Reviewer gets punished for being honest?

[@MissBubbles]

One thing I wanted to also add is that many of us never receive a game code again when we give a negative review (I bought Chill Town myself, but I was cut off by other companies for disliking their game). This is why many creators prefer to either 1) not cover the game or 2) sugar coat things, so they don't burn any bridges. This is 100% not okay and I hope this video gives creators the empowerment they need to be bold with their opinion. This gets problematic since not getting a code means skipping embargo date where all the games hype would be. By the time the reviewer finally gets the chance to play, script, film, edit and post their video, people would have moved on to a new game; meaning their video will not get as much attention anymore. This slowly but surely leads to the decline in your channel's growth. I can make a video if you want me to, to explain this more. If these videos help save you money or find hidden gems, consider supporting the channel: 🫧Patreon Bubbly: www.patreon.com/MissBubbles 🫧Bubbly Channel Member: kzbin.info/door/1z0rotCfa_8r9TCYUcS6IAjoin

[@ItsChuckShirley]

I'm definitely interested in you covering it!

[@PrinceVegetaBrief]

No, one bad review can't ruin lives. They just can't take the heat.

[@MissBubbles]

Or take accountability

[@MrValgard]

and even someone get mostly bad reviews, need to admit doing something worng, not gaslight reviewers lol

[@JoshuaGanoTyraxLightning]

I've researched a game that had some 'Recommended' rating Steam Reviews and some 'Not Recommended' rating Steam Reviews at the same time and risked buying and playing them then ended up not regretting doing so afterwards plenty of times. Then again, i'm no Simon Cowell, so feel free to take this with a grain of salt. 🤷‍♂

[@lorwynmoontide]

The toxic positivity surrounding some people just leads to bad stuff like this happening. I fully support creators giving honest opinions. It just makes the devs look bad

[@MissBubbles]

100% 💯

[@d-padqueen1103]

They'll never get far.

[@jackielima6347]

It's unbelievable the lack of maturity of some "adults" these days! this is so ridiculous and if I didn't want to buy the game before, now I want even less!!!

[@ircha]

Reviewers are supposed to review.

[@davidvinc]

I can’t wait for all the delicious tea to come out! In all seriousness though, I’ve had similar things happen to me - but for the most part, they were professional when they emailed me. Most were actually somewhat grateful and they ended up addressing my qualms in future patches. And honestly, that’s the route that these developers should’ve went - they should’ve taken your constructive criticism as exactly what it was, then addressed it in a patch or update

[@MissBubbles]

This is how it should be! Rather than shutting down all means of conversation

[@Florpflorp]

Wild. Reviews are for the consumer! A person only has so much disposable income, and reviews are so important to be able to determine what to use it on. Thanks for keeping yours honest and fair

[@MissBubbles]

Especially when games are released at such a fast pace, people cannot afford buying a bad game

[@JoshuaGanoTyraxLightning]

Additionally, there's so many games to play and only so much RL Time to play them with...

[@chinothepony]

I know the video isn't out yet, but I'm so happy that you're talking about this subject matter. It seems this media culture loves to blame and insult fans, or say it's not for them, as in your case, they have blocked you. What happen to taking criticism and making yourself better through it?

[@MissBubbles]

And the worst part is that creators like myself with a 20K subscribers and less get punished by developers (where devs even stop giving us codes to review new games; this usually means our coverage will be far after embargo date, meaning by the time our review is out, people have moved on to something else and will probably not watch the video. But that's a topic for another day)

[@MissBubbles]

@@b-l1969 and what was the criticism exactly other than trying to make me feel bad for being honest in my review?

[@synthonaplinth5980]

That requires a certain amount of maturity and introspection, something which some people do not have the ability to do.

[@J2DATVat50]

That's the problem with these failing game companies to them the customer is always wrong 😠

[@HuggableHipster]

I'm so so so incredibly proud of you and so sorry you had to go through this =( The constant gaslighitng is SHOCKING, on top of that, they should not be blocking people for honest feedback, that's just absurd. This video was really insightful and well done, amazing job!

