077 highly at release and it ain't legendary drops

[@acudaican]

@@StevenZephyc Yeah, cause one of those cunts didn't even have a channel or platform at the time. If he'd seen the game behind closed doors and had YY's audience, you really going to bet that he wouldn't have dropped some vid gushing about it and decrying other games? I didn't even encounter non-traffic bugs on PC until I was like 6 hours in.

[@Defa_Noob]

Iirc Star Wars Theory was emailed by Ubisoft to review Outlaws, he emailed them back saying if he thought the game was trash he was going to be honest about it and Ubi never got back to him. Moral of the story is always assume a sponsored review is dishonest.

[@MistValleyEntertainment-News]

Theory actually told Ubisoft that if they wanted him to review their game, not only would he be saying what he really thought, but THEY would need to pay HIM for his time! lol. Theory is the Best.

[@MEATOGRE]

“Thank you Ubisoft, for sponsoring this video” If that doesn’t get you to instantly close a video, you might be a Luke Stephens fan.

[@idiot_city5444]

They're called shills for a reason. Also, Luke Stephens is the definition of insufferable

[@slightlysaltysam7411]

I'm a fan of Luke Stephens, but am critical about him lying or being biased. I respect his skepticism and insight. What factors are you referencing when you call him insufferable?

[@idiot_city5444]

@slightlysaltysam7411 he has a very weird pompous way of expressing his opinions, he's also just some dude haha I don't know why people hold these reviewers on a pedestal, loves his own voice. Just not a fan

[@Ravix0fFourHorn]

@@idiot_city5444 he was a theater kid

[@idiot_city5444]

@@Ravix0fFourHorn i can tell

[@amalekedomite]

@@slightlysaltysam7411 How can you respect his skeptisism and insight when they are inversely proportional to how much he's being paid?

[@GerardEarthfield]

I am happy the marketing machine will never work on me. I'm always broke and buy games on sale a year later😎

[@MortiXD09]

same here, although im slowly switching to free model.

[@ToxicMothBoi]

Same here. I pirate games i dont have the money to buy yet. In case of devs i like or devs who put in actual work i do end up buying. Not with ubisoft games tho

[@GerardEarthfield]

@@ToxicMothBoi I used to pirate but the only reason I stopped is mostly because my backlog of purchased games is so big, by the time I got time to get around a game is a year or so later and they're cheap enough, so it makes little to no difference to pirate to me now

[@vgamedude9811]

Luke Stephens annoys me, just his voice. So much soy.

[@Mattsidious]

He's also known to plagiarize, so just add that to the list of negatives.

[@jimjohnson6944]

Yeah he's way too effeminate

[@pongomb]

​@@MattsidiousWhat did he plagiarise?

[@rye7839]

​@@pongomb hbomberguy's bloodborne review

[@based-ys9um]

​@@rye7839for real?

[@rubenthekid]

Oh, so that's why that one grifter andypants was calling Luke a grifter, because real knows real or something like that.

[@franciscor390]

It takes one to know one.

[@dychostarr]

I'd consider that more credible if it wasn't for the fact his whole stick is "everyone not anti-woke is wrong". Just cuz your stance hit's a lot of people doesn't mean his thought process actually had logic behind it. I have enough respect for myself not to give pathetic people like him a point that wasn't earned.

[@rubenthekid]

@@franciscor390 thanks for the correction

[@franciscor390]

@@rubenthekid 👍

[@yourbarber6732]

I don’t see the problem in him taking a trip when he’s still honest about his Ubisoft reviews. He was constantly dunking on AC Odyssey and Valhalla when they first came out and only warmed up to Odyssey years later like a lot of people. He also made it clear in the Outlaws preview that it was early access and that he would be reviewing the full game where he was also honest about it. A lot of people mad at him fail to understand a company can still provide benefits without you completely conforming to their ideals if you maintain your own professionalism within your content. This guy essentially implies Luke’s reviews/impressions aren’t genuine without actually acknowledging what Luke actually said in any of his reviews outside of a short clips of him mentioning pre order links and him mentioning how the preview he was given for Outlaws was worked on well and polished when he distinctly clarified that didn’t reflect the full game in that video yet this guy acts like he didn’t.

