TopWare Interactive has issued BeefJack with a statement concerning allegations, reported earlier, that they are blacklisting publications who have given Two Worlds II mediocre or poor review scores.
Here it is in full:
After reading your article I can say that we did not ask for a review score to be increased. The site you mention said that they consider a 5 average out of 10 and we feel that this is far from what the rest of the world would consider average. The rest of the world on a grading system would consider a 5 a failure and that is our only concern. That the site’s review of the game is their opinion, but that their scoring system is, in our opinion, flawed.
For that reason we do not feel that they are representing our game in a real world fashion. Perhaps, the passion of the moment was an issue, but no one is or has been blacklisted from Topware.
We feel, as a company that we have made great strides with our game and look forward to our next installment. Especially since this one has sold over 2 million units to date.
I asked TopWare’s representative if this meant they had not asked the publication in question to change the score. I also asked if the publication had been told they would not receive further press access to TopWare’s games. The response:
This is untrue, the only thing that was said is that a 7 is average in public eye and not a 5 – their scoring system is their scoring system and that is that. They are not blacklisted and no one asked them to increase their score.
This is all quite blown out of proportion.
The CVG thing was about German based review code and asking for them to re-review the game with the UK/US version which has the actual VO for English speaking and some different quest lines. The ad spend pull is not true.
We have had no plans for ads on that site and will continue to work with them in the future.
Meanwhile, our original source has got back in touch to say they had received a further email from TopWare Interactive. In it, the same rep we spoke to allegedly apologised for threatening to revoke their press access, and inviting them to preview a selection of upcoming TopWare titles.
Hmm.
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Hmm… is right. Hard to say what’s really going on here. Something seems a bit off. Problem is with emails/paper communication, there is always a trail.
If they did in fact do that, that wasn’t cool at all.
If they didn’t do that then a bummer that things got carried away in this fashion.
I’m on the fence about this, if I’m being honest.
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Tren (February 18th, 2011)
What their response highlights is how fixated publishers are on the score attached to a review rather than the actual content. Whether a site’s scoring system considered a 7 or a 5 an average score, the review content should be roughly equivalent in concluding that the game is, well, average.
I’m sure their feeling that a 7 is industry standard for “average” is nothing to do with the looming presence of Metacritic…
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Simon Williams (February 18th, 2011)
strange
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midget (February 25th, 2011)
I don’t particularly like this.
My main reason is this, on a scale of 10, an average score would be in the middle.
5, for an absolute value, and 5-7 for an range.
As far as how Topware Interactive feels, maybe they should READ the review and see why that score was given instead of bitching about it. Hell, maybe even ask how they could improve the game.
Finally, if your game has sold over 2 million copies, why are y’all being such p***ies about the whole matter. This seems incredibly juvenile whatever the truth turns out to be.
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O_O King Afro Thunder (March 18th, 2011)