[sa_ill]

I kind of already knew this was happening, but came across this article which explains it in detail:
 
So this is how big publishers like Rockstar Games manipulate their review scores. The studio's bonuses are also judged by the overall score on Metacritic.
 
An interesting read:
 
Link

 

[SaLX]

That's pretty ****ty.

 

[EuphonicArin]

I knew about this for a while and the worst is the fact that even if they do well it is pretty meh

 

[sa_ill]

Exactly! I mean GTA V has already sold 10 million copies but Rockstar still cant stand a mere 7.5.
 
Pathetic!
 
Sometimes you do wonder whether you should believe what the media says or not.

 

[Accoun]

Rockstar isn't a publisher. They are a developer. Not sure if they or even Take-Two (they are the publisher IIRC) had anything to do with it. Sometimes even two different branches of a big company don't exactly know what the second the other one does, leave alone a totally different company that just bought distribution rights and sells your games. So wouldn't go as far as blaming them specifically.
 
Still, the situation is sh.itty and known for years. Both from the side of the carrot (see Call Of Duty review events for example) and the stick, with situations as those. And not only with games - Apple banned Gizmodo from their press events. New York Times as well. Probably happens in other media, too. Sad. Only hope is to find smaller media outlets that seem trustworthy enough and stick to them.

 

[SaLX]

Follow the money.... and with GTA V there's a gigantic wadge of it. Sorry, but games like these, with humongous development costs and enormous profit margins will always have the little go-betweens nibbling away for their piece of the action. At least in India they're honest about it
 
It's not even large title's.. I'm sure all games, essentially being a commodity are treated like this in some form or another, somewhere along the chain.
 
Review sites .... which ones are honest and untainted? Now there's a list I'd like to see.