[Discussion] Reviewers having to wait for review copies

[Typoko]

What I’m concerned with is that Streamers and Youtubers will be signed up for coverage that will be distorted by restrictions on what they can show ( like Shadow of Mordor ) , which I think is the real reason they have implemented this new policy. I tend to look to sites like Giantbomb or Jim Sterling and now probably Waypoint for reviews as I trust their process of reviewing i.e. don’t need to rush etc.

Snipplet from the actual Bethesda blog post:

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.

From this post i would assume that the content creators get the game at the same time as the reviewers. I wouldn’t say that they would be experiencing the game at the same time if content creators had access to it prior the 24h limit.

I know Gassy had access to Skyrim SE before it was released, but for me that doesn’t set the standard as the deal might have been made well before the implementation of the new policy. Dishonored 2 will most likely show us how this policy is run.

[RolandHuxley]

Streamers have had access to skyrim well before launch , gassymexican was streaming it week , week and a half ago like you said haven’t seen any dishounerd stuff but I am super suspicious that it will definitely start happening . Could you imagine having not coverage for a game before 24hrs before launch ?

[Twistedgerm]

If you are watching reviewers that don’t rush their reviews, like you said above, then I don’t see a problem about the game not having coverage before the 24 hours before release.

Gamers seem very entitled today calling for a developer’s head if they don’t get to see everything about a game before launch. Most games I bought many years ago didn’t have massive coverage before launch. They mostly had a trailer and maybe a developer interview at E3 or another convention. Now I might get a couple reviews the first week and get live footage from a streamer, nothing to complain about.

[BorisIgnatievich]

I’d agree with most of your points about being patient etc (and I rarely buy anything at launch personally), but for the fact that Bethesda have pre-order bonus content in their games. At that point, they are basically telling a gamer “if you want the full game, buy it without any information”, and those actions speak much louder than a statement saying “hey guys wait for reviews yeah”

When that bonus stuff exists, it’s hard to view this as anything but an anti consumer move. They have a valid point on spoilers I think, but it comes across more as a post-hoc justification for a shitty move than anything else

[Moose2033]

Skyrim has been out for 5 years, the special edition is just an upgrade to graphics with no new game play, of course they let a few streamers play it early to get the hype up, but Gassy could only play on the Xbox or the PS4

[RolandHuxley]

It doesn’t effect me at all , I never buy games on day one , I always wait for reviews. But this doesn’t excuse this anti-consumer behaviour. It’s not entitled, it’s expecting companies to be open and transparent with the gaming media and giving consumers information about their products so they can make informed decisions about their purchases . If the marketing teams behind these games weren’t so bad at bullshitting what their games are and E3’s weren’t full of footage that is never actually representative of the finished product then maybe they could pull this crap but the gaming industry has proven that they can’t be trusted.

[Thrashdeth]

I hardly ever pre-order games, that being said, I’m not a fan of this policy at all. Game reviewers and games journalism isn’t what it used to be 15 years ago obviously and we live in such a time that traditional media has to pretty much fight an uphill battle against streamers/youtubers/unfluencers, obviously I like watching streams a lot, but I don’t think I’m unreasonable in saying that.

I still value traditional reviews, just as I value a playthrough of certain streamers, if I’m on the fence of a particular game, I use both to gather info and make a judgement call for myself. Now, streamers will get access on the release day like anyone else (presumably, but I’ll wait til Dishonored to see how they handle it), but they still get to switch their stream on, reviewers will also be receiving their copy on release day, but they will have to play for a set amount of time for certain games, before they can start writing their review. I actually really like having a review on release day, as that means I can watch a streamer play the game on release, and have written reviews as well on the same day, and as a consumer, that’s something I value.