Halo 5 boss condemns industry "insiders" - embargo breaking could "get someone fired"

Halo franchise development director Frank O'Connor has a bone to pick with the internet's healthy population of self-styled "insiders", including the infamous/venerated CBOAT

[XiSasukeUchiha]

Damn, shots just got fired( Pistol reloading) Bang, bang!!!

Edit: I mean these Insiders and how they know so much about the games, and how Insiders are just not scum in that way but a total nuisance in the gaming for people who want to get hyped over E3, or Gamescon, or any game based shows! John O'Connor basically dissed and hated these insiders, but still the response was un called for so I'm sorry for that!

[Lawboy2]

Lol

[raWfodog]

Whoever is leaking the information to the 'insiders' is the one who is really at fault. It's been proven that the only way to keep a secret is to not tell ANYONE.

[4Sh0w]

raWfodog, Yes that's true but the problem is there is no way in hell one man can make a title as big as Halo 5. So in this business there is no such thing as NOT TELLING ANYONE= NO SECRETS only NON DISCLOSURE AGREEMENTS. I mean most AAA games require a massive team of individuals to put together, then those individuals must interact with outside industry professionals for things as simple licensing game engines like Unreal 4, or advertising deals on Amazon or just making reservations for future planned events, etc, etc, etc I mean the list is endless who might end up inadvertently revealing "secret" info, plus obviously those both inhouse and outside partners that have non disclosure agreements who intentionally leak info. Personally I think anybody who signs a NDA and leaks the info anyway lacks character.

I think O'Connor is correct MOST OF THE TIME these leaks actually do more harm than good in regards to the game itself. Think about if you were a dev and you already have massive pressure to make worthy sequel for a popular IP and someone outside of the core team in the advertising department leaks info you gave them only so that they could use it as a placeholder for an commercial negotiation? Now you're scrambling to put out a fire because the early pre-Alpha footage is online and everybody is screaming the graphics aren't good enough? Instead of people like O'Connor staying focused on his dev team he has to tell every media outlet that is not even close to final gameplay. Yeah as much as I enjoy the innocent leak of a obvious game in dev in the background of a interview, the big leaks, the ones where its just to be "FIRST" don't help developers or the game.

[alexkoepp]

QUIT BEING SUCH A SECRETIVE INDUSTRY, YOU AREN'T THE NSA, JUST GIVE US MONTHLY UPDATES ON GAMES, AND WHEN YOU HAVE ONE IN PRODUCTION, ANNOUNCE IT.

LEAKERS = GONE

[Volkama]

Imagine how well these leaks go down with the publisher that maticulously plans the marketing campaign.

We all know a successful marketing campaign hugely influences the commercial success of a game. The controlled release of information can be a big part of that.

And as Frank says, there really isn't any benefit to us. People crave and seek out new information, but properly delivered information generates more enthusiasm imo, and enthusiasm is part of the fun tht goes with the hobby.

[randomass171]

@Volkama This. Imagine if an unfinished build of a game gets leaked (say an early Alpha of Halo 5 for example) and it looks lousy. That could hurt sales of the game.

[christocolus]

Huh? Shots fired? Bang bang?.Lmao..sasuke what does that even have to do with the article?I bet you didn't even read it. Lol

OT: I do agree with frank. it kills the excitement and people could actually get fired as a result of leaks. These insiders do not care about the devs or how much effort they put into these games. all they care about is the praise and attention they get from leaking info.

[dantesparda]

Oh please, so you're saying that you prefer the silence from the industry to the excitement of industry insiders (whether they be right or wrong). The only reason why, you have 23 agrees is because of all the other MS fanboys, who all walk in lockstep are agreeing with you. But had this been a Sony developer you'd all be singing a different tune. I say let the leaks continue. Im tired of the industrys secrecy. Afterall, this is just video games we are talking about here, not National Security Secrets. You people are ridiculous.

[Johnny Jiron]

@dantesparda

I do miss the surprise factor that comes from a well prepared announcement. A lot of that is lost nowadays with the "we need to know it all and now" mindset. Some of the fun has been zapped out of the gaming industry in place of petty squabbles and demands for information, info that will be used as ammunition.

I don't really mind leaks and such, but it did come with a bit of a downside.

