Bleszinski responds to Rein furore

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 16 July, 2010

Will someone please think of the children?

Gears of War main man Cliff Bleszinski has responded to a UK independent developer's claim that Epic vice president Mark Rein "is a jerk".

Yesterday Cliff Harris, who according to his blog "has worked from home for his own one man company – Positech Games, making quirky and original strategy and simulation games", called Mark Rein "a jerk" for allegedly heckling him during a panel session at the Develop Conference in Brighton.

"And the topic then came up of how indies can respond directly to gamers on stuff like messageboards," Harris wrote.

"Basically I started making the point, and Mark [Morris, Introversion] was also agreeing about how someone can email you as an indie dev, and you can reply personally back to that potential customer, and hopefully, that way you have converted that guy to buying the game.

"At this point, there was this derisive snort from this guy in the front row, who said something to the effect of, 'One guy? Who cares, that's a waste of time'. He then started to lecture us on how that's a silly way to do it.

"I'm 95 per cent sure that all four of us on the panel thought 'what the f***?' as well as 'who is this guy?', compounded by Robin [Lacey, Beatnik] asking him if he worked in marketing.

"Anyway… it turned out this guy was Mark Rein from Epic, although he seemed to assume everyone within earshot knew exactly who he was, and why he must obviously be right. I got the impression he was there to laugh at the little guys, or to just inform us how we are all wrong.

"Interestingly, it seemed there was someone from Sports Interactive (one time indies, as I recall) there, who seemed more on the indie wavelength than Mark. It would have been cool to chat with him.

"So… I've given this a lot of thought, and weighed up the pros and cons of just putting this down to misinterpreting someone, and so on, and I have reached this conclusion.

"Mark Rein is a jerk."

Responding to Harris' post, Bleszinski tweeted: "I haven't spoken with Mark today, but I'd wager he thought the comment was silly that only indy devs reply or interact to customers."

We've asked Rein for comment and will update as and when.

Picture of Wesley.

About Wesley Yin-Poole

Wesley is Eurogamer's news editor. He likes news, interviews, and more news. He also likes Street Fighter more than anyone can get him to shut up about it.

Read more articles from Wesley by visiting the Wesley Yin-Poole archive page.

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Comments (54) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • bdc #1 2 years ago

    Rein IS a fucking jerk though.

  • hiddenranbir #2 2 years ago

    Snort!

  • Ducklord #3 2 years ago

    EG should really stop reporting on all these petty comments and focus on the games. Please?

  • matrim83 #4 2 years ago

    I like this new found honesty the developers in the industry are starting to express. Much more interesting than the usual horseshit of "Yeah he is a great guy blahblahblah". :D

  • Earl_G #5 2 years ago

    Cliff will find that Mark actually thought that Cliff was wasting his time in replying to the community and should be focussing on bigger bang marketing efforts (the derisory outburst being "one guy?!?";). Wager lost!

  • hiddenranbir #6 2 years ago

    "EG should really stop reporting on all these petty comments and focus on the games. Please?"

    No point, EG are always behind other media sites when it comes to that so they have to grab on whatever they can claim a first on.

  • BAM! #7 2 years ago

    Tittle tattle. Get back to writing about games EG, not this playground shit.

  • tomjoadsghost #8 2 years ago

    So this is what reading 'heat' magazine feels like.

  • Amblin #9 2 years ago

    I have to agree that emailing a potential customer or existing customer directly is a good route for indy's. It sows the seeds of showing good communication and fosters feedback.

    As for the rest of the article yet again EG "journalism" appears to have decended to muck raking. Where's the exclusives? So far we have had multiple x thinks y is a ........

    Any chance of some actual news?

    Even Kotick could do better! =p
    Edited by 2 at 16/07/10 @ 16:15

  • Bremenacht #10 2 years ago

    EuroGossip

  • miiiguel #11 2 years ago

    This BAM! fellow must work at Gamspot or something, last 20 comments were to say how bad EG/staff is. Kinda paradoxal the "talk about games" rethoric.

  • tomjoadsghost #12 2 years ago

    Its this yin-poole chap, he's a saucy, bubbly gossip monkey.

  • Dark_Era #13 2 years ago

    fight fight fight

  • wyp100 #14 2 years ago

    "Its this yin-poole chap, he's a saucy, bubbly gossip monkey."

