- Dustborn is being review-bombed on GoG, with players leaving negative reviews without purchasing the title.
- The game has an average score of 1.8 out of 5 on the platform.
- Verified reviews are kinder, however, with the average score being 4.8.
2024 has been defined by video games with DEI elements getting copious amounts of stick from the gaming community. Whether we are talking about Dragon Age: Veilguard or even unreleased titles like Intergalactic and Assassins Creed: Shadows, fans have not been easy on diverse inclusions in indie or AAA titles.
One victim of this trend was Red Thread Games’ Dustborn, which came out earlier this year. The game was heavily criticized for its “forced diversity” and it seems like the negative reception is still strong as the game is being review bombed on GoG.
Why This Matters: DEI elements have severely hurt game sales this year and Dustborn is another victim of this new media trend.
Shortly after its release on GoG, Dustborn has been met with a flurry of negative reviews, mostly from players who haven’t even bought the game. GoG doesn’t require gamers to buy a title to rate it, hence the overall rating from gamers who haven’t touched Dustborn is 1.8.
Most of the bad unverified reviews vocally condemn the “woke” nature of the title, with several also calling it toxic as it normalizes toxic behavior and negative emotions.
Verified players have given Dustborn a surprisingly positive review, with an average score of 4.8 out of 5, showing that those who played the game generally “enjoyed it.”
Anyhow, the negative reception has been so extreme that both the developers and publisher Quantic Dream had to release statements denouncing the hate speech.
Things didn’t get easier after release, however, as the game received mixed reviews and sold lower than the studio expected. To add insult to injury, people started gifting their friends Dustborn on Steam as a prank.
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Shameer Sarfaraz has previously worked for eXputer as a Senior News Writer for several years. Now with Tech4Gamers, he loves to devoutly keep up with the latest gaming and entertainment industries. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and years of experience reporting on games. Besides his passion for breaking news stories, Shahmeer loves spending his leisure time farming away in Stardew Valley. VGC, IGN, GameSpot, Game Rant, TheGamer, GamingBolt, The Verge, NME, Metro, Dot Esports, GameByte, Kotaku Australia, PC Gamer, and more have cited his articles.