Suda51 Criticizes Game Companies’ Focus on Metacritic Scores
Renowned game developer Goichi “Suda51” Suda recently shared his thoughts on the obsession of game companies with Metacritic scores during an interview with GamesIndustry.biz. Suda acknowledged that while he does check scores upon a game’s release, he tries to avoid placing too much emphasis on them.
Suda expressed his concerns, stating, “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.” He highlighted how deviating from this formula could result in a lower score, impacting a game’s marketability.
Despite the industry’s focus on Metacritic, Suda emphasized that he personally does not put too much stock in the numbers. “What’s important to us is putting the games out that we want to put out and having people playing the games we want them to be able to play,” he added.
During a conversation at Gamescom, Suda and fellow game development icon Shinji Mikami discussed their collaboration, the significance of remasters for preserving games, and the possibility of remaking past games. The remastered version of the 2011 action-adventure title, Shadows of the Damned, is set to launch this Halloween on multiple platforms including PC, PlayStation, Switch, and Xbox consoles. The game, known for its unique demon-shooting gameplay, was written by Suda51 and produced by Mikami.