Square Glade Games, an independent Dutch studio, asked a Steam user to delete their negative review of Outbound, a motorhome travel simulator. The review described the game as superficial and expensive for what it offers. The request triggered the Streisand effect: other users showed solidarity and posted additional negative reviews, defending the right to express opinions without censorship. Players considered the criticisms valid and that developers should not attempt to inflate the product's rating.
The risk of intervening in a game's reputation on Steam 🎮
The Steam platform allows developers to respond to reviews, but not to request their direct removal, except for violations of content guidelines. In this case, the review did not violate any rules, so the request was seen as an attempt to manipulate the perception of the product. Steam's visibility algorithm values the volume of recent reviews, not just the positive percentage. By requesting removal, the studio triggered a chain reaction that worsened its rating. The technical lesson is clear: intervening in the community without transparency is usually counterproductive.
Lesson learned: apologizing does not erase the review history 📝
Square Glade Games publicly apologized and promised not to request the removal of reviews again. But the damage was already done: the game went from mixed to mostly negative reviews within hours. Players, always vigilant, took the opportunity to remind that the review button is not a decoration. If you want to improve your rating, it's better to add content to the game than to ask people to delete their opinions. Sometimes, the best public relations strategy is to do nothing.