[@91MoonKnight]

Luke Stephens used to be a Bethesda shill then changed when Fallout 4 dropped. In his videos he comes off as fake and forced but I am glad he's getting called out for being a corporate shill.

[@saturnotaku]

Even if you paid for the trip yourself, you still should disclose that you attended/were invited to the press briefing if for no other reason than to build trust with your audience.

[@gabrielduceac6873]

Awesome content mate, hope your channel takes off soon, you definitely deserve it!

[@TheKingerd]

Thanks man, I’m glad you like it, here’s to many more. And thank you for the support 🤝👑

[@Ashton666]

@@KittyBoom360 I believed you missed the part about youtube's comment section not being an airport.

[@KittyBoom360]

@@Ashton666 I will delete my comment. It was wrong of me to call him out in a random thread.

[@KingTairun]

Sony flew Shill UP(SkillUp) and his brother to Norway for God of War!! they both advertised the F out of that game and PS in general, They even visited Xbox expo wearing their Sony PS hoodies! Alanah Pierce and her infamous Cyberpunk chair she is involved in game of the year while she is Sony employee.. Yong Yea and his mountain of gifted merch.

[@franciscor390]

All of them part and friends of the access media. Bought and paid for.

[@KingTairun]

@@franciscor390 half of the gaming media have sent applications to work at a Sony's studios. No bad word will be written for Sony this is why Concord had "instantly charming characters" while all players hated it. The mainstream media is ad machine

[@dychostarr]

Tbf, a recent invitation for Skillup was denied and they paid for their own trip. I think whatever backlash he got at least made him and his team reconsider this stance. Of course, could be tricked on this point. I don't use one person to note if a game is good or not, I use a good few people both from "bigger" youtubers to smaller as well as other resources that isn't vid format (never reading a kotaku or the likes, that's just a terrible dice roll in any case...)

[@amalekedomite]

@@dychostarr The problem with that is that I don't think skillup reconsidering his views on being a shill is really as nobel as you present. Essentially they realised they were putting their revenue stream into danger as they were going to lose more in subs than they would gain in shillbucks. It aint like they had a moral epiphany. If they see the dollar signs are bigger on the shill side of the fence they will jump again.

[@dychostarr]

​@amalekedomite I suppose that's fair, I just think that thought process closes any doors for course correction and attempting to do better. To note, your stance isn't wrong, and if it wasn't a problem at the time? It wouldn't have been a pivot at all and a standard we should have from reviewers. I didn't know the conflict part until reading this thread amd will remember it to be better informed. I put alot of effort in knowing my purchases, and sometimes bs marketing or sensationalist reactions make that rough. Why it's annoying when I wanna be both entertained and informed in my vids I watch I just can't take them at their face value.

[@arrogantbandit1]

Unsubbed from Luke because he was describing a 4.5 - 5 / 10 game but still recommended the game to "Star Wars fans" who can look past the faults. What I commented on that video: "We're not getting this sh*t for free, like you. And sh*t is expensive." Felt, scummy from Luke to not say: "Wait and see", which should have been his conclusion after what he himself said. I do think it's subconcious "blackmail" with Luke: "I'm a good guy, I can't totally burn them after what they've done for me. Let me throw them something".

[@arrogantbandit1]

Side note: I got a new pc last week. Got a free copy of Outlaws. Still not interested in playing untill some game-changing mods come out AND STAY UP.

[@Simp_Supreme]

I mean, just because a game is average doesn't mean it's unplayable, FO76 wasn't great but if you're a big fan of Fallout you'll probably enjoy it and forgive some faults, we know this because people do indeed enjoy it lol.

[@bustanut5501]

@@Simp_Supreme Pretty much. Hardcore Star Wars fans (talking about the ones that buy anything with the name on it) may get something out of it, similar to the Avatar game or Hogwarts Legacy. Both of the latter ones are nothing special gameplay wise with maybe one or two interesting ideas, but probably draw most of their audience from being attached to an IP.

[@IsaButecos]

How is he wrong tho?

[@matt6387]

A 5 is an ok game. Not everyone is ign.

