Borderlands 3 Reviews Plagued By Weird Rollout

Borderlands 3 reviews are almost here! They seem to be a bit delayed and unorthodox, however. A lot of companies ship out review codes to journalists ahead of a game’s release. This is common practice, and everything from Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2 to indie darlings like Don’t Starve go through this process. A recent rollout for Borderlands 3 review codes has a lot of people scratching their heads. In the news, you might see reviews pop up with some warning that the game sent by the developers is not the final version. This gives companies time to fix things ahead of launch. Obviously, the closer a company sends out its review codes, the less likely they’ll have time to fix things ahead of rollout. Well, Borderlands 3 is doing things a little different. It’s not necessarily a good thing either, but you can always read about the best parts of Borderlands history here.

Borderlands 3 Reviews Seem Troublesome from the Start

Image Credit: 2K

2K has decided to send reviewers something new. Instead of a code, they get access to an account on the Epic Game Store. This account has access to the game, which is not yet complete. That’s okay, because the game technically releases Friday. If you know video games well, you’ll know changes can be made right up until the release date. This is made possible through day one patches. Players might hate them, but they offer solutions to problems they’d complain about anyway.

Well, 2K also decided to leave out major review sites for Borderlands 3 reviews like Kotaku.  The article cites 2K’s concern for security issues, promising outlets that missed the game’s codes a copy on Thursday. That’s only a day before the game comes out. Now, we face two problems.

The Rush to Release First

Two things happen when review codes go out late. For starters, everyone will rush to get their review out as fast as possible. This negatively impacts the authenticity of the review. Some people love reading reviews from a particular outlet. Places like IGN, Game Informer, and even Kotaku have dedicated fanbases. If a site like Comic Years, however, decided to start reviewing games, we’d be at a disadvantage. What’s a great way to get attention when you’re a small fish in a big pond? Rush your review out before the big guys. It’s bound to happen, and ends up effecting aggregate scores.

Image Credit: 2K

Additionally, 2K is testing new methods of review that don’t really help anyone. It might be because the game isn’t ready. That’s going to be a problem, especially in reviews. Let’s say Borderlands 3 reviews point to major problems in the game – that could really effect sales. By delaying a real copy of the game until right before it releases, they combat that threat quite easily. It might not be deliberate, but it does seem fishy.

I really hope access to online accounts doesn’t become the new norm moving forward. Delaying review codes might protect initial sales, but it’s a scummy thing to do.

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Taylor is the Gaming Editor of Comic Years and a lifelong fan of video games. He holds two degrees in Political Communication and wrote a Master's Thesis on resistance movements, race, and the exploitation of college athletes. His wife and two Toy Australian Sheppards keep him sane.