thevnaguy Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 (edited) I wondered if he was the Janus guy but that was Co-Founder/Creative Director of RETRO Mark Kaminski, not this guy. In all honesty AA's been pretty forgiving towards RETRO staff even though there's CoI's for them all over this mess. I'm not sure how they were expected to ever be able to be impartial or fair & objective on a system that originally was going to bear their name and had one of their founders speadheading it. How would that of worked? One poor review and Kennedy could just blacklist you for not "promoting sales" or just plain hurting his other business. I mean I do feel for the staff a bit (though I gather most are freelancers anyway?) you probably felt you had to brown-nose lest you tested the above theory. But it's a two-edged sword as it stings your credibility too. Also maybe just me, but considering mentions that RETRO is still 2 issues off last years promised quota + 2 major content writers mentioning a lack of work prior to jumping ship doesn't exactly sound healthy for the publication. Kinda makes it a wee bit obvious that Retro VGS/Chameleons crowdfunds were probably needed & intended to be used in a sneaky way to keep RETRO afloat too : P I wrote a article for RETRO in issue #1 and #2 and then called it quits. Like Pat said in his video, the current editor would wait until the night before the deadline to tell you to redo your article after having over a month to tell you this. I chalk it up as a ploy to get rid of writers they did not want. Did not matter to me as they would not let me write what I wanted, they were fixated on modern games and not retro games. My original idea for my article was to talk about a classic arcade game, then discuss all the ports from the early days of videogaming up to modern consoles. kind of like I do now on my Arcade USA channel when I cover a classic arcade game. Pipercub from RGRU told me he had been told my stuff was not that good by RETRO magazine which explains the tactic to wait to the last minute to have me make changes to frustrate me into quitting. Granted, I am a amateur at writing and don't consider myself a writer, just like to talk about my favorite subject Arcades and Videogames! Edited March 11, 2016 by thevnaguy 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toiletunes Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 This Zenergy thing makes no sense. If I learned anything from Kennedy, it was CARTRIDGES. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IrishNerdLife Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 But GameGavel and Retro experienced some success, even if short lived. But breaking even should not equate success. Mike used Game Gavel and Retro to siphon funds into his other schemes when he should have expanded the business. No telling how far into the debt hole he went with Chameleon, Jaguar molds excluded. I would class both GameGavel and Retro as failing enterprises at the moment. At best it seems GameGavel managed to keep it's head above water in the past, but it seems pretty dead these days. It certainly hasn't managed to take 10% of the market from eBay! I actually don't think either of these ventures are bad ideas, but they're definitely niche. I highly doubt that Kennedy went into debt with the Chameleon; that just doesn't seem to be his style. Everything seems to have been done on promises of future payments or for stock in a new company. I'm certainly not a forensic accountant, but the transfer of assets between companies and the useage of Kickstater funds sounds very fishy. I certainly wouldn't be surprised to learn that some fo the Retro money was used in the Chameleon project with the expectation that the console company would pay that money back for coverage in the magazine. Has it been confirmed how much the tooling cost? I've seen figures between $6,000-$10,000 thrown around. That would be excessive if the tooling failed to sell at auction for $4500. Surely the investment can't be more than the eBay price (not to mention the money made from selling shells). The one thing I'm sure of is that we haven't seen the end of Kennedy. He's like a gambler chasing the big score... if only I could get 10% of that eBay,Amazon , Gamestop market, etc. Media outlets do virtually no actual journalism so he will just ride this out and try something else in the future. 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IrishNerdLife Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 I wrote a article for RETRO in issue #1 and #2 and then called it quits. Like Pat said in his video, the current editor would wait until the night before the deadline to tell you to redo your article after having over a month to tell you this. I chalk it up as a ploy to get rid of writers they did not want. Did not matter to me as they would not let me write what I wanted, they were fixated on modern games and not retro games. My original idea for my article was to talk about a classic arcade game, then discuss all the ports from the early days of videogaming up to modern consoles. kind of like I do now on my Arcade USA channel when I cover a classic arcade game. Pipercub from RGRU told me he had been told my stuff was not that good by RETRO magazine which explains the tactic to wait to the last minute to have me make changes to frustrate me into quitting. Granted, I am a amateur at writing and don't consider myself a writer, just like to talk about my favorite subject Arcades and Videogames! That sounds like a very poor way to conduct a business, especially for people that were involved at the magazines inception. I often find enthusiast amateurs are more compelling than the typical jaded "professional". 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thevnaguy Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 (edited) Ok, here is the communities chance to help Coleco with a project - MiniCades! They posted on their facebook page they are interested in pursuing this venture and would like input from the community Here is the link to the thread on created on here to provide some feedback to them (I sent them the link to follow) you can also contact them at colecotoys.com or go on facebook and leave feedback on the MiniCade post. http://atariage.com/forums/topic/250175-possible-return-of-the-coleco-minicades/ https://www.facebook.com/Colecovision-1616402778636687/?fref=nf Edited March 11, 2016 by thevnaguy 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dommie Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 So the new venture will be making mobile games? That seems more reasonable, at least they don't have to deal with hardware design anymore. Not so fast. Haven't you heard of the new RetroPHONE? No updates, rotary dial, plays phone game cartridges. It's the wave of the future! Now if they can just somehow use that Jaguar mold... