There are lots of different popular video game series’. GTA, Fallout, Far Cry and Elder Scrolls just to name a few. All of them have massive online communities, lots of people go to sites like EIP Gaming to find gaming guides and the latest news for them and each game is met with so much buzz. But for most of these games, they are carried by their reputation. Once they lose their reputation, how good can they be? Some games may try to restore their reputation with the help of reputation management services. Making use of these services might be a good option to get rid of the bad reviews. Anyone who has talked with some beta testers about the Elder Scrolls Online knows one thing. It’s going to be terrible. A negative buzz has already been generated for the game before release. It’s a cautionary tale for all developers out there that we want to talk to you about.
How The Elder Scrolls Online Negative Buzz Happened
Very simply testers get in and sign the NDA. They then promptly break it in the various voice programs of the world. Many gamers have already decided it will be terrible. To be fair though we decided it was going to be bad when they licensed the hero engine for it.
Bethesda is Counting on the Name to Sell
Not surprisingly they’ve decided the fame of the name will sell the Elder Scrolls Online. Bioware thought the same for “The Old Republic” and we know how that went. They are after all both on the same game engine.
What to Learn from The Elder Scrolls Online
If you are going to offer early access make sure that you understand what comes with it. If your game does not stack up to expectations then you will end up creating negative word of mouth behind the scenes. This game will eventually go free-to-play due to it.
If your business model can support something like this happening then that’s fine. However if you are a smaller developer who cannot handle something like this then you definitely want to avoid it.
Be an Informed Reader on The Elder Scrolls Online
You’re going to hear some very divisive viewpoints on this game. I as a Bethesda fan am upset that they took it in this terrible direction. It will however most likely get some high review scores from paid reviewers. Take the information from both sides and make your own choice about the game.
It Doesn’t Matter Whether The Elder Scrolls Online is Good or Bad
So what is the point of this article? No matter how the game turns out or what fans it has many have already been lost. I personally won’t be buying it because it uses the Hero Engine and has a bad reputation before being released. It could be the best game ever made and they’ve already lost customers.
The Full Loss of The Elder Scrolls Online
As a net loss they’ve lost the pre-order. They’ve lost the DLC I would have bought, as I’ve bought every other piece of DLC for modern Bethesda games. The company is now generating free, bad publicity for themselves among dedicated fans. Do these matter individually? No. But they add up.
An Emotional Response
We’ve all had these feelings when our producers let us down. When this happens a buyer turns against a game or even company altogether. All the “facts” or advertising in the world won’t change their mind.
Not understanding how fans are going to react causes this problem. If you are in the industry it would be best to learn from their mistakes and that is the point of this article entirely. There is perhaps a lesson there not just for those in gaming but for everyone in business.
