Don’t expect to see any more detailed, in-depth reviews of upcoming Bethesda products on day one of release: The studio announced yesterday that it has made the decision to stop sending game reviewers copies far enough in advance to play and write about them so that players have an idea as to their quality when the game releases.
Bethesda starts the post by saying that it “values media reviews” but will be sending media outlets copies only one day before upcoming games 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,” the studio said.
Polygon argues, and we agree, that this move “kneecaps” game reviews and is made with the intention to sell as many pre-orders as possible without reviews influencing the process. The site also says that this will in turn make reviews worse, as outlets will attempt to rush through the game as fast as possible to get coverage out of the door.
