Gameplayer - Games & the Global Financial Crisis.
"In games media there has been a swing in power from the editorial to the advertiser. Media advertising has definitely suffered in the economic downturn and with game publishers nervous they are thinking harder about their advertising spend and want more bang for their buck. Even though unethical, major coverage is expected in return for advertising dollars and fear of a low review score is almost palpable. Anything less that a 9/10 is now considered a failure by some publishers – if game critics agree that a game sucks, sales can suffer, share prices can drop and heads can roll. Retailers are watching their inventories carefully, reluctant to offer too much shelf space to games that aren't going to be hits."