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newsdee Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 Not so fast. Haven't you heard of the new RetroPHONE? No updates, rotary dial, plays phone game cartridges. It's the wave of the future! Now if they can just somehow use that Jaguar mold... I've seen stores selling what I'd describe as "very obviously dumb phones" with nothing but number keys and call/hangup byttons so I guess there is a market for it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 Mike goes mobile "Zenergy Games is a new mobile game studio led by industry execs and a cast of seasoned gaming veterans with over 250 games to their names." I don't think this is new. If you read the full description, part of it states: "ReadRETRO.com is the official website of RETRO Video Game Magazine which was born last fall from a successful Kickstarter campaign raising nearly $80K in 30 days." The original RETRO Kickstarter was in October, 2013, so that's over two years ago, meaning this page was likely created sometime in 2014. Also, the zenergygames.com website referenced on the above page is blank, and the Internet Archive doesn't have a copy of it with an actual site planted on that domain. As for Retro Action Entertainment, the Internet Archive has a copy of the site from January 28th, so it's been taken down between now and then. I'm guessing that Zenergy Games was the original name they came up with and they ended up going with Retroaction Entertainment? ..Al 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cav Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 Granted, I am a amateur at writing and don't consider myself a writer, just like to talk about my favorite subject Arcades and Videogames! DSCF4759.JPG This x10. When I did CGM I didn't put a huge emphasis on whether someone had excellent writing skills. The fun was always reading the writer's passion on the subject. Tight editing can fix most writing problems if you spend some time on it. The most feedback we ever received on an article was about a guy finding a Tooth Protectors at his dentist's office. I like the old adage that everyone has a story to tell so I liked letting people tell them even if they had no experience writing. We live in the era where we can tell the first-hand stories and experiences before we leave the planet. So document them even if you "can't write." 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godslabrat Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 Mike Kennedy calling someone a poor communicator is pretty ballsy. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galax Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 The original RETRO Kickstarter was in October, 2013, so that's over two years ago, meaning this page was likely created sometime in 2014. Also, the zenergygames.com website referenced on the above page is blank, and the Internet Archive doesn't have a copy of it with an actual site planted on that domain. Good sleuthing! I looked up the whois record: http://www.whois.com/whois/zenergygames.com Creation Date: 08-mar-2014 Expiration Date: 08-mar-2017 Admin Name: Mike Kennedy So yeah, looks like zenergygames.com was created on 8th March 2014 and never used. A bit too much personal info in that whois record really. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 That's why I only write stuff for my own site. No deadlines, no one telling me what I should and shouldn't say, and no one to please but myself. I did some articles for magazines in the past and I always hated the pressure. My site is free so you can't say you're not getting your money's worth reading it. 16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IrishNerdLife Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 Good sleuthing! I looked up the whois record: http://www.whois.com/whois/zenergygames.com Creation Date: 08-mar-2014 Expiration Date: 08-mar-2017 Admin Name: Mike Kennedy So yeah, looks like zenergygames.com was created on 8th March 2014 and never used. A bit too much personal info in that whois record really. Following that line of enquiry Retroactionentertainment.com: Creation Date: 15-jun-2014 Expiration Date: 15-jun-2016 http://www.whois.com/whois/retroactionentertainment.com 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sh3-rg Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 I wrote a article for RETRO in issue #1 and #2 and then called it quits. Like Pat said in his video, the current editor would wait until the night before the deadline to tell you to redo your article after having over a month to tell you this. I chalk it up as a ploy to get rid of writers they did not want. Did not matter to me as they would not let me write what I wanted, they were fixated on modern games and not retro games. My original idea for my article was to talk about a classic arcade game, then discuss all the ports from the early days of videogaming up to modern consoles. kind of like I do now on my Arcade USA channel when I cover a classic arcade game. Pipercub from RGRU told me he had been told my stuff was not that good by RETRO magazine which explains the tactic to wait to the last minute to have me make changes to frustrate me into quitting. Granted, I am a amateur at writing and don't consider myself a writer, just like to talk about my favorite subject Arcades and Videogames! DSCF4759.JPG There's nobody to pay you off with dropsies for retro games - modern games, hell yes, plenty of opportunity to find a little something floating into the back pocket (according to STS, if we're to believe anything he says given all the info given about him). 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toiletunes Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 Meanwhile, in Retroville... