### Diablo 4’s Steam Review Rating: A Twist in the Tale
Hey gamers, have you been keeping up with the latest on Diablo 4? It’s been quite a rollercoaster ride for this game since its launch. The initial reception wasn’t exactly glowing, and the first season update caused quite a stir, forcing Blizzard to reevaluate their entire update process. But now, in the midst of Season 2, things are looking up. Player sentiment is trending more positively, indicating that Blizzard may have learned from their mistakes and made the necessary improvements.
Now, here’s the interesting part – user reviews. We all know how important they are in shaping the perception of a game. And in the case of Diablo 4, the Steam review rating has recently changed from Mixed to Mostly Positive. That’s quite a jump! But is it all as organic as it seems? Well, some eagle-eyed gamers on Reddit have uncovered an intriguing trend that might suggest otherwise.
One Reddit user, Nodlimax, noticed something peculiar among the positive user reviews posted on Steam. They took a screenshot of several reviews that appeared to be almost identical, but posted by different Steam accounts. What’s even more suspicious is that all of these reviews were posted on November 23, during the game’s most recent free weekend on Steam. And get this – all of them had exactly 19.1 hours of playtime. Talk about a coincidence!
But it doesn’t stop there. These reviews all had one thing in common – the same exact line “-blizzard,” which has since been changed to “+xxxxxx” after Nodlimax brought attention to it. Now, if we dig deeper into these accounts, we find something even more fishy. There are a total of 28 suspicious accounts responsible for these one-sentence reviews. And guess what? They mostly have a handful of games in their Steam libraries, with most of them being free-to-play games. That’s a big red flag right there.
Now, I know many of us have spent countless hours in our favorite games, but it’s quite unusual for all these hours to be in free-to-play games. And here’s the kicker – these profiles are eerily similar, without being exact replicas. It’s almost like they were created with a specific purpose in mind. And to add to the mystery, all of them have unlocked all the achievements for the same games. Curiouser and curiouser.
So, what’s the deal with these suspicious accounts? Well, there are a couple of factors to consider. First, the Steam Awards voting is currently underway, and Valve is offering users a special badge if they nominate games and write reviews. So, there’s definitely an incentive to engage with the review system. Second, these accounts did not buy Diablo 4 directly on Steam. Instead, they received a gift copy of the game through Steam. This is where things get a bit murky.
You see, there are online key sellers who offer Steam gifts of Diablo 4 (and other games) as a way to get around the fact that there are no official Steam keys for the game. These reviews have the tag “product received for free” to indicate this. But why would these accounts leave positive reviews for Diablo 4 on Steam? That’s the million-dollar question.
Now, let’s address the elephant in the room – is Blizzard behind this scheme to boost Diablo 4’s rating on Steam? Well, it’s highly unlikely. Steam is not Blizzard’s main platform, and Diablo 4 has already made its money on Battle.net and other platforms. So, it’s not like they’re desperate to change the narrative specifically on Steam. A more plausible explanation, if these accounts turn out to be bots, is that someone or a group of people own and operate them as a business. These accounts could be used to review multiple games, accumulate playtime, and later sell their services to unscrupulous publishers who want to boost their game’s profile through Steam reviews. Alternatively, it could be a ploy to receive free copies of games by establishing these accounts as authorities, albeit flimsy ones.
All in all, this is a fascinating development in the world of Steam reviews that deserves our attention. It raises questions about the integrity of user reviews and the potential influence of external factors. As gamers, it’s essential for us to stay informed and make informed decisions about the games we play. So, keep your eyes peeled, and remember, the gaming world is full of surprises!
Sources:
– [VG247](https://www.vg247.com/2022/11/25/diablo-4-steam-reviews/)
– [Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1556550/Diablo_4/)