We at RGM are all about being up front and honest. We cover every format and we are not biased or deceitful in any of our coverage. When we review, we review the product we are given, warts an’ all. If a game’s good it’ll score well, if it’s bad or needs work, we will say as much.
You can imagine our surprise when we were presented with a bit of a dilemma (well not really). As an up and coming site we need to make connections with developers in the industry, offering up our services to review their titles, spreading the word of what we thought. As you can perceive, this can obviously be a positive or negative partnership (in a sense) based on the game and how we review it.
So you can appreciate a developers reticence to share their game, but ultimately, people will play on it and report on it whether we do it or not. If a game is terrible, people will use the wonders of the internet to find out. Conversely, the internet is of course a power for good when highlighting shady practices. Enter Badfly Interactive.
Our PR representative reached out to Badfly Interactive to obtain a review code for the console version of their upcoming release Dead Effect 2.
We had a pretty cheerful reply, for the most part:
I’m pretty sure you can see what the issue with this is, that goddamned Happy New Year message! No, in all seriousness, the blatant blackmailing attempt:
“I’d like to mention that we’re working on several games that are definitely interesting, and if the review of Dead Effect 2, or it’s preview, is very negative, you’ll receive absolutely no keys from us in the future.”
Suffice it to say, we were angry about this. “Do as we say/want or you’ll lose out” isn’t what we’re about. We at RGM are the place “where real gamers talk”. I want to point out that we have a review code and we will be reviewing this game, but we will not be pandering or falsifying our review to placate a developer who seems insecure about some negative feedback.
I appreciate the implications of a negative review score; poor sales, potential closing of a studio etc. But that doesn’t mean your morals should just disappear; make a better game. Take the time to iron out issues, delay a game if needs be. Use the negative feedback to make improvements. If a game isn’t brilliant but could be patched up, then those reviewers are doing you a favor in being honest, letting you know what needs to be worked on. You could even be in contact with those reviewers and ask them to take another look and update readers about these changes. Simple really.
My other concern is something else mentioned in the email about restricting access review copies until just before the games release in order to avoid negative reviews. Referring to AAA developers (such as Bethesda, who adopted this policy last year), Badfly Interactive intimated that they would be avoiding bad reviews in a similar way. Again I can appreciate the effect of negative reviews, but that doesn’t stop the practice being wholly immoral.
Stop being in denial so much, take the hit and grow from it. Much like in life, we shouldn’t be afraid to take a knock or negative feedback, it’s the only way we can improve and grow. I call out to all developers to embrace the help that reviewers can provide, sure it’s not nice to hear negative comments about something you have worked together on as a team; but sometimes you’re going to have to hear it.
We put trust and faith our reviewers to represent our site in order to portray to our beloved readers our thoughts on said game and whether it is worth your time and money. No game is perfect, despite what some people might think about Modern Warfare 2 (I jest), and sometimes some games need more work than others. It is what it is.
So there you have it, we won’t be blackmailed, we will tell you the truth. If Dead Effect 2 is terrible, we’ll tell you, just as we would if it is mediocre or amazing. This is what Real Game Media is all about. Being Real when it comes to all things gaming and entertainment. We are not biased and will take no offers to promote one said brand over the other.
