Bethesda is a well-known a respected game developer and publisher in the industry and they have recently started a trend of not sending out review copies until the day prior to launch. This started with Doom and people questioned the quality of the game. Doom ended up being fantastic and I wrote a feature piece about why it works so well.
Bethesda will continue to do this with upcoming releases of Skyrim Remastered and Dishonored 2. In a note posted on their official website they go into why they will be doing this. Read the note below:
“At Bethesda, we value media reviews.
We read them. We watch them. We try to learn from them when they offer critique. And we understand their value to our players.
Earlier this year we released DOOM. We sent review copies to arrive the day before launch, which led to speculation about the quality of the game. Since then DOOM has emerged as a critical and commercial hit, and is now one of the highest-rated shooters of the past few years.
With the upcoming launches of Skyrim Special Edition and Dishonored 2, we will continue our policy of sending media review copies one day before release. While we will continue to work with media, streamers, and YouTubers to support their coverage – both before and after release – we want everyone, including those in the media, to experience our games at the same time.
We also understand that some of you want to read reviews before you make your decision, and if that’s the case we encourage you to wait for your favorite reviewers to share their thoughts.
Skyrim Special Edition releases globally on October 28 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. Dishonored 2 releases globally on November 11 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.”
If you are on the fence about a game you may want to wait until a reviewer you trust releases their review after launch or just take the plunge and try it yourself. I personally feel that the best judge of a game is the player themselves and try to go in blind to as many games as possible but if money is a concern, it’s understandable to want to wait for reviews.
Since Skyrim is a remaster, gamers can check out the reviews of the first edition of the game which released on last generation platforms.
What are your thoughts on Bethesda’s new policy with review copies of games? Do you wait for reviews to be posted on a title or do you take the plunge and trust your own instinct? Let us know in the comment section or the RGM forums.