[@MissBubbles]

Well hey, us creators ALWAYS get over any obstacle. We have some kind of super power you know?

[@jlotti009]

You are a REVIEWER not ENDORSER... If they want someone to shill for them find those willing to sell their integrity for money. 👏👏👏 Way to stand on principle so little of that in todays world.

[@Kogami]

the way the devs is like "bad reviews will sway away buyers = we can't put food in our mouth :(" like I get it, everyone does, but at the end of the day you're still selling a product and not a charity

[@GaussIon]

Gaslighting is unbubbly business.

[@Juice8767]

I wonder if this part of that trend that was going after MKBHD. Where companies seem to think that they have the right to prey on uninformed buyers and that reviewers shouldn't be able to warn them of buying a crap product.

[@MissBubbles]

This one is gonna shock you once it goes live. 1) the devs blocked me, 2) they unfollowed all creators that interacted with my tweet then the BEST part 3) the utter manipulation from someone else (wait and see 🤫)

[@JoshuaGanoTyraxLightning]

EA is a VERY bad Role Model... 🤦‍♂

[@psc1558]

I'm glad you're discussing this topic. This is completely insane behavior by certain developers, and it needs to stop.

[@MewLightKitten]

One bad review isn’t going to ruin lives or the reception the game gets. I also find it really telling that they came after you, when you were not the only one who had negative things to say about the state of the game. And while I understand what they are saying about mental health and seeing negative reviews-putting yourself in a “positive vacuum” isn’t healthy for your mental health either. Nobody is perfect and what they should have done is thank you for your feedback and learn from your experience to improve their game! Or, quite frankly, they could’ve kept quiet and not done anything and your review would’ve been lost in the flood of reviews for that game. Instead, by calling it out and blocking you, they brought more attention to it and brought more negativity down on themselves. Keep doing you Bubbles! I love your videos because you are HONEST! Even if I don’t always agree on some of your opinions, I still trust you are honest about what YOU think about the games you review. ❤

[@gseric4721]

Honesty is always the best answer when it comes to improving a game in its early stages. No reason for them at all to block you; *_especially_* if they spent just 5 minutes watching one of your review videos.

[@MissBubbles]

I doubt they watched it

[@thenerdviolinist]

I think you were absolutely professional, and as a creator AND community manager for devs, I found your behaviour absolutely right as you stand by your taste and ideals. 😎

[@MissBubbles]

Appreciate youuuuuu

[@millasgameroom]

Good to see you're talking about this, and so sorry you had to deal with their crap. It's situations like this where talking to fellow content creator friends is so important - it's so important to have each others' backs!

[@MissBubbles]

I'm so blessed to have a supportive creator friend group; having a support system is crucial I couldn't agree more

[@uppernimbus]

It's honestly so pathetic and immature for a game developer to behave like this, really embarrassing on their end. Reviewers and content creators shouldn't be punished for honesty with game reviews, but I guess the guys behind Chill Town thought otherwise 🤦‍♂️ Sorry you had to go through this Bubbles.

[@MissBubbles]

And the devs behind the other game who reached out!

[@Jenny_Rose_]

Girl I’ve been watching you for many months (probably over a year) and you are handling this beautifully. I’m so glad you’re being open about this because the way they’ve been treating you is so wrong! Blocking, gaslighting.. smh. We need honest people like you! Times are tough and money is tight for us ALL. Guilting you about people losing jobs is gross smh EDIT I hope we eventually get to figure out who this dev is and what 2024 game it is. I don’t wanna support this!

[@dearsmug3616]

ive seen a couple of situations where reviewers get punished, there's this one game called cornucopia which is like a farming sim and a reviewer said something along the lines of "this is a good game it just feels a little empty" and they started getting harassed over it i think even by one of the devs too it was fucked up

[@MissBubbles]

I'm so sad to hear this! The dev gifted me the code of Cornucopia and I briefly mentioned it in my Farming Tier list video. Their Steam page doesn't even work here, in the UK and I don't know why. I hope the dev was not responsible for sending the fan base to harass that creator.