    :)

  • Britesparc Verified Creative, ITV #15 2 years ago

    Am I the only one who quite likes reading this bitchy industry gossip then? o_O

  • insincere_dave #16 2 years ago

    The indie dev should have just sunk to playground tactics...

    "Rein Rein go away, don't come back, you're fucking gay."

  • miiiguel #17 2 years ago

    I feel weird, like I'm defending this place, though what fair is fair, and I must say it's very unfair and almost idiotic to say stuff like "yet again EG "journalism" appears to have decended" (sorry, was the first one I got), when this and last week alone we had a major interview with Dr. Zeschuck and Shaffer, which, in fact, were quoted to death in every single major games site. Yet, I failed to read any comments (oh yes, about... games) on said articles from these... community memebers.

  • sonicyoda #18 2 years ago

    I like all the bitchiness. It certainly gives me a chuckle. It also makes me happy that there are developers left out there who understand games are a source of entertainment and not just a means to dominate the world.

  • oishiiniku #19 2 years ago

    Exactly Jimmywang - this is nowt but handbags!

    I think that's the first relevant spam comment I've ever seen...

  • tomjoadsghost #20 2 years ago

    ..and right on cue here's jimmywang with the weapons upgrades.

  • coolbritannia #21 2 years ago

    This gossip article is more badass than the first! Gears of Bore 2, douchenozzle boogaloo.
    Edited by 1 at 16/07/10 @ 17:54

  • butler` #22 2 years ago

    Rein's way too American for my tastes, but he probably had a valid point, even if he didn't go about making it in the right way. You got IRL trolled, Mr Cliffski.

  • Deckard1 #23 2 years ago

    The worst part of the summer drought isn't the lack of games to play, its the fact that gaming websites have got nothing to write about, so every pissy little non-news story makes it on the front page.

    "mark rein once saw Cliffy B in the showers and his penis was quite a bit smaller than he thought it would have been. More to follow when we get it."

  • photoboy #24 2 years ago

    Maybe Mark Rein and Cliffy B would like to put their money where their mouth is a publish their email addresses so gamers can email them whenever they have questions about Gears 3, Shadow Complex 2, Bulletstorm or Unreal?

  • cw- #25 2 years ago

    http://www .youtube.com/watch?v=OVSVR-axNYA

  • Vermillion3000 #26 2 years ago

    Too many Cliffs and Marks.
    Nobody knows what is going on...

  • ziggy_played_guitar #27 2 years ago

    The best part of the Summer are the sunny Fridays, no "drought" can beat that.

  • ParanoidZombie #28 2 years ago

    I refuse to comment on such a worthless piece of news.

  • Deckard1 #29 2 years ago

    You just did

  • TitusCrow #30 2 years ago

    He's an arsehole that boy Rein. Drown the bastard in a tub of boiling piss and be done with it.

  • Acrid #31 2 years ago

    LOLZ MORE OF THIS PLEASE

  • TheApologist #32 2 years ago

    Who snorts in the middle of someone else's panel at a conference? Jerk confirmed.

  • drumbaby #33 2 years ago

    Are you sure he's not a prick?

  • Calgon #34 2 years ago

    Yeah I think this is becoming a bit like one of them TV adverts for a girly gossip mag which makes you wonder why theres a market for this kind of guff, there obviously are people who do lap this sort of stuff up though is the funny thing about it all.

    Wesley Yin-Poole again hmmm. Maybe there should be voting on articles(not reviews that would just become a fanboy tennis match) like this so then EG could gage their audiences interest in this sort of stuff?

  • dirtysteve #35 2 years ago

    Is it worth reporting this as Blezinski's response? All he said was he hadn't really talked to Rein.

  • StooMonster #36 2 years ago

    "Prick" ... "Darth Vader" ... "Jerk" ... it's gone all schoolyard over the last week.

    Will they be calling out the mums next ... "Your mum's a slag!"

  • sanctusmortis #37 2 years ago

    You guys do realise how running a website works, right?

    Pageviews = money, so therefore any story that will get read is a winner. By commenting "doy i no laik non gaem tok get bak to gaems", you STILL earn them money.

    In summary - you hate it so much, GTFO.

  • sarcasmoidosis #38 2 years ago

    So, Mark and Cliff were on the stage, another Mark was a prick, Cliff told him to piss off and another Cliff felt the need to reply.