[christocolus]

@dantesparda

“he only reason why, you have 23 agrees is because of all the other MS fanboys, who all walk in lockstep are agreeing with you. ”

Wth? So I agree with the dev and you come up with that BS? What is wrong with you guys and your way of thinking? calling names?why is your type so naïve? Its not all about fanboy wars ok? Grow up.leaks hurt the developers and in some cases they loose they jobs.did you even read the article? ...Damn you guys are weird

[Volkama]

And it isn't like getting the dry information early gets the game in your hands any sooner. Seeking info is almost a sub-hobby for the gaming enthusiast though.

I know leaks can be innaccurate, I know they come without the song and dance of a planned announcement, and I know they don't equate to any gaming fun at all. But I read them because I have this perverse need to absorb information on gaming. As does everyone here.

[ger2396]

Its the information age, nothing can be kept secret. Unfortunately its the new reality, there will always be leaks.

[Buff1044]

It does take much of fun out of announcements these days.

[randomass171]

It's a heck of a lot more fun to engage in reveals when they're supposed to be unveiled. Look at all the Smash Bros. reaction videos on YouTube, particularly the Mega Man related parts.

[DarkLordMalik]

Shots fired? Bang Bang?

http://i1102.photobucket.co...

[DJustinUNCHAIND]

Would someone get this man a job...somewhere?

[MegaRay]

There's blenty of jobs in konoha, he just refuse to get back dammit.

(konoha is naruto's homeland if I recall correctly :D)

[saladthieves]

Wait what?? No Naruto references? Damn it, I shouldn't have said it. Now we're going to get them!

[ITPython]

Just imagine if somebody leaked Microsoft's E3 2013 conference of the XB1 reveal several weeks to a month early. The internet could have exploded with rage about always on DRM forced Kinect before the reveal, and MS could have changed their tune and got rid of those requirements before it bit them in the ass. If that happened, the XB1 would have a heck of a lot more support than it does now, rather than being the laughingstock of the next-gen consoles and MS coming off as spineless, undecided and unfocused.

Also imagine if the Sony's E3 was leaked, MS could have gotten the specs of the PS4 then made some quick changes to the XB1 so that the consoles weren't so distant in terms of hardware power.

Leaks = Good. Because the earlier information is known, the earlier things can get fixed if something is wrong.

[N4Flamers]

I sort of agree with you. The information was leaked but ms thought everyone would just follow along blindly. Hell people started accusing sony of having the same drm because they thought that was where the industry was headed.

While I do like some leaks if sony's e3 conference finale would have been leaked the impact would have been lessened. I mean it was that anticipation of not knowing if they were going to do drm that gave that reveal all that power.

[randomass171]

The thing is the information about the DRM was never presented at last year's E3 and I honestly don't believe it was ever planned to be. That information seeped out little by little, a lot of which came from Mattrick and people who worked on Xbox at the time.

[Christopher]

Double edged sword.

If publishers and developers weren't so greedy with their news, then people would look to find and share the info they could.

Try getting any useful information from a developer and they'll just throw softball answers that don't answer anything at all and are as vague as can be.

We live in a time where game journalists just recant whatever they're told and the publishers have complete control over the news. That's not journalism, that's having more than one press release source.

Journalism requires investigation into various topics and involves having protected sources. This is what we should be allowed to do.

On the other hand, yeah, most "insiders" are just people who want to make a name for themselves rather than actual provide worthwhile and relevant news that most of us couldn't have guessed would happen.

[NYC_Gamer]

The people inside of the company are the ones to blame for leaked info being released

[Charybdis]

Agree, that's why those companies let employees sign confidentiality agreements.

[AKissFromDaddy]

That's just a piece of paper.

[Charybdis]

Every contract and law is just a piece of paper until it's signed.

[AKissFromDaddy]

This piece of paper is a promise of silence, which can't be proven that the person will or won't be.

Other contracts are safety nets or guarantees of specific things at a specific time or circumstance.

Confidentiality agreements only hope that a law suit from being caught after signing it will be a deterrent. It's obviously not.

Without stalking everyone, it's impossible to prove anyone is leaking.

Confidentiality agreements are equivalent to a wink & a hand shake.

Its only promise is a lawsuit if caught.