[@dearsmug3616]

@@MissBubbles it all mostly happened on steam too it was the first review of the game i saw, a lot of other reviews that i saw that were negative also had lowkey passive aggresive comments too, i really don't know what's up with that game but i find it very interesting that the most drama filled situations tend to be in cozy games, which is insane also

[@momob4276]

So I went back and watched your review of Chill Town. Now I'm an indie dev with a published game . Was your review really harsh, probably (especially that thumbnail), but it's not your responsibility to not hurt developer's feelings with your reviews. Also, no matter what the circumstances developers have to weather whatever obstacles thrown at them and deliver a good game. If game does badly, the studio closes down and everyone loses their jobs, it sucks, but that is just the game industry. It's the producer's job to ensure that the doesn't happen. Rushing a game out to release because the studio needs money is not an excuse. So you're in the right here.

[@MissBubbles]

If they watched the video, they would see that I still did my best to find the good in the game, even though it was a struggle. I've had other thumbnails with the same face expression that talks about games I regret buying, non of the studios cut me off or blocked me.

[@Gossamer3592]

Honest reviews are way more helpful than sugar-coated reviews. I have purchased games after watching a "negative" review for many reasons, mainly because reviewers are not me and we all have different opinions and preferences. High five for honesty!

[@66sinead]

With out integrity we have nothing. You are doing a great job. ty for the video.

[@Handnail]

I like and respect your complete list of things you like/ dislike about a game, for it gives me a chance to ponder if a game in question is for me or I might pass it. Additionally it is why the word "fan" stems from "fanatic", and I don't like to follow something blindly. You can like something and still recognise its flaws. Nothing in life is perfect, and pretending it is sounds unhealthy to me.

[@TotalLevelYT]

Honestly, I want honest lol. Giving your thoughts for a review should help developers take notes to make the game more user friendly for the player and build on improving their game. To be attacked like this is disgusting and something no one should do. Sorry you had to go through this

[@JustTheGems]

I'm sorry this happened to you. I can only imagine how stressful and just downright weird this has been for you.

[@Moonlightgirlful]

Not gonna buy Chill Town now if they can't handle negative reviews😂

[@MissBubbles]

Hoping this video gives them a new perspective!

[@lunaria33games]

Now I wonder how farmfolks is going to be🤔, I doubt it will come out at all at this point. They are also a crytivo game and they have a kickstarter pending a launch date since early 2023. Plus a lot of their in game content or direction of the game does not make sense. Not sure what they are trying to do. Anywho, thank you for your honesty as usual 😊💙.

[@AlexDayz]

Not even out yet and I can tell this is going to be a fun video. SpiritTea (allegedly) did something similar where they where complaining they shouldn’t have to pay creators to promote their game or something along those lines

[@MissBubbles]

Oh it wasn't "allegedly", the tweet they made where they said that went viral. I quote retweeted it back then and said "I was going to review the game, but I'm not anymore" and was clear that the dev did gift me the code. However, seeing how they were entitled in their comments was terrible and I did not want to support that kind of behaviour

[@AlexDayz]

@@MissBubbles Just covering my butt lol. Some people/companies are very sue happy if you even slightly suggest they did something without “allegedly” beforehand.

