Suda51 Shares Insights on Gaming Reviews and Metacritic

Suda51 Discusses the Impact of Reviews

In a recent interview, renowned Japanese developer Goichi "Suda51" Suda expressed his thoughts on the pervasive nature of reviews in the gaming industry. Suda emphasized that while ratings, particularly from Metacritic, heavily influence market perceptions, he tries to circumvent these benchmarks in his development approach.

Metacritic Scores Creating Standardization

Suda noted, “Everybody pays too much attention to and cares too much about Metacritic scores. It’s gotten to the point where there’s almost a set formula – if you want to get a high Metacritic score, this is how you make the game,” commenting on the formulaic approach some organizations adopt to secure favorable ratings.

Unique Games and Marketability

Despite acknowledging the significant role of ratings, Suda articulated, “What’s important to us is putting the games out that we want to put out”, stressing the need for originality in game design. He believes that more unconventional titles may not attract the same marketing support compared to mainstream offerings.

Conclusion: Understanding the Balance

While Suda51 keeps an eye on the reviews, declaring, “I try to avoid Metacritic,” he admits the feedback can be disheartening, pointing out, “Sometimes a media outlet has given us zero. That makes me feel shitty.” Ultimately, his message resonates: creativity should triumph over numerical assessments in video game innovation.