[@micheljolicoeur6094]

The reason there were no negative videos is that ALL bribees had to submit their videos to a Ubisoft appointed screening agency where they went over the videos and told people what they had to edit out or redo in their videos BEFORE they could post them.

[@CErra310]

Do you have a source for that?

[@EhCanadian316]

13:04

[@CErra310]

@@EhCanadian316 aw fuck now I look like a dick for missing that. thank you

[@nagger8216]

@@CErra310 I don't know, the video you're commenting on?

[@zerg6001]

I used to watch Luke a lot. He made some good videos. Then he went full access journalism mode while pretending like he was still skeptical and unbiased. His buddy Jor Raptor does the same thing. I’m pretty sure they are both invested in Ubisoft too because they listen to and discuss the Investor calls and documents but that’s just a suspicion.

[@coopstain1728]

lol He'd be a moron to invest in Ubisoft now hahaha

[@Ruddy-w3o]

Jor Raptor has he/him in his twitter. God bless the people who watch that guy.

[@Symbiote-Man]

JoRaptor is too positive for me, he never is critical of anything unless the mob dislikes it and even he can't hype it up. You could sell him shit and he'd love it if it came from Ubisoft.

[@jinqster4384]

Luke also did it with Dragon Age.

[@Mmachine88]

I have never heard a more real statement "This isn't a airport, you don't have to announce your departure".

[@Themtwa]

Ah yes, I had forgotten about all of these channels that KZbin keeps trying to get me to watch. Reminds me of Shill Up. It is always impressive to me how much KZbin tries to get me to watch all of these people that all have the same opinion but struggles to show me the content I subscribe to.

[@iro6758]

Dude, Luke's videos were so blatant that I don't know how anyone takes that guy seriously anymore. The hair in Star Wars, on his screen, *_seriously_* looked like a clump of bacteria that had become sentient and was warning humanity away with an aggressive dance. Luke's response (seriously): "The way that the wind blows through the brush and my hair looks so good and is so immersive!" The man - literally - _was paid so much_ *that it blinded him.*

[@amalekedomite]

I always knew that dude was a bit of a creep but then i saw a video pointing out that his early youtube career was just straight up 1:1 rip off copies of other peoples videos. His response was along the lines of "yeah lol I did that but I'm sorry now."

[@VerGiLL1]

​@@amalekedomiteOh yeah, he was on the HBOMBERGUY video about plagiarism. Tbh I saw on video from the guy and I couldn't stand him, 30 min videos with the most surface level takes.

[@Wodki]

Luke is doing the same with the new Dragon Age to an lesser extent since EA didn't that much. Dude changed his thumbnail for his "impression" of the game like 3 times to adjust to the audience reaction.

[@DdHenley307]

Absolutely. His Dragon Age video as well. Seemed a bunch were just repeating the same talking points

[@SuperSikarlo]

He doesn't get paid for that and openly criticized it. You have no proof 😂😂

[@SteveHylton1969]

There is ZERO reason for anyone to get on a plane to give impressions about a game…

[@cyberpondsmith9313]

RIP TOTAL BISCUIT

[@JagoKestis]

To quote Homer Simpson: “People will think what I tell them to think, when you tell me what to tell them to think!”

[@elguitarTom]

The second they get sponsored all their credibility goes out the window. Act Mam and that other fat guy. Don't ever trust a word they are saying. Utter shills.

[@amalekedomite]

Never forget that Act Man shilled for Starfield.

[@CallMeVanEl]

Luke is a bit of an oddball when it comes to him getting invitations to events. For example, the week/weekend BioWare took everyone to try Veil guard, Luke uploads a breaking news video from a hotel, about a different topic. And he's like "I'm traveling but I won't tell you where" (pretty obvious where he was) It kinda makes it seem like he thinks his audience is stupid or he's disingenuous

[@bustanut5501]

You mean the video in which he reacted to the supposed budget of Concord? That came out way after his preview on Veilguard. And him not telling the audience where he's travelling to is part of the embargo every outlet is under until a certain date. It's the reason why most previews for games from all the media come out on the same day.