[@AlexDayz]

@@RachelXKnight666 there’s nothing wrong with it per say, but how do you expect to spread the word on your game by doing nothing? Not to mention the dev was very rude about it. You can pay for ad spots, or what I’ve seen be done a lot, gift the game to creators. Most indie games do so and it gives the creator free reigns to talk about it without the restrictions of saying what an ad wants them to

[@lincoln537]

If they blocked you then it speaks volumes and just confirm your statement lol

[@ammalyrical5646]

Oh wow, this is bad. This blame shifting feels like when my dad tries to blame me for communication mistakes he made because I'm on the spectrum. Yes, these can be reasons from why something doesn't work as expected, but that doesn't mean they exuse it. As a person who tried to learn coding (mandatory in two different programs for my degree) and failed because I'm not great with learning languages I can't speak I know full well how hard this stuff is. I can read code. I know how some of the shortcuts work. And I know I lack the skill in many areas to do it myself. I'd still be critical of a game mechanic that's not properly implemented to the point it doesn't fully function. At that point it shouldn't be a paid for part yet. And I do want to know this game because this behaviour alone already does make me not want to spend money that person gets access too. I don't want to support people employing abuse tenchiques I've already felt IRL. And this is regardless of intentionality or if the person is a good person. I don't know the devs, but I'm not wanting to spend money on their game now. I know you're not gonna tell me, but I thought I'd say it anyway. This is kinda important to share. As a sidenote: the dev completely negated the hours you need to spend playing the game before you can come up for opinions for a review. I'm currently playing Sun Haven and you can easily play that for 60 hours berfore you get a good sense of everything the game has to offer depending on when you unlock Nel'Vari and Withergate. I've done book review conent in the past and similar things would sometimes happen where people forgot someone needs to read a book to review it and if those books are adult high fantasy the page coount can be up to 1500 (Looking at Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive here) and are generally close to or over 500 pages. That takes a while to read.

[@MiamiSunrise]

Your comment regarding taking criticism is completely fair. If you create something and you cant take criticism then that is not for you, namely in this case its more than apparent they cant take the heat. Really too bad this had to go this way but being honest with your fanbase is important and being a fake and disingenuous person will catch up with you, so its always nice to hear someone being straight up about their feelings in a review of a project. Glad you addressed this, thanks Miss Bubbles!!

[@chloeplaysacnh]

Your video was extremely fair and you raised a lot of valid points and areas they could improve on. I understand criticism is difficult to hear, especially when you’ve worked so hard on something. I know game development takes a lot too, and it’s hard out there financially right now. However, the way they’ve responded to the criticism is not helpful to anyone really

[@S3frog]

They should be worried for the game industry indeed. They are one of the sources of concern themselves!

[@6zaq]

If someone or company or anything that sells product or a game of course there will be honest reviews and different opinions, the right thing to do is get feedback from the ones who try that product or game to make it better, not being childish blocking or unfollow , every business that sells there will always an honest reviews not sugar coating it 👍🏼

[@amanda2324]

My time is very valuable to me. I only have so much of it. During some periods of the year, I'm working 60+ hours a week and I'm not a very healthy person so much of any non-sleeping time is spent resting and preparing for the next work day. That just to explain why I am very, very picky about which content creators I watch. For game reviewers specifically, if I notice a trend that they only ever speak positively about games and any not-so-great points are heavily sugar coated, I will pass on watching anymore videos from them. To me, it shows that they may lack discernment and good judgment. Put another way, if I want feel-good sunshine and rainbows, I'll watch Care Bears or something. It's just not what I need as a consumer from reviews. I have limited time, limited money, and good reviewers will help steer my towards games that will make the most of my precious time and resources. You (and Josh) both do your jobs well, in my honest opinion. Any negative comments or thoughts are stated professionally and clearly, and you're also clear when something is simply not your preference over it actually being something wrong with the game. Even if certain games got nothing but positive reviews, chances are they still won't get my patronage unless some of those reviews are from reviewers I trust. Reviewers with the professionalism, discernment, and courage to say what needs to be said, good or bad, praise or critique. All this to say, I really appreciate you (and Josh) for all you do and it's a shame when game devs don't give you the same appreciation. Especially when your critiques, if taken into consideration before the game's release, could (theoretically, of course) save their game. And all those people's jobs and whatever else they went on about. Side note: Yup, we get it that game dev teams rely on games doing well for their livelihood. But shouldn't they want to earn their wages with honesty and dignity? Ugh. Sorry this is long, I got fired up. I'm gonna go game now.

