PC Maker Shuts Down Following Massive Twitter Uproar
Artesian Builds, a custom PC company that recently received backlash for a botched giveaway, announced on March 8 that it would be shutting down permanently. While the company didn't get into specifics about why it's choosing to cease business operations, many gamers wonder if it could be related to the massive Twitter backlash surrounding the recent giveaway. The situation – both the giveaway and Artesian Builds' subsequent closure – raises an important question: Do brand ambassadors need to be popular to be valued?
Artesian Builds' trouble began when @Kiapiaa_ tweeted a clip from the company's giveaway stream, where CEO Noah Katz promised to gift a new custom PC to one of Artesian Builds' brand ambassadors. After looking at Kiapiaa's stats – and seeing that she had a relatively small following – Katz proceeded to suggest that they select a different winner. In her tweet, Kiapiaa said that the company doesn't care about small streamers, and that it changed the rules of its giveaway only after seeing who had won. Stream sponsor Intel issued an apology, and the incident caught the attention of some high-profile streamers, like NickMercs, who didn't mince words over the situation. However, with the public turning against Artesian Builds for its giveaway, the real reason it's going out of business might be completely unrelated.
Gamers Nexus investigates
In its announcement tweet, Artesian Builds cryptically stated that it's open to help from outside sources, but didn't specify what sort of help it needed. It also suggested that it would have more information soon.
Gamers Nexus posted an in-depth look at Artesian Builds and speculated what happened to the company. Gamers Nexus said that they attempted to schedule an interview with Katz, but were turned down, which raised some suspicion. Gamers Nexus then looked into the situation further, obtaining internal documents from former Artesian Builds employees. In an email to staff, Katz wrote that there would be an internal freeze placed on all Artesian Builds accounts and that all employees would be laid off immediately.
Ultimately, Gamers Nexus suggested that the company shut down because of other internal issues, including the behavior of CEO Noah Katz, who denied repeated requests for more information for a candid interview. On Twitter, some users suggested that Katz might have been forced to shut down Artesian Builds because of tax issues.
Gamers might never know the real reason Artesian Builds shut down, but the controversy surrounding its failed giveaway – and the backlash that followed – certainly couldn't have helped matters. In the meantime, members of the gaming community are attempting to help the recently unemployed workers at Artesian Builds by hosting fundraisers.