Forza Developer Using Bribes to Skew CNET Poll
We live in a very competitive world, and this is apparent in the video game industry where publishers and developers are constantly trying to get a leg up on their competition, whether it’s through clever marketing or brilliant feats of engineering. But what is NOT acceptable is when a publisher or developer uses bribes to gain an advantage. [shal]Che Chou[/shal], the community manager at Turn 10, has done exactly this, and we feel compelled to inform our readers about the dishonest tactics that the [shal]Forza[/shal] Motorsport developer has chosen to carry out.
Here is Chou’s post on the Forza forums:
“Hey all. Apparently, CNET.com is having a face-off between Forza and GT. We all know which game is we’d like to see win, so go here: http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13746_7-10256571-48.html
And vote for Forza Motorsport 3! Afterwards, come to this thread and post a message letting us know you’ve done it. We’ll gift you a random unicorn! It’s that easy. Do it now!”
So what’s a “unicorn”? It’s a very rare type of car in Forza 2 that can only be found in the game’s Auction House. Some of them are sold for millions of credits, and are comprised of a handful of vehicles, including the 2005 Lotus Exige Espionage, and 2000 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI TME. So the fact that Turn 10 is giving these out for free to users who vote for Forza over [shal]Gran Turismo[/shal] in CNET’s poll is a very big deal.
You can check out the Forza bribery forum thread here, where you can literally see feedback on how the poll’s results steadily turned in favor of Forza 3. Here are just a few of the comments you can find from the thread’s posters.
MorroidaZico:
“Done voting for Forza. But man, honestly, us Forza lovers know how better Forza is as a game, but for those who have no idea what a racing simultator is or what the two franchises are all about, the GT video looks a lot more appealing.”
LightnigWarr:
“Ha ha, you’re bribing us with a nice car …. I like it.”
Trystan Spyder:
“What are we basing these votes on? I’m not sure CNET would be happy to know that the developer of Forza were bribing people for votes.”
Lnin0:
“I voted Forza 3 but I have to say based on the trailers GT looks more impressive.”
Here’s what we’d like to know at PSLS: What’s your opinion on this matter? Is it fair to give out freebies in order to skew poll results? Let us know in the comment section below.
79 Responses to “Forza Developer Using Bribes to Skew CNET Poll”
WOW! Seriously? That is fucked up.
Wow so even the developers know that they can’t compete with GT5 since they need to bribe people, lmao.
dirty, dirty bastards!!!
Sad
thats all kinds of fucked up, and only die hard xbotz think forza is better. everyone who is a true gamer knows that GT is the gold standard for racers…. period
Guess what game I am buying no matter what the bribes are. I have been a GT fan since my PS2 and GT3 aSpec.
To bribe for votes shows a lack of confidence in his product. And if he don’t have confidence then why would I buy it…
So much for the quote” Definitive Racing game of this generation”.
I don’t see Polyphony Digital giving people free cars for GT5 when it comes out…Turn 10 are a bunch of idiots that don’t even have faith in their own game, and if they really have to bribe people to get their game to win (Which it is now thanks to this FUCKING bribe) then that is the saddest thing of all. Soon Microsoft will be giving free blowjobs with every Xbox 360 purchase!
I can’t believe they did that…..serious poor sports manship
@ Mat
what do we get if we do? lol
Wow…That’s sad.
Just wrote a post in that thread saying I voted GT5:p Wonder if it will stir up things.
http://forums.forzamotorsport.net/forums/permalink/2639140/2639140/ShowThread.aspx#2639140
i though Forza 3 was “definitve racing game for this generation” so why oh why would they need to bride people to vote for their “definitive game???”
absolutely pathetic, desperate and shocking
GT forever 4tw
GT5 should now be called GT5 The Real Driving Simulator That Is Way Better Than Forza 3…
Talk about bad business. There seems to be an article on Turn 10 every day. I hope this kind of dirty business will make them suffer in the long run. Imagine if Turn 10 was a political organization. They would be up there with Acorn. =)
had to post a piece of my mind in that thread so heres what i wrote…
“i just want to say and i hope the devs read this, i feel its absolutely pathetic that you are bribing people to fix an online poll, this tells me that you have no faith in your game and that you already feel GT5 is better
i thought this game was the “difinitive racing game” so why on earth would you need to bribe people to vote for your game?
and also if you think you can get anyone to believe that you E3 vid was in game your gonna be in a little surprise as if it was somehow ingame your physics engine must be absolutely terrible if you can get cars to move like that and if it was in-game it took you 1 MONTH to make! GT5s trailer was ALL in-game replay shots and it even looks better
so i hope the devs behind this little skeem read this as i cant believe how desperately sad and pathetic what your trying and you only 10% ahead [N], bribing people and youre only 10% ahead haha
glad for everyone else though who will get their free cars though but youve lost my respect
and and GT5 aint “stagnent” but thats a whole over arguement that was pretty petty though trash talking to fellow developers
i voted for GT5
Scouser out!”
