Activision supposedly not sending out early review copies for Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice [update: some review copies are out, see threadmarks]

[PrimeBeef]

Not true, not that this is one of those games but a lot of online games get held back until the game goes live.

It makes sense.

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It makes sense from a business perspective. The point of it being anti consumer still stands. The buying public has no information to base a purchasing decision on outside of biased PR. Sure everyone can wait until weeks later to get that information, but that's not how things are supposed to nor expected to.

 

[PrimeBeef]

Spoilers is my safe bet. If the leaks where true, they want to keep in a complete secret the second half of the game.

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And a simple NDA about the story twist agreed upon to get a review copy could prevent this.

 

[Bleu]

yup the games turns into an armored core game after lady butterfly.

 

[Masagiwa]

The whole situation is weird. I understand that publishers don't send out review copies for every single request. In this case we have conflicting information from outlets actually receiving a copy. Some getting them early and some are not? Is this normal or just a case of mixed communication from the publishers part?

 

[juventino13]

Love that there is a 7 page thread about this unconfirmed rumor and people are going wild with their assumptions. Hilarious

 

[i-hate-u]

Both made Ninja games: Platinum did MG Rising and From Ninja Blade, so why not.

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One studio makes good games, the other makes Bayonetta.

 

[Poimandres]

Has the game gone gold? Or are they working until the latest possible time?

 

[Mendrox]

Complete BS. They could always lock out certain areas, bosses, and story elements if they wanted. They do it all the time for demos, they could do the same. Regardless, this is highly anti-consumer behavior no matter the game, dev, or publisher.

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I know what you mean, but even in the previews they didn't block anything and told them to not show things like this. So yes, there are big spoilers for the second half of the game which is already confirmed. But yeah they could just NDA everything about that.

 

[Uno Venova]

Love that there is a 7 page thread about this unconfirmed rumor and people are going wild with their assumptions. Hilarious

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But those are pretty known sources right there, why wouldn't people entertain this rumor?

 

[Luckydog]

I don't get the defense force here, really.

Sending out early copies is great for everyone. (or possibly: great for many, and - at worst - irrelevant for some)
Those relying on reviews can make a somewhat informed purchase decision even on day 1 and experience the game - spoiler free - just like everyone else. And those who don't care about reviews and are buying it due to From's pedigree can just ... buy the game on day 1 as well.

How is there any disadvantage to giving reviewers access? Why would one defend this practice, even if it's by a beloved studio?!
Let's not normalize this shitty m.o. just because it's a studio many of y'all really really like.

Spoilers don't ever really come from review copies but from copies sold prior to official release - so this wouldn't prevent any of those...

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I don't have a dog in this race either way, but can't the same thing be said in the opposite direction? Why does not doing this hurt anyone? Those who rely reviews will still get reviews a few days later. and those who are buying it day one based on From's pedigree will do so as well. Who does this hurt?

Now if there were some big pre-order bonus that people get screwed out of that would be one thing. Look at Mortal Kombat 11. No preorder, no extra character in a fighting game. If there were no reviews ahead of time and you wanted to wait for them you would actually be losing money if you wanted that character.

 

[Soriku]

The whole situation is weird. I understand that publishers don't send out review copies for every single request. In this case we have conflicting information from outlets actually receiving a copy. Some getting them early and some are not? Is this normal or just a case of mixed communication from the publishers part?

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Didn't this same thing happen with KH3? Some got review copies early, others did not.

 

[Deleted member 36749]

I dont read game reviews anyhow. Really never based my interest in playing game on some persons random thoughts.

Same with movies.

 

[Rejam]

Definitely better to have reviews for release, but I wouldn't be reading them anyway.
From deserve my money, even if it's only DS2 tier :p

 

[Ethifury]

As shitty as this is, I didn't need a review for this to get it Day 1. Once Vaati made a video about how radically different Sekiro is from previous From games, I knew I wanted to get the Collectors Edition. They earned THAT at the very least.

 

[TheRuralJuror]

if there is any dev where you should be confident it is From Software...don´t even know why people need reviews for this game, to spoil themselves?

ffs, this review culture is annoying, just wait a few days then and let other people go in without being spoiled

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People worrying about being spoiled are almost always worst imo.

I don't have a dog in this race either way, but can't the same thing be said in the opposite direction? Why does not doing this hurt anyone? Those who rely reviews will still get reviews a few days later. and those who are buying it day one based on From's pedigree will do so as well. Who does this hurt?

Now if there were some big pre-order bonus that people get screwed out of that would be one thing. Look at Mortal Kombat 11. No preorder, no extra character in a fighting game. If there were no reviews ahead of time and you wanted to wait for them you would actually be losing money if you wanted that character.

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Really no sensible reason to argue it the other way. One way, everyone gets what they want by release, the other is just inconvenient for no good reason.

 

[TelluricTokoro]

Souls youtubers have been showcasing this game for months.