[@saumayagoel234]

It's called a NDA lol

[@schwolmart]

I fully understand why you might not love making these videos. I sure do love watching them lol. One thing I hate is being sold something under the guise of not selling something

[@TheKingerd]

Oh I do, just not ALL the time. And glad you love it, if you’re here for it I’m here for it

[@22Chad_Reed22]

this is the exact reason I dont watch any of the traditional gaming media anymore but go to youtubers instead and now they are being bought as well... well there still plenty of good ones out there

[@d33pblu3]

There’s no reason to pre-order games in 2024. Pre-orders made sense in the dark ages before steam, but now there’s no point since you get your game nigh instantly after purchasing. Also there are so many games out there, there’s no reason why you have to play a single player game on release day, just play something else for a month while waiting for the dust to settle.

[@rogercastilho19]

Exactly! I think there's some people that feel the need to instantly get the experience and join the hype. and talk about it with others. I honestly think this is kind of sad.

[@DdHenley307]

Before you also had to worry about it being sold out

[@PaulXPZ]

I think with story heavy single player games, most people want to get in early so they avoid spoilers online. I know I tried once to avoid a game on launch to wait for some inevitable patches and got the ending spoiled by complete accident

[@6vitamin]

I think it's even simpler: it's not about *GAINING* "access"- it's about *LOSING* access. ie, you don't criticize because you will *LOSE* the ability to get early copies or insider previews, or even non-work related goodies and relationships you might want. I think that's wayyyy more incentive than "I get this access to a major studio/IP/corp, if I don't say the wrong thing." People are more scared to piss off their crush/heroes/the cool kids/etc, than they are motivated to possibly impress them.

[@are3287]

Luke is such a mega shill

[@RulerX.]

Yep, hate the guy. Can’t believe he still has an audience

[@JesseHenderson-xc2kg]

Not to mention hes a chud. He misses his daddy Sargon.

[@SilverInterpolFire]

And a plagiarist

[@JesseHenderson-xc2kg]

@EditCCEnjoyer he steals other people's scripts.

[@MrSpartan993]

@EditCCEnjoyer Bloodborne review for starters

[@Noble259]

Thank You for shining a light on youtubers like luke stephens .. i hate those types ..hate them

[@josetomascamposrobledano4618]

Luke is one of gaming’s biggest jokes. Talentless copy paste of titles. Started his audience with a Bloodborne plagiarized review (aka one of the easiest games to come out with original ideas in!). And grifting every bad release. If a game sucks, he will farm all the Hatred! Maybe he is a genius. He’s economically double dipping. Get sponsored and then win again with the disaster release. And because the audience of these people are the lowest common denominator, the will buy the game because their father figure is getting glazed then view the hate videos cause they too are angry because the game underdelivered.

[@voidboi0]

Bro the whale joke caught me off guard 😂 I couldn’t believe Luke did that to his reputation.

[@jimjohnson6944]

I'm confused. Non-monetary bribes in the form of a vacation/trip is still very much illegal. How is there not legal action being taken against Ubisoft for doing that?

[@cheeseburgersuperior1874]

it's call the affiliate excuse.

[@faisalibrahem66]

Didn’t Luke stole a review and he pretended that he wrote it Anyway, if a company gives you a special treatment ,exclusive interviews (sphere hunter), that’s called Bribery it doesn’t have to be money.

[@jepettoNFT]

i used to like Luke Stephens' takes, but rather recently, i noticed some very sus things and discrepancies between what he would say and do. On top of being way more "nice" towards big editors nowadays compared to older reviews and takes where he was more critical...i guess we know why now. I was willing to forgive his shady past but i'm done seeing the same pattern occur when youtubers start to have a bigger audience and them aligning with the message big heads want to feed us; All of a sudden, the same audience that brought them where they are at becomes sheep to sacrifice for their own gains.

[@stephenhumes8548]

Great video King, definitely some shady things going on with influencer marketing. Also great music choices throughout 👌

[@itsme21hi87]

I know you don't like making these videos, but I think it's important for people to know this information.

[@MisfortunateJustice]

Once again, you're doing great work Kingerd. I think people need a serious wake up call when it comes to these underhanded sales tactics.

[@ThatParkPlace]

Thanks for the shout out.

