Marvel Rivals alpha test contract explicitly prohibits "negative reviews" of the game
- Thread starter Pingal Pratyush
- Start date
They could be sued for breach of contract and probably be forced to pay some amount of monetary damages to the company.
Sponsorships usually detail out things like, don't play past x point, avoid talking about x ending, etc. Review copies also usually say similar things to avoid story spoilers and such. I used to cover games for about 5-6 years and I never came across one that had a non-disparagement agreement. If they try to say it is because it's an alpha, then they should have just nda'd it and not allowed it to be streamed. They essentially made streamers that signed it an extension of their pr spin team.
Even a review embargo doesn't say "you can't discuss the game's negative qualities".
The whole point of a review is that it is a fair and unbiased opinion of a game, and the vast majority of publishers know and accept this.
The clause in the OP is unusual to say the least.
I've seen a few anti-disparagement clauses in influencer contracts before, they tend to be unwritten rules now because what streamer would burn bridges.
No opinions on anything related to game quality could be objective.
An objective "review" would read like this:
There are X amount of characters in this game. They're taken from marvel properties. Dr Strange is an example of one. In this game two teams compete with each other to win a match. Pressing R1 does X, Pressing R2 does Y. Etc...
Strange. I've seen streamers not like the game and talk about the negative elements of it and what needs work.
I know because yesterday I literally asked someone streaming the game on twitch "What don't you like about it" and got an answer. Overall positive but fair bit that needs work.
I know because yesterday I literally asked someone streaming the game on twitch "What don't you like about it" and got an answer. Overall positive but fair bit that needs work.
They probably got a key another way. Possible they broke the contract because they didn't read it, but the former seems more likely.
They may have got the code from a fan. I know Pat got one from a fan so didn't need to sign shit.
More like without the people who made stupid decisions regarding the game.
Well if Netease is the solution to that, the monkeys paw curls once more.
Don't worry, they have no aspirations to turn Overwatch into Destiny anymore. That was almost all Jeff Kaplan's vision.
Obviously fake, but man that would be great
I actually think this is fine though I'd never sign anything like this. Like obviously if you doing a promotional event for an upcoming product you are going to have the participants agree to not be negative about it publicly. That's exactly what you are signing up for.
How else would this work? Genuinely. Think of how and why such an initiative even exists.
How else would this work? Genuinely. Think of how and why such an initiative even exists.
If they want to do that, they should pay the influencers and the influencers are obliged to say they've been paid.
oh absolutely, just replacing one evil with another and a big IP. Just one thing I noticed during all this controversy.
Oh absolutely.
I kinda like when a sponsored game is clearly a stinker and good old Northernlion is doing his best to see the good in it.
I keep going back to a Dark Alliance stream where he went absolutely insane, having RP conversations with himself while waiting for matchmaking to happen..
That said, I guess this case differs since they're not paid for their time. It feels weird to have such clauses for simple access.
Sure they can pay them. Apparently influencers will just do this anyway without being paid though. Their prerogative to set the terms of what they will and will not do imo. I do not think the stakes are high here. If nobody is willing to be an influencer for a game the world will go on just fine
This applies to the content creator's program for a game that is in alpha, which is just like any other product with NDAs and whatnot. Considering how most of those upset are people who stream Overwatch (a game that does the same thing), this controversy is making a mountain out of a molehill.
kind of seems par for the course with their marketing/pr for the game, don't really seem fully equipped for the interest level.
On this specific issue, it's a leap to say no disparaging/sarcastic = no negative criticism. You can make a critique without ridiculing something.
On this specific issue, it's a leap to say no disparaging/sarcastic = no negative criticism. You can make a critique without ridiculing something.
Marvel Rivals is bootleg overwatch, a phauxcerwatch if you will, it's mid af and hulk has no ass, even Paladins is better then this trash, ain't this the studio that made Diablo immortal? Talk about a Minecraft china. I don't know what BBl Drizzy but I'm gonna say it.
I mean, this kinda makes sense. It's an alpha. Any and all negative comments about the game should be given directly to the developers to fix. Now, if this "no negative reactions" clause extends to after the game officially releases, then nah forget about it.
*Edit* actually, looking at more examples, this seems like it's worse than usual.
*Edit* actually, looking at more examples, this seems like it's worse than usual.
Yeah there are plenty of streamers saying whatever they want about the game.
then what's the point of making the game
hulk needs the SSJ Broly treatment
Getting flashbacks to the AVGN Friday the 13th episode where he couldn't talk shit about the game because Jason was behind the couch lol.
Now I am wondering if sarcastic compliments would be a valid loophole In this contract
Blacklisted from receiving future keys/swag?
It's the reason you always see, "Early Social Media Impressions for Upcoming Movie X are EXTREMELY POSITIVE!"
I asked a couple of streamers I'm friends with on Discord and they both said that they've never seen this clause before. Seagull in the OP has been in the game long enough and has played a ton of early access streams as well. This isn't coming from nowhere.
I doubt this kind of agreement can have any legal consequence so I figured this is the implication anytime streamers are given keys or early access. The PR people don't even have to grapple with the pretense of """objective""" press coverage like with reviewers.
Ok? Not really relevant is it.
Nexon can put whatever they want into a partner contract, if streamers don't like it they can join the queue of everyone else that wants a key. This is only a controversy because entitled content creators want to have their cake and eat it.
Well no, because the one complaining about it isn't agreeing to it, so they're not trying to have it both ways. All Netease have done with this is ensured that you can't trust any streamer saying they're enjoying it, so well played by them I guess and good for Seagull calling it out and not just getting the viewers.
Best thing to ever come out of HyperScape was the streamer blitz and the usual shills not sure what to say and trying to stay positive to make sure they get deals in the future, then the ons that were paid and still going "Holy shit this is bad". Great couple of days.
I mean I don't think this is that normal for an Alpha... What's normal for an Alpha is a full NDA, ie you don't talk positively or negatively about the product, you just don't talk about it publicly at all since it's in the early stages.
If you're allowing only positive things, that doesn't sound much like an alpha at all, more like some kind of press event to drum up interest in the game.
If you're allowing only positive things, that doesn't sound much like an alpha at all, more like some kind of press event to drum up interest in the game.
What have they done to Hulk D:
Even Thor Ragnarok showed how magnificent it was !
Phauxverwatch is pretty good though, haha.
if you're expecting influencers to be fully honest about games they're playing for compensated promotions (either money or key giveaways)...lol, ok. Games media was never exactly harshly critical with preview coverage to begin with. But now if corporations can't find somone who will play ball there are countless desperate streamers waiting behind them who will be happy to.
At any rate doesn't seem to make any sense regardless. The alpha has no NDA and they are giving out keys to anyone who wins a random draw, plus friend invites.
At any rate doesn't seem to make any sense regardless. The alpha has no NDA and they are giving out keys to anyone who wins a random draw, plus friend invites.
Yeh really strange. 30k people got codes to play on top of the many others getting codes daily through the game. And the game is really good! Why they felt the need to do this is strange.
If you want to have a non-disparagement clause, pay up with a sponsorship. If it's sponsored it requires disclosure so viewers know. Doesn't excuse it by any means, I wish everyone with an audience would get keys to everything with no strings attached, no risk of being blacklisted, but this in particular is lame.
Triple A publishers speedrunning bad PR for their game HAS to be one of my favorite genres of speedeunning.