Voting for GT5!
already got my vote anyways, but now i get a free car sweet!
it is pretty funny that even with Forza’s “huge” community fan base and a “free gift”, GT5 isn’t all that far behind. if GT ends up winning the pole, i’ll laugh for a week.
They’re getting desperate. It’s just funny how a prologue demo can be better than a full Forza game.
This wreaks of desperation.
shits weak!!
I’ve never really owned a racing game, first one i bought was Motostorm, I’m going to be buying GT5, After watching the videos and reading some stuff I really want it.
This is so sad on so many levels!!!
Fucking M$ are obivously shitting their pants after Sony knockout punch of a conference Sony delivered.
I think it might have been on listen up! I heard them talking about if Turn 10 didnt sell a ton of Forza 3 they are probably going to be let go or shut down. They are probably trying everything they can to keep their game in the media.
thats typical.
Before I begin, I want to make clear that I absolutely love Gran Turismo and Forza. Gran Turismo does some things better than Forza and vice versa. So what? They’re both brilliant games, and when GT5 and FM3 come out, you can be sure I’ll have ‘em both.
But really now, does anyone really think that a Cnet vote is all that important? They’re using that as an opportunity to reward the people who check in as part of their community. I’m surprised something similar hasn’t happened with the Gran Turismo community.
the only thing this proves is that Sony Fanboys are too retarded and stupid to get a JOKE … though i dont expect more from the followers of crazy ken , you guys enjoying your 4D games?
thanks for the laugh playstationlifestyle , next time try harder if you want to post Fake news.
@lolunchartedlol
You idiot, that’s http://www.sonydefenseforce.com
lolunchartedlol ****edit****
@Quinntan
my point is pslifestyle is lying when the say Turn10 is bribing people when their community manager was only joking about the reward.
that’s why i got angry.
Shame on you Turn 10, Shame on you. No class
sure the hell didn’t sound like a joke to me. but i’m laughing anyways so whatever.
Well, I voted GT5. Pretty sad that dev has to bribe people.
We all know F3 would have been stomped by GT5.
I own both systems, and I’ve got to say points on both sides are low blows. I can’t condone T10s use of free gifts to skew votes (granted, it’s a useless arbitrary poll anyways… the racers can decide when the games come out)… but the level of animosity on the PD side just makes me feel like maybe I’m not in the right place either.
Competition will always be better for the genre, because is promotes technological leaps. I’ve got to say forza’s got the physics engine down a little better, just like GT5 will have the graphics. To continue to argue the point is fruitless… I hope both win in the long run, because it’s better for all of us… if you disagree, you’re after something more than a good game and probably aren’t worthy of the respect I have for both communities
Also, here’s a perfect example of why internet polls are completely useless 99% of the time and anyone who’s been online shouldn’t give them credit: http://musicmachinery.com/2009/04/15/inside-the-precision-hack/
The damn thing is rigged!!!! voted once i was vote #7150 then i tried voting again on my other computer and there i was #7149 wtf!!!! I did this in that order to.
I remember when they sony first announced gt5 4 years ago and on the website they showed screenshots of Project Gotham Racing which was a launch title on the 360. This just shows that the people at sony are incapable at producing a game that is as good or better than anything on xbox. 4 years later and still no Gran Turismo game on playstation maybe all you fanboys could hope that it will finally release by the time the PS5 comes out in 2028. So stop your crying already and just face the facts that the 360 is the better system and if you want to play a good racing game buy a 360 with forza 3
@EvilGremlinxx
Go back to blowing Don Mattrick.
@xxEvilGremlinxx:
And who are you to call anyone a fanboy? Fanboy…
Forza can kiss my sorry a$$ cuz they are only doing this because they KNOW they will lose against gran turismo 5. I mean, we ALL know that gt5 is mUCH MUCH better than forza 3 right?
4 years was a bit off it was more like 2 or so but here’s the link that proves I’m right just copy and paste it to read the story
http://www.gamespot.com/news/6164738.html
“”"Brent Says:
June 10th, 2009 at 12:29 AM
@xxEvilGremlinxx:
And who are you to call anyone a fanboy? Fanboy”"”
I’ll admit when a system is better, Istill think the PS2 is one of the best systems ever produced but going by this generation of consoles the xbox 360 beats the PS3 hands down plus I have played every game in the Gran Turismo series and every game in the Forza series and I think Forza is alot better game.
