Big productions and the culture of insulting the fanbase
Disclaimer: This isn't intended as thread talking of specific cases that have happened but as a place to discuss a recent behavior trend, so I hope it can stay on the boards. If some parts or names need to be removed, then I invite the moderators to do so.
In short, Blizzcon happened and we are once again witnesses of a major production house representative joking about and the gaming media insulting the playerbase.
In the latest few years there have been several instances of similar behaviors: big names (be them people or trademarks representatives like Blizzard, Riot, ArenaNet, Hollywood etc.)through twitter/interviews/articles going straight into insulting the ppl who criticized their work without making any difference between the nature, the form nor the content of said critique. Apparently, if the public doesn't agree with the director/developer view on any given matter, those ppl are bunch of misogynists, racist, sexist, entitled crybabies or whatever is the latest fad in terms of insults. Those channels are all single way, there is no confrontation, no dialogue and thus the media and the insulter are the only one deciding the narrative of the case.
Letting aside the specific cases and the specific response of the companies involved, it's becoming a really major issue in the entertainment industry to have you (as a fan) being blasted and personally insulted (no one is calling your name but you get classified as the scum of society, tarrying everyone with the same brush. All this does is alienating the fanbase which will slowly (but surely) leave whtever your product is because all that it's keeping them there watching the movies, playing the game, reading the books is the love they had and still have for that product from which such behavior is pulling them away.
I believe that develoeprs, employees and anyone who can talk as a representative of any big or small production house should be able not only to get criticism but to answer it in a constructive way (choosing maybe to answer only to the constructive criticism, without making an echo chamber for the insults that will come from the other side, because there are ppl even in the fanbase who can't reason) or to be trained into doing so. Once you talk as part of a product such as a videogame, a movie, a universe which has become part of our society and an important side of people life, you are not allowed to let your heat going so high and alienate people because you personally cna't act reasonable. To cite something that here is written a lot: "If you don't have something nice to say, stay quiet".