[@LUMINAmusiic]

thank you for covering that topic❤ i'm really shocked that they handle reviews like that... that's unprofessional for sure

[@InfluHamster]

Seriously! That is really not good! I'm glad you're speaking up for yourself

[@SlugDisco]

Obviously it's easy for feelings to be hurt, but what can a reviewer be if not honest? Not a real reviewer. Well done for sticking to your guns. The point about an intermediate community manager is absolutely right.

[@Hey.This.Is.Stuart]

You handled it very professionally. The entire situation is very strange. Your review was very honest, well informed, and a joy to watch.

[@StudioMoonrise]

A review is an endorsement of your honest experience and a false review harms your reputation and makes you less trustworthy. There are a lot of KZbinrs that I'm subbed to but don't watch their content because they're always super positive and insincere and their opinions are completely muted. I stay subbed because once in a while they surface up a gem, but I'd never watch them play it because they just upload longplays or fluff pieces where I don't learn anything that wouldn't be on a marketing script. Sticking up for yourself makes us want your review and perspective on our games - if players hesitate to trust your opinion - or worse, skip your videos even if they have glowing titles / thumbnails (not because negative reviews don't offer anything, but because a person following you ought to care when you're very enthusiastic about something) - then it's a pretty clear sign that I won't learn much from your experience and that players may simply not be making an informed purchasing decision. If you have critiques, I want to hear them every time. I love being told that my work moves people, but I'm an artist and designer who designs psychological puzzles and emotional investments. To make a better product I must listen and care - there is no other way to succeed. I spend years making a mass market product - no mass appeal, no money. Bad investment. Everyone who helps make my games better is a partner, not an adversary. Marketing isn't your only role, and it's a shame that your job title being reviewer / journalist isn't a clear enough sign that you aren't QA, Marketing, Shareholder, ect. I hope to impress, but it's iteration and good faith that breeds perfection - the process is the heart and soul of art. Keep doing what you do.

[@annieshavingthoughtsagain]

It's the day after I saw this video and I had some thoughts. Sure, bad reviews can harm a game's income flow. But... They are not entitled to that income! I am a consumer. I have a limited amount of dollars. I want to spend those dollars on something worth the price. Many, many other devs have put out games worth their price, and I have gladly paid them. Those were good games. Devs shouldn't be reward with my dollars with they make bad games. And reviewers help me figure out which game maybe be not worth my time before. This "but we need money so say nice, false things about our game" is laughably entitled. Customers are not donating to charity, we want our money's worth.

[@themanboycave122]

I think being honest is the only thing that matters here. If they don’t like that you were honest then the real question is ‘why’?

[@Jabrils]

good on you. you owe them nothing but the truth, the market will handle the rest

[@frumiousgaming]

So strange that other dev messaging you 🤔

[@medusathedecepticon]

Sounds like they just don't want to take accountability and are more concerned for their image than making a good game. Really sad to see honestly... Also I hope you and everyone else are doing better after this whole fiasco Miss Bubbles

[@nicmaci7087]

Wow, one more reason not to play that game.

[@SageNoodleVT]

Thanks for such an in depth and honest video Bubbles 😊 Chill towns response to an honest review really wasn’t the way to go. In my opinion that’s them thinking their game is perfect as is and doesn’t need working on (which really isn’t the case) Chill town should take a leaf from Sandrock devs book and speak to their communities about what can be done to improve their game and (ultimately) help them make a better product and money.

[@MissBubbles]

1000% no matter what size your studio is, embracing the community will always help you grow

[@missmikad0]

Sure small dev companies can have a ton of problems, but that's especially a reason they should work with the community to create a game everyone loves. It's very crucial to get (honest!) feedback. Of course no one should hate on something. But that's not what you content creators are doing. Not at all. I'm grateful for every honest review. And they should be too.

[@MarySunshine25]

I have so much respect that you did come out with all of this after they blocked you. It's a bad look for them, not you and I'm sorry they did that.