[@maljunior]

This is one of the reasons why I dont rush to buy games these days I usually wait 1-2 months to buy it after watching multiple reviews from regular people

[@TheKingerd]

King behavior

[@ImOwenWilson]

*yes* 🦍

[@maljunior]

@@TheKingerd I try my best,we can't keep on wasting money on these games

[@h1gh3r73]

Waited 4 years to play cyberpunk. Was ok I guess.

[@finoderi]

I wrote about this on Ubisoft forums, of all places, back in 2015. The development of a game is usually finished in about 6 months after its release and this is the time to buy a finally complete game if you still want it. And now that period is even longer, a year may be.

[@fuzzy8593]

Man, KZbin needed you, since all the OG reviewers are sus. I used to watch Skill Up, Yong, Act Man, Dreamcast Guy, etc… Had to move on from them after they became more than just another gamer. Never could stand Luke Stephens. Good on ya 💪🏼 *A creator I recommend is 21 Kiloton. Great takes 😂

[@based-ys9um]

All those people have always sucked.

[@fuzzy8593]

@@based-ys9um yeah but there was a certain point where they became something else, is my point.

[@fuzzy8593]

@@based-ys9um if you are saying 21 kiloton sucks, go f-ck yourself.

[@keegan4854]

​@@fuzzy8593 Still waiting for 21 kiloton to upload it's been too long and too many Ubisoft shenanigans happening for him not to upload ☢️

[@josiahfitch4173]

Great vid wish more ppl talked about this problem

[@cj-5426]

can't stand Luke Stephens. no idea how he got any audience.

[@Ravix0fFourHorn]

He wasnt like this before 2018. He used to be more like a passionate gamer covering industry news and the occasional game critique.

[@Simp_Supreme]

@@Ravix0fFourHorn before 2018 he got clocked for plagiarism 😭

[@Itariatan]

That sucks. I watch this guy sometimes, never really got 'the stench' from him

[@RulerX.]

Agreed, he’s just a shill.

[@JesseHenderson-xc2kg]

I do but YT will delete my comment if I speak about it.

[@harosokman]

I think us, as the audience, need to call it out more. Luke Stephens for example, might change his methods if he realises his opinion is now worthless.

[@burrybondz225]

Doesn't asmongold get sponsored all the time? He also doesn't really disclose it all that much. Ppl only find out when he is feigning enjoyment of a clearly trash game. Case in point "enotria". Should gamers not be sponsored?

[@No-vq1iv]

We should be thanking Ubisoft for letting us know which influencers to avoid. Their game was projected to fail either way so no real harm done.

[@GhostwalkerSparrow]

Honestly most of them.

[@twi57ed]

Luke Shills

[@dychostarr]

I won't lie, that ending was perhaps the best part of this! As humiliating as that might have been, it's fairly indicative of your desire to both inform and entertain! Good vid my dude!

[@TheKingerd]

Needed that, thanks 😂

[@DdHenley307]

There were multiple people saying it was good that Dragon age isn't open world because most of the missions in the previous game were fetch quests. As if one has anything to do with the other

[@grunner7557]

We seriously need to push for free vacations and goodies to be put under the same legal scrutiny as money when it comes to what is or isn't a bribe. There's a reason why Ubisoft, Activision, EA, Bethesda and the like all pay for these exclusive behind the scenes previews where they'll pay out of their own pocket to send reviewers and news outlets. And it's not so that the people that go there can give an honest review. If it looks like a bribe, sounds like a bribe, and functions like a bribe, then it's almost certainly a bribe.

[@K7TZ]

1:40 that explains a lot. He always blindsided the obvious criticism of certain games

[@NoJusticeNoPeace]

I studied journalism in college and worked as a reporter. I've also been a community organizer for 30 years and I can tell you from both sides of the divide that things like a free wet bar are fairly standard ways to get journalists to show up to your press conference.

[@iro6758]

"I've been in this industry for decades, and I can tell you - for a fact - that the only way to get people to do their job... is to get them drunk." And we wonder why journalists are so deplorable lol

[@romxilda]

Same in the film industry, every screening that people get invited to (press, reviewers, awards voters etc.) will be greeted with a free bar. It’s just a standard they expect regardless of how they ultimately feel about what they’ve seen. The flying out is a lot more Golden Globes coded though which is considered much dodgier

[@radioheadyorke]

That is just…. disgusting.

