Dear developers/publishers, just release the sodding news or product, no teasing!

Short and sweet this one, but hopefully something that everyone has noticed.

Rule 000001: Under no circumstances should a publisher or developer tease a new project, piece of news, update release, screenshots, video, trailer, or anything else. Keep this stuff off Twitter, blogs, basically everywhere.

Why? Because the microcosm and macrocosm of online gaming news sites, forums and social media, will digest it, chew it round, add their own flavour and spit it out in 300 different ways that mean absolutely nothing you announce can live up to what that collective imagination can produce.

Example, starting with the almost harmless sounding, "we'll have some new screens next week" rapidly becomes "great, they must be for an unannounced platform, this publisher will save platform x." Just release the screens when you're ready and your fans will be grateful, and pleasantly surprised.

Example, "some big news tomorrow" becomes, well that could almost be anything. And, while you might think its a smart move to generate some hype, the vagueness of it all means you're more likely to have created 700 different versions of hope, 699 of which will be crushed by whatever it is you actually show. And the one bozo who guessed right will be the feted as the next Michael Pachter (which isn't something you want to encourage).

I could go on, but you get the drift. Really, just announce your news and move on. Playing at PR is a mugs game left to the professionals whose job is to manage those expectations, and wield embargoes like flick knives.

Yes, blogs and game news sites lose about a third of their "stories" (me included), but good, we can focus on proper news instead. However, if you are going to tease some news, be deeply specific about what it is (or isn't) not that that'll stop the imaginations of gamers going wild.