Take-Two Confirms Negative Impact of Review Bombing on Video Games
A document from Take-Two Interactive confirms that review bombing can harm the popularity and profitability of games.
Take-Two Interactive warns investors about the potential impact of "review bombing" on profits. This information appeared in a document published by the publisher at the end of May, as noted by journalist Stephen Totilo from GameFile.
The company included "negative review campaigns" in the list of factors that could limit or decrease the publisher's game profits. Take-Two indicates that bombarding with negative reviews can lead to a decrease in the number of players and "damage to reputation."
If the ratings of any of our games decline or if we receive significant negative reviews that result in a decrease in our ratings, our games could be more difficult for players to find or recommend. In addition, we may be subject to negative review campaigns or defamation campaigns intended to harm our ratings. Any such decline may lead to loss of players and revenues, additional advertising and marketing costs, and reputation harm.
Effective review bombing
At first sight, this might appear obvious, especially in light of the successful campaign by Helldivers 2 players against the mandatory PlayStation Network account requirement (although fans only achieved a partial victory; the game remains unavailable in "blocked" countries).
Not all internet users are convinced that such bombardment can really impact the popularity of a game. Players contended that boycotting microtransactions doesn't necessarily lead to a decrease in profits from such game monetization, and similarly, bombarding games on Steam with negative reviews doesn't actually affect publishers.
The information contained in the Take-Two Interactive document is probably the first formal confirmation that "review bombing" actually harms game results.
NFL and loot boxes
By the way, Totilo also draws attention to another change in the last annual report. The journalist noticed that Take-Two has removed the mention of the agreement with the NFL to develop numerous games under the license of the American Football League. Such information appeared in the documents from 2020, but during this time the company only released the mobile NFL 2K Playmakers (April 12, 2024). NFL and Take-Two Interactive declined to comment on this matter.
The publisher also warns investors about ongoing discussions on loot box regulations. Legal changes - the regulations and their official interpretations - government scrutiny (including censorship and rating agencies) and inconsistencies in these regulations can be expensive and "harm the company by restricting the products that the publisher can offer to consumers."