[@pongomb]

And in other industries, at least in Europe from my experience, you have to take mandatory courses on ethical conduct where it is explicitly stated you cannot receive even gifts from coworkers that cost more than 120€, give or take. Those "standards" are the problem with video game journalism.

[@OldyAlbert]

With SW Outlaws for me craziest thing was Gmanlives video. Because: 1) He doesn't do previews EVER. He can do a video on an early accsess game, but you can scroll he's channel like 3 years deep and there's nothing akin to Outlaws video, he mostly do reviews and retrospectives of old games 2) He releses it month before the release and never does a review after the release. So in the end on his channel there's "Outlaws could be pretty good"-preview video and that's it. So a person who mostly talk about old or new_but_released games does ONE prevew video, does not do a review, so forever the only video on his channel about that game is a positive one that you cannot critisize because it's just a limited impressions. To be clear i know nothing about how and why he did it, i'm not accusing him of anything specific, but it's so on it's face fishy it's baffling to me he did it that way. It would be like if MandaloreGaming suddenly made one preview on a Assasin's Creed game and all videos before and after are stayed the same.

[@wuebboltc]

Amazing how Ubisoft went to all that trouble, and SW Outlaws was STILL a massive flop.

[@somerandoasshatontheintern8337]

10:38 that "yes" made that bit funnier. 😂

[@icemann42086]

I love how you open up with EXACTLY what I was thinking when I saw your thumb nail. Almost didn't click on it, simply because of what you previously said, and low and behold, you play the exact clip. Doesn't really get you off the hook, but I'm here watching and commenting, so....

[@TheAdarkerglow]

What a lot of these people might not understand is that you only really get one. I hope Luke enjoyed the Ubisoft Vacation, because his recent 'impressions' have been entirely too glowing and I no longer have faith in his feedback. If Veilguard is as bad as it looks, he might not have a channel much longer.

[@saintjerome3298]

Nuhre brought up other good points regarding access journalism. While these content creators may not be receiving payment directly to preview games early, they do generate income with the videos they upload detailing their first impressions. So it would be in the best interest of the content creator to not burn that bridge with a bad "first impression" review. They also get affiliate links/codes that when used to purchase/pre-order a game, the content creator will usually receive money on the backend. Possibly incentivizing a reviewer to give a more positive review to increase the likelihood of their audience pre-ordering the game using their affiliate link.

[@heretic124]

This is kinda what the first Gamergate was about, except it was the big name outlets like IGN and Eurogamer instead of KZbinrs. But war, war never changes. I'm glad that I unsubscribed from Luke Stephens like a year or year and a half ago. I don't even remember the reason anymore, I just know that he struck me as shady bullshitter.

[@amalekedomite]

For the record the first gamergate started when it was discovered that gaming journalists were trading review scores and publicity for sexual relations with a, at best, 3/10 hoo ah. This was after about a solid decade of gaming journalists pushing political agendas, ideologies, and denigrating "gamers" as being uncultured losers with poor taste. The immediate response from the gaming press to the fact that people had found out about their craven antics was to, all at the same time on the same day, publish articles with the same headline "gamers are dead." Targeted at the gaming industry itself and attemping to convince them to attack or spurn their own audience for being irrelevant and anachronistic. It then began to escalate.

[@chandlerburse]

@@amalekedomite didnt people also send death threats to journalists?

[@chandlerburse]

@@amalekedomitengl i dont think anyone should take gamergate as a serious solution it was a bunch of angry people angry at another group of angry people. Thats all it devolved into it achieved very little if anything.

[@attilamarics3374]

@@chandlerburse I mean anger is understandable, the entire gaming media was found to be corrupt.

[@chandlerburse]

@@attilamarics3374 as if thats a surprise its amazing our species has lived so long and still seems surprised when we find out a major industry has corruption in it. Whats next you gonna be surprised that news outlets embellish things? Or that they clearly say stuff with bias towards their supporters and sponsors?

[@immune85]

I just don't understand why those corpos pay SO much for sponsorships, marketing and what-nots, instead of uuhh...yes, making something good enough to make them money.