A good contract agreement, for leaks, would be appealing bonuses if everyone doesn't leak, together. That's my opinion.

[randomass171]

@AKissFromDaddy Not that it happens often, but when you put stuff like that in writing and you break it anyway, you're liable for a lawsuit.

[miyamoto]

maybe that is how they make the extra bucks?

but this is why a certain gaming company needs to be honest and transparent to the public instead of hiding the truth.

[kristinajade07]

I like this game very much but when Play its adult version....I was amazed from the graphix of that game Halo 5 "Adult version".

[Starbucks_Fan]

wat

[Cobberwebb]

He said: Very Halo amazed play Graphix adult cum shot but.
What's not to understand.

[thereapersson]

Reported for "Bad Language", kristinajade07!

[Starbucks_Fan]

LOL!

[DOMination-]

I agree

[chinlu]

Greatest post

[majiebeast]

Leaks wouldn't happen if game companies weren't so secretive about everything and gave regular updates on the games they are working on. You know there is something messed up when Ubisoft doesn't want to say who directs Far Cry 4 and instead it has to be leaked.

Hell i wish somebody would post a giant leak bout The Last Guardian, just so we know once and for all what's up with that game.

Dont be so secretive and nobody would pay much attention to all these "insiders".

[Fireseed]

Yeah because clearly showing a game in development went SO WELL for Watch Dogs at E3 2012. Devs cant show things in progress because if a few elements don't make the cut because of whatever reason (like for instance the PS4 and X1 aren't powerful enough to play what was shown). People become whiny little brats and sour the excitement built up for a game.

[majiebeast]

Yeah and who was to blame for Watch Dogs 2012 Ubisoft, because they used some bullshit target render while saying it was real life gameplay. Dont say its gameplay when its clearly a target render. Just to find out 1 year later the game looks significantly worse. Watch Dogs now doesnt even look as good as E3 2013.

So what excuse is there that the pc version doesn't even look as good as the E3 2012 trailer?

What gamers did was call Ubisoft out on their bullshit, and it isnt the first time Ubisoft tries to use a target render as gameplay showcase.

[Charybdis]

Not divulging certain information can be due to:
-time money, due to need for additional investments in marketing especially for large games;
-personal reasons,don't like or want to have attention of gamers/-media as a director of a new game;
-legal aspects;
-due to that things can change;
-too many updates can easily ruin the story of games.
Finally leaking information ,too early, can have real world effects on competitors and shareholders.

[randomass171]

If you want to talk about a game being hurt by leaks, look no further than the latest Donkey Kong game.

[hello12]

To be honest, i'm not against insiders. Its better to know a game is good than find out the hard way.

The problem with insiders though is, they claim everything is true, and when they end up being wrong, they don't apologise to people. They just release the next rumour. Its very damaging.

Sony seems to have all the insiders and most of them are just spewing nonsense anyway.

Look what happened to Pete Dowd and Cboat. Neogaf no longer worships them anymore, proven wrong too many times.

Thuway is still hanging in there, but he's another loser, spreading false rumours about the xb1

Ntkml and Sinobi seem to me to know things and are the real deal.

[NYC_Gamer]

It's journalist fault for taking every piece of so called leaked info and creating an article..

[PrinceOfAllSaiyans]

Yea Shinobi is the only true insider that I'm aware of. And the Ntkml guy I haven't heard from him since the big XB1 leak.

[cyguration]

That's because Microsoft ate that Ntkml guy. He's probably in that pit Bane threw Bruce Wayne in TDKR.

[otakukidd]

Yeah... Ntknl was a controlled leak , thurway doesn't talk about xbox much , and cboat was wrong twice. Majority of the stuff he said was correct including the recent halo name.

[Kayant]

Basically this. The amount of times these people have reported so called insider info when it's just their opinion is ridiculous.

"Sony seems to have all the insiders and most of them are just spewing nonsense anyway." - They really don't if you look at things closely. They have teasers (Demonite, Gopher D). I do agree the one especially thuway and tidux now spew a bunch of nonsense mainly for attention but they have nothing to do with sony like you're insinuating.

