While the game seems to be generating plenty of positive buzz, the biggest fans of Rock Band 4 appear to be the developers themselves.
Recent virtual band game Rock Band 4 launched October 6th, and generally speaking, the reception has been very positive. Harmonix and Mad Catz bet the farm on a more accessible revival to the franchise and seems to have succeeded in more ways than not.
But Reddit users spotted glowing Amazon reviews posted by various Rock Band 4 team members, including a senior developer and the project manager. Within hours, Harmonix released a statement to Destructoid regarding their report on the discovery:
Harmonix has clarified its internal policy about posting reviews of our own products on retail sites, and we’ve asked that existing reviews be edited to identify Harmonix employees or be removed entirely. While we believe the reviews posted by a few employees were sincere and without ill intentions, as a studio we don’t believe these are appropriate actions. We appreciate the feedback from the community, and take our relationship with our fans seriously.
The reviews started dropping from the site immediately, and those that remained were heavily edited to provide clear indication that they were opinions from staff. Whether this is indicative of the financial pressure Mad Catz is under for Rock Band 4 to succeed or just an attempt to boost the average Amazon rating, the maneuver has backfired. Amazon’s approach to fake reviews has been rather direct. We’ll keep an eye out for any word from the online retailer regarding the matter.
Follow Nate Church on Twitter @Get2Church.