[@Frostycrypton]

8:10 man it has been AGES since I’ve seen someone outside my family reference The Grinch ft. Jim Carrey! Love these memes you sprinkle in to reinforce your points - great editing!

[@miothan]

No matter what, i don't pre-oder anymore, doesn't matter WHO recommends a game to me, i will enver again pre-order, and haven't for the past 10 years.

[@jonmccown2323]

Imagine being a smug entitled pr#&k who never worked a regular job telling you what he thinks is good to play and being paid well . I just stopped watching as a gamer. I wish nobody bad mojo . I just stopped supporting them.

[@buckrodgers1162]

If someone gets compensation in order to skew the results of an opinion; That is a bribe. Gussy it up with all the different names all you want. But a bribe, is a bribe, is a bribe. The action itself cares very little for the name it is given.

[@seeinred]

I have to mention, "Ubisoft clapping itself" is just marvelous choice of words. Love it.

[@TimoFromNorway]

I can't for the life of me understand why Luke Stephens has a following. He comes off as incredibly smug and condescending. A completely unlikabable character. Utter sellout and brainless shill product.

[@realtalkrealthingsent.8024]

His older videos were retrospectives and that’s most young adult men’s bread and butter

[@srb5776]

This video is so on point it defines a new type of point even sharper then we thought possible

[@kos2919]

What they don't expect is that audience aren't stupid. They saw dishonesty from a mile away.

[@DarkReaperK97]

Good video Kingerd. I hope I don't have to come to this video in 5 or do years when you've made it to the top and become one of these influencers.

[@AbdulRehman-hm5do]

After Total Biscuit the only guy on KZbin who I have trusted with reviews is ACG Gaming. He understands the reasons for separation between a studio and a reviewer and I value his in-depth reviews.

[@Ravix0fFourHorn]

thats fair but have you noticed how hes never negative about any game? Like he'll never call out any negative things or if he does its shrouded in word salad that can fly over most people heads.

[@Simp_Supreme]

@@Ravix0fFourHorn it balances out the negativity that has consumed KZbin lol. His conclusions are simple to understand enough to know if a game has more positives or negatives.

[@CardCrusher29]

@@Ravix0fFourHorn ACG has a lot of wait for deep sale reviews where he highlights the flaws along with the good.

[@Blvckguy]

Your editing is improving so quickly ! Nice

[@justin9181]

Dude subbed immediately 😂you have giant man balls and it’s awesome call those ppl out ! ❤ and calling Luke Stephens out I love it

[@goldensands2104]

I remember a Luke Stephens short talking about Assassin's Creed Shadows having weather updates or something. At the time, I thought it was strange that Luke Stephens was giving something positive about Ubisoft. And then, at the end of the video, he basically thanked Ubisoft for sponsoring the video. THAT was when I learned that he was a two-faced, spineless, hypocrite.

[@doomhmmr40k]

Holy cow. I know I'm 3 months late but this video is still earning you some subs. This video absolutely highlights every issue I have when YT'ers take sponsorships and suddenly sing praise like it's the second coming of a game. I do have a specific YT'er in mind but the problem is still universal no matter who takes the sponsorship. Worst part is that YT'er I mentioned conflated law with ethics. And well that's a bad idea because I'm absolutely willing to invoke godwin's law to prove my point that law, ethics, and morality don't always line up to push my point and sleep like a baby. For clarification, I'm obviously not saying anyone who's critiqued in this video is evil. But some people are so thickheaded and wrapped up in their own ego that I have to sometimes break out an extreme example to get them to understand what I'm actually trying to say.

[@Windicator_451]

The sheer amount of props was quite intresting

[@aries4378]

Let's not forget that Luke Stephens is no stranger to being called out for questionable behavior. And don't get me started on his videos. One week, he'll put out a 2 hour video where he'll ramble on about why a game sucks, only to turn around the next week with another 2 hour video where he rambles about why he was wrong in his previous video. Between that and the past allegations 9f plagerism, I just can't take Lukie Poo seriously.