[@orochigame7958]

For me the most important thing content creator must has is being honest.. sugar coating facts is the last i want when watching a review so...be strong girl and don't worry your not wrong I've heard about some devs who can't take any criticism and that's bad cause they really need to be more opened mind...i actually really like your reviews about most of the games so keep going sis😊

[@NurseChrissy17]

Keep being fearless! You are awesome!

[@GamingBroductions]

By creating something and putting it out for the world to consume/enjoy, you’re opening that thing up to criticism as no art is exempt from critique. As long as the critique is done respectfully, there should be absolutely no problem with that as it’s how we all get better after all. I’ve taken criticism on some of our past videos and worked on it to improve quality for future videos as should any content creator. Constructive criticism should be a helpful tool, it sucks that some developers don’t realize that. In my opinion I really think you first gotta make something mediocre or sub-par then take what you learn from that experience to make something truly great!

[@Pokibean]

Thank you for being honest and thinking of your viewers. I was on the fence about the game and was still thinking about buying it even after your review, but this has made me not want to buy it at all.

[@Sl0nk0b0mb]

Gaslighting? wow...NOT VERY COZY! waiting to hear your truth girl!

[@MissBubbles]

I really hope this video will help creators not be afraid of saying how they feel about a game, regardless of the consequences (being blocked, not getting future codes, bad mouthing, etc.)

[@afangforapples]

Concerned Ape would NEVER

[@MissBubbles]

Any dev that appreciates their community would never

[@UpsetN3RD]

I feel like being honest can be beneficial for developers and players alike,but most developers don't want the truth because they can't handle the truth.

[@DarkZerol]

From a business standpoint especially for a small indie studio, it's understandable why they don't like negative reviews because a single negative review alone could heavily impact them and their chance to get further funding or publisher support though as a consumer I rather not bother spending on anything especially from relatively unknown studio doing another early access farming sim title in an already supersaturated marketplace. There are no guarantee that these people won't just pack up and leave after seeing their game isn't doing well.

[@UpsetN3RD]

@@DarkZerol Very valid points to make here. I agree 100 percent on this.

[@genethebook4213]

Just found this Channel. You seem really balanced in your Reviews. Keep doing you!

[@alpacatears]

I've alwaus aporeciated your honesty in reviews. No game is absolutely perfect and none of us expect that out of our games. I think feedback is so important, especially if devs are making a career out of making games so they can hone their craft and get better.

[@MissBubbles]

💯

[@PaStef37]

It also raises the question about how much are game reviewers and news content creators influenced by devs/publishers. If often ask myself that because from week to week, in the indie space, if you look at different news reporters, you will always see a common trunc of games being talked about everywhere. Of course they often are very qualitative ones, but is it the only reason? Is it really a coincidence that almost all reviewers/news people mostly talk about the same "future hits" each week? When there are several hundreds games a week releasing just on steam (275 last week, 300+ this week), only a small % of that being AAA. They don't always say it, but surely thay have to talk about the ones they got a key for or something else. And even if only a key, it becomes a sponsored work and not a work of finding the interesting games into the avalanche of releases. That's not bringing info to the public anymore. Just wait for the emails and talk about some of those, and don't really care about the others, no need to do any more research. And that's how good games can go under the radar and fail, because they don't reach to creators/press enough, and too few of those are willing to go dig by themselves because they don't need to. Kind of a vicious cycle. Honest info reporters doing the actual work are few and far between.

[@Constellasian]

I don't remember devs having this attitude during the 90s and early 2000s. Maybe it's because social media was less prominent, so fans were less aware. It seems like some devs are straight up toxic now. They attack fans, block them, etc. for any criticisms constructive or not.

