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Companies might be forced to address video game review bombing following a new set of rules established by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The ruling targets “fake” online reviews and testimonials, and review bombing could fall under several types of fake reviews that FTC’s final ruling specifically highlights.
How the new FTC rule might curb video game review bombing
As pointed out by DualShockers, FTC chair Lina Khan published six “prohibited” practices that companies will face repercussions for. Although game review bombings — which primarily take place on Valve’s Steam and review aggregator Metacritic — are carried out by players rather than companies, they are evidently fake reviews and platforms hosting those reviews may be held responsible for them.
FTC defines fake reviews as those written by people “who did not have an actual experience” with the product. Companies are barred from buying or offering incentives for both positive and negative reviews, and cannot publish reviews by those associated with a business (including employees) without disclosing a conflict of interest.
Here’s where it gets particularly interesting. The rule targets “anyone” — be it a company or an individual — who sells or buys “fake indicators of social media influence” like followers, and then use them to influence others.
To reiterate, the FTC rules mostly apply to businesses, not individuals venting on social media. However, companies like Valve and Metacritic hosting fake reviews might be forced to address review bombing, especially since it does have an impact on developers. We’ll see how this plays out.