[@AC-hj9tv]

Not just allegations, he admitted to plagiarism

[@MgelikaXevi]

ah yes, 6 years ago , 19 years old dude stole a content for a video, and then has apologized multiple times. Really, ppl diluting this video critic with that old irrelevant BS have to stop. Dude is accepting money from chinese gacha games, and ppl will be like "he plagiarized smth 6 years ago!" as if it is the main point...

[@nagger8216]

@@MgelikaXevi It shows a history of his lack of integrity, my guy. You have to be chimp-brained to not see why that's the reason the plagiarism thing is regularly being brought up.

[@slicedtopieces]

5:53 You do the Disney Adult look a little... too well. 👀 Great video. Unfortunately, some the creators in your video, I had told KZbin not to recommend their channels to me some time back exactly for the reasons in this video. If I wanted to be advertised to I'd just watch the trailers. At least they're shorter.

[@TheKingerd]

Hahaha thanks I think

[@RealCoachMustafa]

16:43 I have a pet peeve when people say "bugs and glitches" as if they are two different things. Bug is an interchangeable word for glitch. So when you say "bugs and glitches" you're just saying the same thing twice.

[@JamezGrimm]

0:31 hey isn’t that the woke Kotaku editor lady? Accepting a gift? Isn’t she supposed to NOT do that for journalistic integrity and all that? 7:36 Yup that’s what I thought lmfao CAUGHT IN THE ACT

[@theotherjared9824]

Sponsorships have a very muddy legal history. There are weird exceptions for certain types of media depending on how the sponsor is presented, like how a feature film doesn't have to announce a sponsorship if it is a part of the plot. It's a case of several contradictory addendums bolted on over a century in response to fringe cases that have been exploited.

[@ezio954ppl]

damn this is a good video. Luke Stephens makes me sad, dude was plagiarising, he took in on the chin well and got a second chance. Now it seems he forgot again not to be a rat. goddamn it man

[@chris_player2995]

I cant wait for Kingerd's *impressions* of AC Shadows 😂

[@irvanray1898]

If only there is a plug in for your browser to automatically highlight a sponsored or "Exclusive access" video.

[@irvanray1898]

definitely do not install sponsorblock on your browser.

[@Fishster]

Particularly relevant in light of the current Dragons Age controversy. Creators that attended the preview junket and expressed reservations did not get a review code. What a sorry state of affairs.

[@MistValleyEntertainment-News]

Plenty of people spoke out against this, myself included. I am glad you are joining us, but you are weeks late to this topic. And if people don't watch the videos and take our advice...you cannot make people be smarter. In a buyer-beware universe, if you are still pre-ordering products, you get everything that you deserve. A fool and his money are soon parted. As for these 'influencers', they can have their dirty money, I'd much rather have my integrity and stay poor.

[@ΘοδωρήςΣτριμπίνος]

thanks for that video man nowadays reviewers are supporting mediocre bad games over the years, the worst example is of people who cant handle ctiticism has been act maam especially shillmanlives who is the most toxic in responses i hope one day you can make a video about him and thanks for mention him here.

[@goldenghostgod5333]

Me checking my email to see if Ubisoft sent me a request to go to Disney land. Hmmm nope lol.

[@jamesmeldrum4563]

This is giving me flash backs to Oxhorn's review of Fallout 76.

[@MrParsley2000]

I can't stand Luke Stephens. When he's not giving favourable reviews to games he's being sponsored for, he's riding the trend of being overly negative to non-sponsored games because negativity gets clicks

[@dragonhitman1071]

Ay ay ay (snaps fingers) bring the dog back! Lol

[@AC-hj9tv]

Lol more dog screen time!

[@jerfacekilla]

Luckily, I don't play video games, I only dabble in them ...

[@RevoVansen]

at second 30, look who's walking away with a gift bag.

[@Bransburk]

Same thing is happening with Bioware's Dragon Age Veilguard, all impressions are same, even the tweets.

[@reecedevon9846]

Never listen to any influencers, they just look dumb as hell when these things go wrong.

[@RobertleeEtn]

I knew it this luke guy is a megashill

[@juanme555]

16:00 They accepted the "unbiased condition" from certain youtubers which they had previously scouted to make sure they are the type of reviewers who will not lambast a terrible game no matter what, they didn't give Star Wars Theory the bag because they knew that if the game was terrible he would call a spade a spade.