"Look what happened to Pete Dowd and Cboat. Neogaf no longer worships them anymore, proven wrong too many times" - And they have also been right like recently CBOAT hinting of Halo 5 name with the guardians of the galaxy picture. I don't know why people think insider's must have 100% track record when a lot of the time it's second hand info and things change. i.e Ntkml has been wrong on some things. TF XB1 (which Mort said was scrapped when he leaked), the 2nd tier launch countries and he has been right on others. Sunset overdrive details.

"Thuway is still hanging in there, but he's another loser, spreading false rumours about the xb1" - This I can agree with no one finds out that much info so frequently and he's way too biased to be taken seriously on most things IMO.

OT - I very much agree with Frank O'Connor's stance but like NYC_Gamer said above the one way that account is leaking info in the first place is because someone working at MS, 343 or close by wanted felt the need for the info to be out there before the announcement. So really the question is why do they feel the need to want to leak info to this individuals that are in the public eye in the first place? Because it's not for "internet" fame or attention because they won't be getting it as they are anonymous.

Leaks/rumors are fine no one is forced to believe them or report them if they so choose not to. It's just the nature of things there will always be individuals that will leak info for x reason in every industry.

[Baccra17]

Frank O'Connor, former game journalist and editor, doesn't like insiders. Funny.

[Visiblemarc]

There are so few "true leaks." Leaks are a great way to build hype and test the waters.

I yawn when I see angry quotes about them.

As for unintentional leaks, when you have so many people involved in producing something, it will happen, what's the point of fighting that obvious fact?

[hellothere1977]

He would have a point if the "leak" was due to espionage, hacking, or information that was "stolen".

However, if the "leak" was from some person involved in the project, well then they don't have a leg to stand on when they are complaining. Oftentimes, these leaks are from irresponsible employees who can't keep their mouths shut. They are the ones breaking the so-called embargo and they are the ones responsible to their fellow employees and their employer for the leak.

If companies were finding this so "illegal", then prosecute their dumbass employee for breaking contract stipulations.

Other than the illegal activities noted at the beginning, I find no sympathy for companies that get their projects outed before they intended.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

I like the un-intentional leaks the best because I feel those are usually 100% genuine vs the "insiders" crap leaks which half the time I feel have hidden agendas behind them especially when they turn out to be utter bull shot. Thuway in particularly seems like he spreads a few truths with a few lies to try and fuel the fire of fanboys and cast doubt toward anything not Sony.

[MCTJim]

CBOAT was outted as a mod account on gaf which these so call mods used to make it seem more mystical. Insiders suck and for the most part they are wrong..completely wrong...Just like psychics.

[MidnytRain]

I read that last word as 'physics.'

[MCTJim]

Si kicks..LOL autocorrect

[joshmille99]

Hey Frank, if "it isn't prophecy, nor ultimately even important." is firing someone the right choice? If the leak isn't important in the first place, then "People, including nice people with kids and families and stuff, work super hard on this stuff" shouldn't be fired over it, correct?

Damn people for being excited on the projects they are on as opposed to the people who put in no effort to create it but reap the most rewards.

[Ryan741]

Age of the internet, deal with it!

[Patrick_pk44]

I don't understand this shit. There is no difference then announcing a new title now, or one at E3 which requires waiting months and weeks and days just to hear, "we are announcing blah blah blah." I rather know what games are being developed which helps decide for others which console suits their style. I love leaked information then no information.

[grassyknoll]

Wasn't the leak basically the subtitle? I doubt anyone could be disappointed to find that out!

[cyclindk]

No worries, Russia will grant you asylum.

[LAWSON72]

I just hope we get Halo 2 Anniversary and not some stupid Halo rerelease bundle

[abc1233]

I get that sometimes surprises are good for building hype or whatever, but if there wasn't so much needless secrecy in the gaming industry then leakers wouldn't exist. What have these leakers done to damage the people working hard on the game exactly? Is he worried about innocent people taking the blame for them? If so then surely the problem lies in their bosses reaching erroneous conclusions rather than the leakers themselves. As far as I see it, they're building more hype for the proper announcements.

Rumours such as the one about the Driveclub director are a whole different issue though, and people who recklessly spread that stuff should be ashamed tbh.

[feraldrgn]

Insiders get their information from people who work in the respective companies, That's why sometimes they can get their information wrong (chinese whispers).

Most insiders haven't signed anything & the people getting fired will be the people who are leaking information in the first place, employees know the risks beforehand.

