Games these days cost millions to make, so it’s understandable that publishers will want to protect their investments. However, that usually comes at a price. Many big-name publishers restrict reviews so that any that paint the game in a poor light are released after the game has released, or just before it’s due to release.
Take Activision’s Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 as a prime example: Activision didn’t sent out review codes until the day the game was released, so all those people who pre-ordered the game didn’t know if they’d sunk their money into a dud until they put the disc into their console. Microsoft is hoping to do away with this unsavoury practice with its first big release of the year, Quantum Break.
Quantum Break is due out on April 5th but review codes have already been sent to reviewers and the review embargo is April 1st – April Fools Day, though we don’t think it’s an elaborate prank. Usually we get review codes a couple of days before a game is released, which means whoever is on review duties gets no sleep as they rush to get through the game and then tap out a decent review for our readers. This is good news, though we’ve still not received our codes. Oi, Microsoft, what’s going on?
However, this is just for the Xbox One edition. It’s mentioned by one of Remedy’s people that the PC version will be a little closer to the launch, though we imagine the embargo will still be before the release date.