Backlash and review bombs

Play this lesson

A wave of angry reviews

Kai raises the price of the Garden Pack, and overnight hundreds of Steam reviews say "Not recommended". Valve: "A review bomb is when a large amount of players use reviews to voice their unhappiness, lower a review score and provoke a response."

What Steam does

Valve looks at why. If the reviews are about something that isn't the game, that burst is "removed from the overall score". Steam marks the period, so players can see what happened.

Quick check

Players flood a game's Steam page about a news story that has nothing to do with the game. What happens to its score?

  1. Those reviews stop counting toward it
  2. It drops for good
  3. Steam removes the game
Show the answer

Those reviews stop counting toward it

Off-topic bombs don't count toward the score. Steam marks the period so players can see what happened.

About the game: they count

A price rise is about the game, so those reviews stay in the score. Valve says a surge usually "will calm down after a few days", and that it hasn't "seen a correlation between review bombs and purchasing behavior."

Answer once

Valve's advice on replies: "A developer response will frequently draw more attention than the original statement", and "Don't argue with reviewers."

Plan the reply

Hundreds of reviews call Kai's new price unfair. What should Kai do first?

  1. Read what players say, decide, and post one clear update
  2. Reply to every review to argue
  3. Ask Valve to delete them
Show the answer

Read what players say, decide, and post one clear update

On-topic reviews stay in the score. One clear update answers everyone; arguing in replies draws more attention.

Measure the harm

Priya sorts the reviews by complaint, and checks what players do: do they keep playing, and do refunds rise? If players are right, Kai changes course and says so. If not, Kai explains the reason once.

Quick check

Which numbers tell Kai whether the backlash is hurting Shard Garden?

  1. Players who stop playing, and refunds
  2. The number of angry reviews alone
  3. Likes on social media
Show the answer

Players who stop playing, and refunds

Reviews show a mood that often passes in days. Players leaving or refunding is real harm.

Quick check

During a review bomb, Valve removes every negative review from the score.

Show the answer

False

Only off-topic surges are taken out. Reviews about the game itself still count.

Every game ends

One day, even a well-loved game stops being updated.

Bolt says: Next: when a game shuts down.

Fact-checked 12 October 2026