Edit: also agreed slander is bad,
though unfortunately insiders are viewed in such a way that they can't have an opinion about something, without people assuming an insider is stating it as fact.

[Spotie]

That's the main reason I don't get the hate for insiders. It's as if, once something is leaked, it can't possibly be changed. So the insider looks stupid, but no insider has ever said, "this is 100% gonna happen."

[abstractel]

Not only can it get people fired, I don't think it serves gamers either.

[SonyMontana]

I understand his points, but he also needs to realize these "insiders" drive up hype for games in development. Free advertising is the best advertising.

[hellzsupernova]

Leaks suck I want E3 to blow me away I know I could have a media blackout but it is tough when im not doing anything and I like to know whats going on in the industry.

[static360]

i agree, insiders can suck it. they take the surprised and stuff away from E3 and games in general. It also make it hard to do pr for companies

[JMyers]

What about gaming websites and journalists breaking embargoes?

Yes you Polygon.

Many of these "leakers" could actually work for websites to get clicks, or even the gaming companies to get people's reactions and opinions on a game, service and so on.

[Skate-AK]

Lol. He is mad. How does he think Musicians feels when their entire album gets leaked? Leaks are everywhere.

[Metfanant]

All CBOAT did was post a Guardians of the Galaxy picture with Iron Man in it...

The next day Halo 5: Guardians was shown...

[Sheikh Yerbouti]

What is the purpose of an embargo anyway? I'd rather they just tell me as soon as they are sure. I don't need a production like E3 to TELL me things. It is suppose to SHOW me games.

[Tedakin]

I'm guessing this is about the Halo Master Chief collection that MS was saving for E3...... But now everyone knows about it. Also Insiders are wrong a lot, and the internet still runs wild with their misinformation. Remember the Titanfall textures incident? Totally fake, but everyone thought it was true (and sadly some desperately wanted it to be.)

[Vanakka]

Good, if I ran The studio I would fire everyone responsible
because they sign an NDA when they work on these games
Leaked info = not good advertising they spedn millions to have the it leaked by so fool for his 5m of fame

[LeShin]

I have two things to say about this: 1. If you sign a legally bound NDA you should bloody well stick to it or don't sign it! In the company I work for, we have similar clauses as the data I come across can be pretty sensitive. If I break the rule, My arse is going to jail, simple.
2. The one thing that really annoys me is when gamers, who have clicked on all the leaked screenshots, leaked videos and leaked articles....then watch E3 and say some crap like: "They didn't show anything I did'nt know, it was so boring" Well no shit Sherlock, you checked everything else beforehand so no surprise for you at E3.

I try to stay away from any title on N4G or youtube that says "E3 Leaks" as I still like to be surprised and entertained by the main show.

[wheatley]

I would rather see a leak than another teaser for a teaser of a teaser. It just gets beyond a joke and I'm sure that's why these insiders do this. They don't want to see information held back, or for you to buy into a game that isn't very good. We've got to deal with review embargo's that go up to the day of release, that is not fair on the consumer. Insiders just make sure it's more balanced.

[Azzanation]

If leakers want to keep leaking then companies will start to not tell or give away any info. If this happens it will mean even less news then what we are getting. As a gamer I hope many join in to remove the filth of the industry.

[Kenshin_BATT0USAI]

Isn't it using the kids of a developer that end up spilling the beans?

[ArtificiallyYours]

To be fair we were dangerously close to absolute confirmation of Halo 2 Anniversary, I mean the game alone and not the HD bundle just not a straight up announcement. Halo 2 Anniversary would have been a critical asset to the Hype/Media Embargo.

[BillytheBarbarian]

...embargo blogs to explode next

[MerRoids]

Oh here we go again. Why must these guys spoil the fun? Oh well, after E3 it wont matter too much what is leaked.

[MerRoids]

Ooops, double post :) Sorry!

[CrowbaitBob]

If it weren't for rumors, accurate or not, gaming news could become really stale really fast.

Imagine if the only information we ever received was 100% accurate and only on a publisher's timeline. I think some of my most memorable gaming conversations have been about rumors that eventually ended up being totally bogus.

Leaks may not be the greatest thing for devs/pubs, but they sure as heck make being a gamer a lot more consistently interesting.