Bethesda Issues Statement on Review Copies of Dishonored 2, Skyrim SE

Well, it seems as if game publishers are becoming a bit more protective over their products. Case in point? Bethesda. Today, Global Content Lead of Bethesda, Gary Steinman, made the following announcement regarding the publisher and its current connection to media reviews:

"Earlier this year we released DOOM. We sent review copies to arrive the day before launch, which led to speculation about the quality of the game. Since then, DOOM has emerged as a critical and commercial hit, and is now one of the highest-rated shooters of the past few years.

With the upcoming launches of Skyrim Special Edition and Dishonored 2, we will continue our policy of sending media review copies one day before release. While we will continue to work with media, streamers, and YouTubes to support their coverage - both before and after release - we want everyone, including those in the media, to experience our games at the same time. 

We also understand that some of you want to read reviews before you make your decision, and if that's the case we encourage you to wait for your favorite reviewers to share their thoughts."

So the bad news is basically they're holding review copies hostage until the day before release, which could very well be an attempt to maximize pre-orders, but at the same time, the publisher does encourage purchasers to wait for reviews if they want a final verdict. And you know what? People should, even if it means no Day One buy, but in this day and age, one can't exactly risk such a purchase when so much is at stake.

Honestly, it's best to wait until the release of a game and take advantage of Amazon Prime's pre-order discount, which can be applied two weeks after the release of a product, as this is a trend we may very well begin to see as commonplace.