I had to sign up for this just to comment hehe.
I am one of the biggest fans of racing games, I’m not great at them but I simply love them. There are very few multiplayer games out there take are pure skill to win, in most games there are plays you can call over and over to win for instance, there is nothing you can do in a racing game other than be on your game to win however. I especially love sim racers, I started playing with the original Gran Turismo in fact.
I chose an Xbox over a PS2 and got addicted to Forza, thus the only GT games I have played are the first 2. I never had the luxury to own a PS2 sadly, as it is a great console to this day, I do however own a PS3 and Xbox 360. The main reason I bought my PS3 was for Blu-ray, but I also knew that there are games that I simply would not be able to live without, games like the next GT, Final Fantasy, and God of War. I bought the 360 because I really liked the Halo franchise, and Forza, also PGR.
I honestly must say I prefer the Xbox over my PS3 any day of the week, I have picked up some games for the PS3 to play with my friend who only has a PS3 and I don’t even play them because they suck so bad. The games I am talking about are NHL 09, Skate 1, and 2, I even tried out Killzone, and MGS4 (actually came with the PS3) and they were not my cup of tea, but certainly ran better than the other games I mentioned. I really wanted to pick up GT5p but never could justify $45 for it as it is a demo, a guy I work with ended up buying it and really didn’t like it, I asked if I could borrow it and he said sure. So I have played it and frankly from everything I read about it I had high expectaions, all these people who say it is so much better than Forza are LYING.
The final game may very well be better than Forza 3, but for anyone to say that GT5p is better than Forza 2 is just not right at all. The physics alone in GT5p feel exactly how I remember them in the original GT, and that is not a good thing. I think the game itself looks stunning, there is no question GT5p is the best looking racer out there in my mind, but it doesn’t come close to Forza 2 in features and gameplay.
Now for anyone who wants to say Forza 3 is the best you are wrong, for anyone that wants to say GT5 is the best you are wrong, iracing.com is hands down the best racing simulator out there, anyone who does not believe me try it, you can get a free 30 day trial if you do your homework and you will see what a real racing sim is all about.
For all the people who say GT5 will be better than Forza 3 or the other way around, you are all idiots as no one has played the final versions of either game. Lastly for all your stupid fanboys on both sides get both fucking consoles and stop bitching, I will be picking up GT5 and Forza 3, so I win more than any of you who only get 1.
Lastly, making a ‘news’ story out of this is just as bad as us Forza voters being ‘bribed’ to vote. Had I know about this poll any other way I would have voted for Forza 3 as it showed a lot more gameplay to me than the GT5 trailer did, I don’t recall seeing anything in the GT5 trailers that said it was actual gameplay.
@Curt2K1,
The physics for GT5: Prologue feel pretty similar to past iterations unless you use Professional Mode. There’s a reason driving professionals rely on GT, and not other racing simulators, in order to practice before their races. For driving, it really is the most accurate game on the market.
The advantage that Forza really has is its paint system, which has allowed for the coolest custom designs we have ever seen from the gaming community. And, ironically, I’ve seen a lot of car mod professionals rely on Forza 2 in order to plan their decal designs ahead of time. Same benefits as GT, just in a different area.
I liked how Polyphony Digital has been keeping track of developments by other game developers and have seeked to incorporate those features. I would like nothing more than a GT game with a built-in paint design system so we could not only modify the feel of our cars, or the body parts, but the actual look.
Considering the Need for Speed series is currently tackling the Simulation genre, Forza’s pretty much our only hope for feeding our need to customize and modify the cars we love.
what a shameÉÉ
forza is a mediocre franchise. no one cares about forza
what a shameÉÉÉ
turn 10 is trying to compete with GT with that crap and dead franchise
“evilbot above
forza is not even in the league of GT5
GT5 runs at 1080p…flopza 3 aty 720p
GT5 has 2x the amount of tracks as flopza 3
GT5 looks wayyyyyyyyyyy better than flopza 3
GT5 has 800 cars vs juts 400 for fliopza3
[...] then you have sites like PlayStationLifeStyle who are claiming Turn 10 are “using bribes” (their words) to skew the vote. It’s certainly not a [...]
Thats so sad.. Forza 3 fails with this alone and i wish more sites reported on this. Pretty sad attempt to get hype for your game.
i love GT series!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@John Draisey
“There’s a reason driving professionals rely on GT, and not other racing simulators”
Actually if you check out iracing.com you will see professional racers using that as the tracks are scanned with lasers and are the most accurate to their real life counterparts.
I did set the mode to professional and do not see how that is an accurate portrayal of real life driving at all, I even used a G25 in hopes the controller was the issue and still not satisfied with the feel compared to iracing.com