If you need a review to be convinced, you weren't paying attention to it in the first place.

 

[Triggerhappytel]

We could say the same for Platinum. Then TMNT happened. Oh and who was publishing this one again?

No room for denial here, it happened once, it will happen again.

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Big difference here is that Sekiro is From's IP and they probably chose Activision because they were offered a favorable publishing deal. Platinum on TMNT (and Korra) were just a work-for-hire studio trying to get a low-budget license developed as quickly as possible.

 

[Masagiwa]

Didn't this same thing happen with KH3? Some got review copies early, others did not.

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I don't know haven't followed KH3. So you had a lot of KH3 reviews dropping days after launch?

 

[Monster Zero]

Souls youtubers have been showcasing this game for months.

If you need a review to be convinced, you weren't paying attention to it in the first place.

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True story.

 

[Evaansan]

if there is any dev where you should be confident it is From Software...don´t even know why people need reviews for this game, to spoil themselves?

ffs, this review culture is annoying, just wait a few days then and let other people go in without being spoiled

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After what FromSoft did with Dark Souls 2 i'd say they are one of the dev you should be wary of.

 

[Soriku]

I don't know haven't followed KH3. So you had a lot of KH3 reviews dropping days after launch?

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Yes. Here's a post from someone that in that review thread:

Apparently a lot of 'smaller' review outlets didn't receive a review copy. I also had the message from Square that I have to wait at least a few more days on my review copy. So chances are we won't get that many reviews out there on thursday.

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[Rzarekta]

Still buying this day 1. Gameplay looks amazing, and oh yea it's From. Still odd, but my guess is it's related to spoilers.

 

[Weltall Zero]

One studio makes good games, the other makes Bayonetta.

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I agree that calling Bayonetta merely "good" is doing it a huge disservice.

 

[Deleted member 14377]

This is going to be a stealth Transformers game isnt it

 

[Blade Wolf]

Not a big deal but why?

 

[Fliesen]

I don't have a dog in this race either way, but can't the same thing be said in the opposite direction? Why does not doing this hurt anyone? Those who rely reviews will still get reviews a few days later. and those who are buying it day one based on From's pedigree will do so as well. Who does this hurt?

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See, but that means you're putting one group of people (those who are huge fans of FROM games, but still want to wait for review) at an ever so slight disadvantage because they'll see a 150 page OT, everyone discussing the game, Twitter possibly being full of spoilers.

Early review copies do not hurt the "DAY ONE NO MATTER WHAT" crowd in any way shape or form. Lack of early review copies creates an inconvenience for plenty of people.

Any game could be a great studio's first big blunder. Not saying this is the case here, especially given the very positive previews. But again - let's not normalize a publisher's shitty practice just because they're doing it with a studio plenty of people here stan like crazy.

 

[Deleted member 44371]

Souls youtubers have been showcasing this game for months.

If you need a review to be convinced, you weren't paying attention to it in the first place.

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those youtubers have been playing the same demo area over and over again for months

 

[Masagiwa]

Yes. Here's a post from someone that in that review thread:

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Gotcha, Metro isn't exactly your smaller outlet, think they are one of the biggest in the UK. It might be a case of cherry picking by the publisher. We just have to wait and see if we hear more. Not that it's affecting my purchase decision but I do know people care about them and want to be well informed before purchasing a product.

 

[Wamb0wneD]

those youtubers have been playing the same demo area over and over again for months

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Until yesterday.

 

[DC5remy]

Can always return/cancel pre ordered when bad reviews come out. Just because we pre order a game does not mean we are stuck with it.

Digital not included of course.

 

[wrowa]

Complete BS. They could always lock out certain areas, bosses, and story elements if they wanted. They do it all the time for demos, they could do the same. Regardless, this is highly anti-consumer behavior no matter the game, dev, or publisher.

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How are reviewers supposed to review a literally incomplete game?

 

[Soriku]

After what FromSoft did with Dark Souls 2 i'd say they are one of the dev you should be wary of.

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They released a very good game, shame on them.

Anyway this game is headed by Miyazaki...

 

[PepsimanVsJoe]

Reviewers are the least likely group to spoil a game.
If publishers are that concerned, they can slide a "don't talk about such and such" in the NDA.

 

[Nerokis]

Souls youtubers have been showcasing this game for months.

If you need a review to be convinced, you weren't paying attention to it in the first place.

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Or maybe they aren't paying attention to the group of people you've affectionately labeled "Souls YouTubers," specifically?

I'm sure influencers have a special place in Activision's heart, but they certainly don't in mine.

 

[Luckydog]

See, but that means you're putting one group of people (those who are huge fans of FROM games, but still want to wait for review) at an ever so slight disadvantage because they'll see a 150 page OT, everyone discussing the game, Twitter possibly being full of spoilers.

Early review copies do not hurt the "DAY ONE NO MATTER WHAT" crowd in any way shape or form. Lack of early review copies creates an inconvenience for plenty of people.

