Game publishers think Metacritic review score averages are a Big Deal. EA boasts—and frets over—its own Metacritic scores in earnings calls. Others base bonuses on aggregate arbitrary numbers. But EA's Peter Moore isn't as worried about Metacritic averages.
At least not when it comes to Wii games. The EA Sports' label president tells Gamasutra that the company is less focused on Metacritic averages for Wii software than it is for more general consumer reviews. He points to Amazon.com user reviews and more mainstream media outlets—as well as "mommy bloggers"—as more valuable measuring sticks.
On the topic of EA Sports own EA Sports Active, Moore says that sites like our own aren't necessarily what the publisher is targeting, it's Amazon. (Currently, EA Sports Active is averaging four-and-a-half stars out of five at Amazon.com based on over 200 user reviews. That's the same score Nintendo's own Wii Fit currently holds.)
"We're not going to Kotaku or Operation Sports on this one, we're going to Amazon," Moore tells Gamasutra. "The thing is with the Wii, it seems to be for the gaming sites, it's the last platform they review."
Admittedly, we have yet to review EA Sports Active. But that's only because we just got the game last week, while the majority of us were at E3. We're also not going to factor into the Metacritic average, as we don't provide them with review scores.
But we'll get to it, Peter. We'll definitely get to it.
EA Sports' Moore: Metacritic Less Relevant To Wii Game Sales [Gamasutra]