Epic Games Store is about to add a Game Review feature, but there is a difference

One of the biggest and biggest differences between Valve’s Steam and the new Epic Games Store is that Epic Games doesn’t have a game review feature. When a user enters the Epic Games store page, you will not see reviews from other users. However, this will soon change.

Responding to a Twitter user, Epic Games founder Tim Sweeney confirmed that the team is “developing a Review system” for the Epic Games Store. It will be based on Unreal Engine’s rating system, and developers have the option to “add” this review system in. This means, game developers have the right to allow player reviews to be displayed on their site or not.

Some PC users are angry about the decision, arguing that it will allow game makers to cover up their true criticism of the game. In my opinion, if a game is good, the developer doesn’t need to cover it up. However, Sweeney said reviews are optionally available to developers, “because bombarding reviews and taking advantage of the review system is a real problem.”

We’re working on a review system for the Epic Games store based on the existing one in the Unreal Engine marketplace. It will be opt-in by developers. We think this is best because review bombing and other gaming-the-system is a real problem.

— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) December 26, 2018

Sweeney’s tweet was posted at the end of December, but the latest bomb review on Metro Exodus has shown his point to be correct. Many Metro fans, disgruntled with the decision to remove the game from Steam and exclusively on the Epic Games Store, have started bombarding with negative reviews in Steam’s game review section. Bomb reviews are used to put pressure on developers to make adjustments or to respond to community issues.

Metro Exodus isn’t the only major game that has been bombed with reviews on Steam. Ubisoft’s shooter, Rainbow Six Siege, was also bombed with reviews after adjusting the content for China; The battle royale game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds was also bombed with reviews because of its VPN ads in the game, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider was bombed with reviews for dropping the price of the game too quickly after its release.

Steam has made changes to combat the review bombardment, including highlighting unexpected spikes in negative reviews to help gamers be aware. However, this doesn’t really reduce bomb review, as it still doesn’t prevent it.

It seems that Epic Games will not change its decision. From the beginning, the company has aimed to solve the problems in the PC game market like dividing profits to developers more than Steam. And the strategy worked, with many big titles like The Division 2 exclusive to the Epic Games Store. The lack of reviews (as well as the limited review bomb) is an attractive point for developers and Epic will certainly continue to support them.