[@MissBubbles]

It's toxic positivity

[@MrNaldop]

You are reviewer of a product, it is what you do. If they are asking for a feedback and then they block you it is their lost. A motivator once told me that be grateful that customer complain about your product/service. Meaning that they care and want to see you improve. If the customer left without saying anything, you are in trouble. Having said that, I did watch your review of Chilltown. I would rather you not calling out another reviewer. Review will always be subjective depending on the reviewer. If there is another reviewer that likes the game, so be it. We as consumer have to be smart about it and watch 2-3 reviews before buying it.

[@MissBubbles]

To clarify, the "calling out" is the "UNSPONSORED OPINION" in all caps which made me wonder if it is actually unsponsored. Nobody ever says their review is unsponsored in the title. There is no need for it unless it was sponsored but being painted as it wasn't. I cannot confirm if it was or it wasn't, but in the context of what I was saying, I said that Steam reviews were positive (at the times) and the only video review said "UNSPONSORED". With a game that was that messy, I doubted (and still do) how legit these reviews were.

[@MrNaldop]

@@MissBubbles I understand your pov. And saying unsponsored feels shady, when I read the title I didnt click at all. But still it is best to not say anything. Customer can decide themselves base on footage and other reviewers if the unsponsored really saying the truth. I always tell my staff to never say bad words about other products or comment, in this case review. Let the customer decide themselves whether your product or your review is better compare to others.

[@sarahreed-eurogamergirl]

I come from the board game universe and have designed a few games with small print runs. I've run a game design group in the past and have seen a lot of thin-skinned designers come for help, but were completely closed-minded and wouldn't listen to any feedback that was remotely about changing things. I'm sorry, games can't get better without feedback, both positive and negative. Don't say you want help if you aren't willing to receive it and make changes. Sorry to hear this situation happened to you, but it's obvious these folks aren't mature and aren't actually looking to make their game better. Which is sad because they're the reason they aren't making a lot of money. Developers with good communication with the community will make their game a success, even when mistakes are made. I also want to say how much I appreciate that you look for both the good and bad in each game you review. I think that's important to help people find games that are for them. Something may be bad to you, but it may be something they like. I don't care for reviews that are always positive. It doesn't show me what I could potentially have an issue with. Each of us only has so much money to spend on games and we should be able to find the best possible match, which is why reviews are so important. Games may be a passion product, but it's still a business transaction.

[@MissBubbles]

I really appreciate you😭💜

[@MissTarahakaMightymidge]

You cannot please everybody! They are taking what you are saying far too personally. You were very objective and even gave them points of improvement they could take in the future. Focus on what other more positive people have told you and that's telling the truth and giving your community the honest reviews they deserve.

[@VinaLaMoca]

them blocking you makes no sense. they literally ask for feedback when the game is loaded. they need to take criticism with stride.

[@MissBubbles]

"We want to make the game better but don't want to make the game better"

[@daveflackett3007]

Honestly, I doubt the devs even took the time to watch the review, or skipped to the end. They probably just saw the thumbnail. But blocking you 🤦🏻‍♂️ seriously what is that achieving! You pretty much told them how to fix their terrible game, they should be paying you 😂 Currently playing: Atelier Sophie DX

[@MissBubbles]

I'm a 1000% sure they did not watch it. But till you see what happened next when the video goes live

[@daveflackett3007]

Having watched the video now.. it's well done, you handled that perfectly, and you absolutely did the right thing speaking out. A dev saying that negative feedback damages their image and threatens their livelyhood.. Make better games. You'll get the praise you feel you deserve. All this debacle has achieved is far worse PR. I'm so glad other content creators had your back too, Alex from Backlog Battle and Emily from Orbalology, great guys. And to you 👏😊 keep up the good work!

[@okayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy]

Once youre asking people to give you money for a product, you don't have a right to stop people from saying what they think or feel about it. Full stop. This is increasingly becoming an issue in the book world too and it's infuriating and super unprofessional.

[@MissBubbles]

It's becoming a norm in diff fields now, even in tech and the blame falls on the reviewers, rather than the company taking responsibility for their product's quality

[@ricardobelmont5984]

I gotta agree if you're in this business you gotta expect some criticism. Even reviewers who weren't exactly fond of a product still give a few pros you mentioned a few things you liked too. Same as opening a restaurant there's risk can't be guilt tripping folks into positivity.