Any game could be a great studio's first big blunder. Not saying this is the case here, especially given the very positive previews. But again - let's not normalize a publisher's shitty practice just because they're doing it with a studio plenty of people here stan like crazy.

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Agree that it might be an "ever so slight disadvantage"....but really ever so slight. The huge thread will be there anyway. Twitter spoilers will be there anyway from people who break street. The difference is really the ERA thread being 150 pages in a few days instead of 30 pages on day one.

I'm torn here. Not a big fan of Dark Souls or Bloodborne but the look of this game has me intrigued. I irrationally want to pre-order but am holding myself at bay waiting on reviews.

 

[Deleted member 11069]

Gonna wait to see where to buy it then.

Souls youtubers have been showcasing this game for months.

If you need a review to be convinced, you weren't paying attention to it in the first place.

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Not for me, I need some other "normal" players here or Brad from GiantBomb to have a better understanding if I should pay 80$ (Canada) for it. If Brad can beat it, I'm in. THE BRAD TEST.

 

[ShinobiBk]

Doom 2016 was a very good thing

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That game didn't exactly hit the ground running sales wise and it was for this exact reason.
It had to rely on good WoM to develop legs sales wise because people weren't at all confident it was gonna be good after the beta (which was multiplayer) was received with a tepid response.
Not the same situation here as people have more confidence in From than id back in 2016 but something seems off about it. It's like Activision isn't confident about the product

 

[Switch]

No early review copies is always a bad thing for customers. .

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I remember people saying the same over DOOM, more so after the demo and it turned out to be one of the best games of this generation.

 

[Fliesen]

Agree that it might be an "ever so slight disadvantage"....but really ever so slight. The huge thread will be there anyway. Twitter spoilers will be there anyway from people who break street. The difference is really the ERA thread being 150 pages in a few days instead of 30 pages on day one.

I'm torn here. Not a big fan of Dark Souls or Bloodborne but the look of this game has me intrigued. I irrationally want to pre-order but am holding myself at bay waiting on reviews.

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Still, where is the downside if they release review copies? There is none. So you're either having people feel the need to buy an unreviewed game because they don't wanna miss out on the buzz or you'll have people missing out on all the buzz or possibly be spoiled because they wanna wait for reviews.
There's (consumer benefitting!) reasons to release review copies. Name a reason not to.

They're creating a shitty situation for some consumers (those who want to make informed purchase decisions), with no benefit for anyone other than this practice becoming more and more the norm.

 

[DC5remy]

I remember people saying the same over DOOM, more so after the demo and it turned out to be one of the best games of this generation.

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There was a more recent game this happened with also, and it turned out great.

 

[Scuffed]

I dont read game reviews anyhow. Really never based my interest in playing game on some persons random thoughts.

Same with movies.

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Many don't have money to burn so reviews are important.

 

[Salty Rice]

Maybe they dont send them out early because they fired everyone that was tasked with it.

 

[TelluricTokoro]

Or maybe they aren't paying attention to the group of people you've affectionately labeled "Souls YouTubers," specifically?

I'm sure influencers have a special place in Activision's heart, but they certainly don't in mine.

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Pretty easy to go into YouTube, type in "Sekiro" and watch the whole host of videos detailing gameplay, story, progression etc with ease.

And I'm sure you think you're smart implying that they're paid shills, but you're in a thread concerning review copies about an Activision game.

Have some self awareness.

 

[Uno Venova]

I remember people saying the same over DOOM, more so after the demo and it turned out to be one of the best games of this generation.

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But customers were still uninformed about its quality before release...so it's still bad for consumers.

 

[Masagiwa]

Well VG247 just confirmed it's the same for them. I put the qoute in OP.

https://www.vg247.com/2019/03/07/sekiro-shadows-die-twice-no-early-review-copies/

 

[Geinrendour]

Is this confirmed for all websites? Hard to believe high profile media outlets won't get it in advance.

 

[Switch]

But customers were still uninformed about its quality before release...so it's still bad for consumers.

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Many people who now post on here were slagging off Bethesda for not giving code early and how they knew the game was crap after the demo, over on Neo all those years back. Yet Doom proved all the doubters wrong and is one of the best game of this gen.

 

[Dphex]

Love that there is a 7 page thread about this unconfirmed rumor and people are going wild with their assumptions. Hilarious

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it is ridiculous...

"Activision will publish in the west": Oh noes, MTX confirmed!!11!
"Outlets get review copies later": Performance issues confirmed!!1!
"Game has no levels": dumbed down!!1!
"Game has penalty on deaths": too punishing!11!

i think i will stay away from this BS till the game is released and crow is served a dozen times

 

[Yasai]

There was a more recent game this happened with also, and it turned out great.

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Mafia 3?

 

[Mifec]

that sucks especially for the PC port...

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Everyone who has played the game on PC from the old builds to the current vouches for locked 60. I'd be waaaaaaay more worried for FROM games on console then PC.