In the USA, a new law could ensure that you will no longer be able to leave false reviews in the future, but you should actually benefit from it.
Where does the law come from? In the USA, the Federal Trade Commission, or FTC, is responsible for regulations in the area of consumer protection and antitrust control. It is similar to the antitrust office but can issue its own rules for its area that have the force of law. If these are violated, the FTC can sue companies and impose fines.
Some new rules from the FTC have now come into force and could also affect the video game industry.
In Germany, USB sticks are embedded in walls. Find out why this is the case:
No more fake reviews
What are the new rules about? According to the chairwoman of the commission, the new FTC rules affect “fake online reviews and endorsements.” These are now prohibited so that customers can rely on the reviews when purchasing a product.
Prohibited are (via ftc.gov):
- Fake or false customer reviews, consumer testimonials, and celebrity endorsements
- Purchasing positive or negative reviews
- Insider reviews and testimonials, such as from employees and their relatives
- Company-controlled review websites – these often provided a ranking where their own product was at the top
- Review suppression
- Abuse of fake social media indicators, such as buying followers
What impact does this have on gamers? If the developer works completely contrary to the wishes of the players, it can lead to not only a backlash on social media but also to review bombing. In this case, players leave negative reviews for the game to express their dissatisfaction with the current situation.
Due to the first rule, this may no longer be possible in the future. Among other things, reviews that “misrepresent the experience of the person giving them” are prohibited (via ftc.gov). This could also include negative reviews that were solely given in protest against a developer’s decision, as they do not reflect the player’s experience with the game.
Where could the rules apply? An example where the rules would likely have applied is Helldivers 2. Players left negative reviews to oppose the requirement of a PSN account, which could not even be created in some regions.
With the new rules, these reviews would likely all be prohibited since they do not evaluate the game, its mechanics, and graphics, nor the users’ experiences with it, but were solely given in protest against the PSN requirement.
How noticeable the changes will be remains to be seen, as Steam is already taking action against review bombing and such reviews are generally removed. Developers who want to manipulate their reviews have also been banned from the platform for a long time (via GameStar).
The rules are intended to help consumers regain trust in reviews. Due to review bombing, product ratings can often be permanently distorted. Whether the new rules can prevent this remains to be seen. Another law could also forever change the video game industry: A law could prevent publishers from taking away your favorite games and progress – here’s how you can help
