QWOP creator comments on game press's inability to drive sales. Games press responds. QWOP creator comments on game press's inability to drive sales: https://archive.is/Me2su Sunset’s commercial failure is another point of data in favor of my suspicion that press doesn’t really drive sales anymore in games https://archive.is/GDHVn (not counting streamers or youtubers as press, here) https://archive.is/kq5Cs obviously the videogame press will still be super important, but perhaps their role as sales arbitrators in a hobbyist culture is ending Cara Ellison, former game blogger for Rock Paper Shotgun and Kotaku, responds with uncertainty. Surely she had to have had SOME impact in her former career: https://archive.is/zyQ3r I'm not sure about this since youtubers and streamers still read the press too Kyle Orland, game blogger for Ars Technica, implies the press never did drive sales. He may just be unhappy to have proof that he has ZERO influence: https://archive.is/ipixg if they ever really did... Keith Stuart, a game blogger I've never heard of that blogs for The Guardian, responds that he never wanted to have influence ANYWAY! https://archive.is/zFznY I never wanted to be a sales arbiter in a hobbyist culture. Patrick Klepek, game blogger for Kotaku, admits that their influence was supplanted by youtubers and streamers years ago. But he's totally fine with it. What writer would care if his words moved NO ONE. https://archive.is/DYHen The traditional press (me) was replaced by YouTube and streamers as sales drivers at least a few years ago. https://archive.is/8dSyu I don’t have a problem with it, either. Don’t necessarily think it’s a bad thing. Just a thing. Coincidentally, these and other members of progressive games-media-twitter are crying their hearts out today about Sunset developer Tales of Tales going out business. Maybe they are crying not just because they lost a developer they cared about, but that this loss is concrete evidence of their own impotence.