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sh3-rg Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 (edited) Interesting idea from someone on twitter: The given link. The same thought crossed my mind today at work, if Eli spoke to the Mystery Mr. Lee so often, he'd have a good chance at recognising if that voices match. Edited March 11, 2016 by sh3-rg 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godslabrat Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 (edited) I think the moral of Mike's story, from an entrepreneurial standpoint, is that you need to have two distinct stages of dialog when launching an internet venture. The first stage is absolute silence. Only the people directly involved in the project know anything, and they're all sworn to secrecy. This stage has no publicity, no crowdfunding, and most importantly, no public back-patting. If you're not ready to show your idea, don't let people know you have one. That keeps the pressure off and gives you room to work. WHEN YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SHOW, and not before, tell the public. The second you let them know, the second stage begins: Full Transparency. Once you let the word out, your project is in the hands of the people. You need to maintain a constant dialogue with them. Answer their questions as best you can and treat them respectfully. They are now more important to your business than you are. When I announced my latest project, Save The Stardate, I had already been working on it for a month solid behind the scenes. I made the decision to announce it when there was enough data in the database that the average person could make use of it. It wasn't FINISHED, by any stretch, but it was at a point where I was prepared to defend it and talk about it with any Tom, Dick or Kennedy around. Edited March 11, 2016 by godslabrat 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-type Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 The Janus Syndicate. Janus = Mr. Lee, confirmed. Eli, time to check that 'phone bill and see if those mystery Mr. Lee calls are listed with a number. If not, but if it's at all possible to be traced via your provider, it would be good if you could. Even if there is a cost involved, I'm sure someone can help with that What Eli could do is listen to a podcast with Mark Kaminski on it such as this one: http://famicomdojo.tv/podcast/110 and see if Mark's voice sounds like "Mr. Lee" 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cav Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 That's why I only write stuff for my own site. No deadlines, no one telling me what I should and shouldn't say, and no one to please but myself. I did some articles for magazines in the past and I always hated the pressure. My site is free so you can't say you're not getting your money's worth reading it. I like your site. I sold you my Asterix proto many years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akito01 Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 http://www.giantbomb.com/podcasts/the-giant-beastcast-episode-42/1600-1532/ The cover story, relevant talk begins early at 00:04:23 "Speaking of prison..." 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost Monkey Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 Since it has been postulated that MK may be scouring this thread for ideas on how to further the unnecessary middleman concept- I thought I might throw one out there... Consoletherapist : Broken console? Don't know where to get it fixed? Why spend thousands trying to find a repairman when we can find you one for a nominal fee of $35? Simply fill in our on-line form, click submit, and we will contact you with the name of a qualified repairman within 7 days. Once you have decided to move forward with your repair, fill out our "repairman contact" on-line form and we will contact your repairman, who, for a nominal fee of $35 will be awarded your repair. Once the repairman has paid the $35 and (provided he is in good standing) we will send you his address. It is as simple as that! Consoletherapist - "Connecting Gamers to Repairmen, Again, For the First Time" 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 Ok, here is the communities chance to help Coleco with a project - MiniCades! They posted on their facebook page they are interested in pursuing this venture and would like input from the community Here is the link to the thread on created on here to provide some feedback to them (I sent them the link to follow) you can also contact them at colecotoys.com or go on facebook and leave feedback on the MiniCade post. http://atariage.com/forums/topic/250175-possible-return-of-the-coleco-minicades/ https://www.facebook.com/Colecovision-1616402778636687/?fref=nf Thanks for posting that. I sure hope that this time around, "input from the community" doesn't mean "someone who did all the work and made a thing that we can slap COLECO on." I wonder why they don't seem to be looking into making new software? That seems less risky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 As for Retro Action Entertainment, the Internet Archive has a copy of the site from January 28th, so it's been taken down between now and then. I'm guessing that Zenergy Games was the original name they came up with and they ended up going with Retroaction Entertainment? ..Al More like Retraction Entertainment, am I right? That's the theme of this thread, in any case. "Here's what we are going to do. No wait, not that, never mind that. Wait for it... THIS is it. No, you can't see it yet, but you can put money on it soon. Actually, I lied, we are holding it back to make it even better. But look at THIS? No? I will disappear for a while, then." All retractions, all entertainment, all the time. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thevnaguy Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 Thanks for posting that. I sure hope that this time around, "input from the community" doesn't mean "someone who did all the work and made a thing that we can slap COLECO on." I wonder why they don't seem to be looking into making new software? That seems less risky. Its just Chris and Mark, there are no manufacturing facilities or programmers. Software would have to be done the same way that you dont like, someone else does it and Coleco puts the brand on it. But, cant make everyone happy . Just happy they are wanting the input from the community. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlaysWithWolves Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 This is a red herring, but I couldn't resist posting. It comes from "one of the largest manufacturer of prototypes and small-volume PCB in China": http://www.chinapcbs.com/html_info/about-us.html 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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