Metacritic is a platform that helps users a lot when choosing what to spend their money on. However, it is also true that reaching a certain rating can blind developers. This is something that worries the founder of Arkane Studios.
In a recent Twitter post, Raphael Colantonio, founder of Arkane Studios, questioned the way in which Metacritic has forced certain teams to create safe experiences, with the goal of achieving a score above 80. This is what he commented on the matter. :
“The Metacritic ecosystem encourages developers to make games that are boring and play it safe. As long as the game is polished for release, you’re guaranteed a score of 80/100, no matter how boring it may be.
My publication was somewhat controversial, I hope this one is better received. A 70/100 on Metacritic can mean it’s a mediocre game or an incredible one, but buggy at launch and in need of patches. I think Metacritic doesn’t help differentiate between these two extremes.”
The Metacritic ecosystem encourages devs to make safe boring games.
As long as a game is polished at launch, you’re guaranteed a 80%, no matter how boring the game might be.
Meanwhile Stalker2 gets a 73 because it’s a bit rough on the edges at launch.
Unfair, misleading..
— Raphael Colantonio (@rafcolantonio) November 23, 2024
In this case, Colantonio takes STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl as an example, which came with a series of technical problems that affected its initial reputation. The director points out that a game should not be judged by its initial mistakes, but by what it offers at the end of the day, just as Cyberpunk 2077 did at the time.
As expected, his opinion caused a stir on social media, with people supporting and discussing every possible point. However, we must not forget that Metacritic also offers some benefits and, at the end of the day, a game will always attract attention, regardless of its quality. On related topics, you can check out our review of STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl here. Likewise, the FTC plans measures to prevent review bombing on Metacritic.
Author’s Note:
Having a game come into our hands in poor condition must be repressed in some way or another, no matter how good the product is. Likewise, searching for a number does not always limit the creativity of developers.
Via: Raphael Colantonio