    Miffy? :D

  • actionfitz #39 2 years ago

    Mark Rein: "You fight like a dairy farmer".

    Cliff Harris: "How appropriate. You fight like a cow".

  • Xensor #40 2 years ago

    You know what i find amusing is the number of people who bemoan the fact the EG reports something that some other website reported x number of minutes/hours/days ago. Strange as it may seem, there are some of us that only use one website for gaming news as i'd rather be PLAYING games than trawling through dozens of websites looking for the latest tidbit of info. The fact that EG sometimes scrapes the bottom of the gossip barrel is a sign of the times quite frankly, scandal and shouting get more page impressions than dry fact (DF excepted :p) - look how popular the Sun is!

  • Shrike #41 2 years ago

    I suppose the only thing more pointless than a post whinging that a news post is pointless is a post complaining about exactly that, but jesus, folks. It's a piece of news, and the onus of deciding whether or not its worth your time rests on your shoulders, not EGs.

    I'm not sure what "stick to the games" even means.

  • paketep #42 2 years ago

    So, one of the most abrassive developers ever (Cliffski) discovers that Mark Rein is a jerk, god knows how he hadn't noticed that in the last ten years.

    And now, an even bigger jerk, CliffyB, comes to defend Rein.

    This is getting ridiculous. Kotick, your turn.

  • Phishfood #43 2 years ago

    Question is was it really Mark Rein?

  • Machiavellian #44 2 years ago

    Your on a panel, you make a statement and someone criticize you and thus he is a jerk. So you did not agree with the person and now you try to paint him as much a jerk as you can. You get the masses to follow because people are easy that way. They are willing to believe the first report as the truth from a one sided opinion.

    Everyone should understand that you are getting one side of the story and one side is never complete and most times accurate. Not really defending Mark because he has made some statements that would put in him the Jerk category but then again he also speaks his mind.

    Interesting enough, you are a jerk when you speak your mind if you are perceived wrong but you are being honest and righteous when you speak your mind and the masses believed you are right.

    People only want opinions when they lined up with their own and if the are not, the person is a jerk or worst. Cliff is a perfect case in point. He made a statement that PC platform is a pirate system and they was painted as a jerk because he did not want to make games on the PC platform. Right or wrong this was his experience and opinion but since it did not line up with the PC crowd he was said to be a jerk.

    My own opinion is that the person who cannot take criticism of their own opinion is usually more of the jerk then the person willing to criticize that opinion.

  • Shrike #45 2 years ago

    @Machiavellian,

    But this isn't really about who is right - if Mark Rein did interrupt or heckle him during the panel then it's inconsiderate whether or not he had a point.

  • tossetaz #46 2 years ago

    Judging from his picture and some of his comments in EDGE... he is a jerk!!!

  • cairbre1977 #47 2 years ago

    I think they are having a fight behind the school shed later.......

  • SpaceMonkey77 #48 2 years ago

    Sounds like Rein need not to be such a dick. If Rein's opinion and experience was different, he should have done his best to present it more positively, so others could understand him.

    I too prefer those who create our games to be honest and give their true opinion, than that of a sugar coated PR donut.

  • Crea #49 2 years ago

    I genuinely admire Cliff Harris' PR abilities. Not the first time he's been the focus of a story out of all proportion to his place in the industry.

    Plus Rein is a bit of a knob, so it's win win.

  • bell_801 #50 2 years ago

    BOTH Marks are dipshits, one for meddling where he shoud shut the fuck up, and the other for beings such a fucking big crybaby. You got so offended you need to start this shitstorm? Gett a dog, you puss.

  • Huxley82 #51 2 years ago

    Are EG really that desperate for hits they they have to resort to gossip column stories?

    Its human nature to be interested in this stuff but damn, keep the standard of the site above shit-stirring levels please!

  • Freek #52 2 years ago

    You can explain that big developers also respond to customers without being a jerk about it.

  • vegard #53 2 years ago

    what. the. fuck.

    did EG turn into a tabloid overnight? ever since the new news-editor came on board things have been getting worse. stop with the gossip please!

  • speedjack #54 2 years ago

    I've only once been responded to by a developer (years ago) when I contacted them... and that bloke was John Romero.

    He sent me a very civil and good natured reply too.