[@Polly-b3u]

I hope chill town devs read this! I wont be supporting the game since your behavior is immature! There is always room for improvement after being criticized! Sure it hurts to hear something negative but take a step back and process /act in a mature way! The fact that the developers act this way seems like they feel their product is already perfect and there is no room for improvements😅

[@MissBubbles]

This is why it's best to have an influencer, social media, or community manager. It would put a mediator in between and soften the blow

[@airyspaw]

Such a crazy story! Other creators have done reviews that sounded even worse than yours and I don't see them being blocked by those devs (other devs)...I am so saddened by this and Crytivo being under so much weird criticism...makes me wonder about Farm Folks

[@RoyalRadiantJade]

Well that sucks that game devs get abandoned by the publisher but your comments and your logic is correct and reasonable. It’s a tough industry to be in and if you don’t have tough skin and can’t handle it then you should find something easier. The entertainment industry is cut throat as a professional artist myself you can’t take things to heart and feedback and constructive criticism is there to help you. Sucks mental health gets in the way. A lot of artists I know have to work 2 jobs for security and even work mandatory overtime on top of another part-time to support their family. It is not uncommon practice nowadays with the amount of outsourcing, layoffs, and underpaying as well as lack of benefits. There is no excuse to unprofessional behavior and even though you understand the reason why it will not save them from a bad game. Being humble and productive is always the way to go if you want people to be supportive with failures not arrogance especially because the art and entertainment industry is all about connections and networking to survive. Games take a lot of time to create…art that is rushed is never good.

[@MissBubbles]

Couldn't have said it better myself!

[@SEarle201]

Ok I’m curious. Couple of months ago I recently bought roots of pacha, despite hearing a lot of criticism about the developers. Is it ok to still play to this game? Have they fix their problems with them ignoring their feedback. I’m still new to gaming industry (been playing on my Nintendo switch lite for about 3 years now). I’ve now been trying to be careful about what I buy for games (bought Hokko Life last year and boy do I regret buying it 😟😑)

[@MissBubbles]

I reviewed Roots of Pacha. It's a great game but wasn't the one for me (didn't hook me). But I had no idea about the devs not responding to feedback. Was that on Discord?

[@SEarle201]

No, I just heard a lot of people from comments on different videos saying that developers were not taking feedback well when it first came out last year. I want to get clarification on if that argument was clear. I recently just started watching videos like yours which I now love to get news on good games I can play but I am wary on getting games where the developers don’t take negative feedback seriously.

[@MissBubbles]

@@SEarle201 ah I had no idea about that and didn't hear anything but good things about the dev, Soda Den. Thank you for your kind words

[@SEarle201]

@@MissBubblesYou’re welcome! I do love your videos and so glad I found your channel to get great content on upcoming games. Keep up the great work 😄

[@angelm8921]

I love the real you, Miss Bubbles. Never dim your light on these reviews. Keep on, keep on

[@MissBubbles]

I appreciate that

[@Becktastic01]

Hmmmmmm. Not cool. They shouldn't block ppl if they want feedback, whats the point? Lol Also what, palia and ooblets? Problems? Ok gonna go look that up. Had to come back and edit because i commented without waiting for the end of your vid, sorry ... But yeah, you are a reviewer. You review things honestly, and regardless of devs preferences, you will give your opinion. Devs can't control reviewers, but they can control their own impulse to react negatively when they get feedback that they don't like. That's life. I guess some devs need to grow up and learn to live in the real world. I value reviewers like you, as a consumer. Thank you for your hard work.

[@annieshavingthoughtsagain]

I didn't have that high of an opinion of Chilltown before now. Why would they want to upset their audience this way?

[@MissBubbles]

Lack of accountability maybe? I don't know

[@uckBayNguyen]

I stand behind you girl. Most games just suck these days

[@MissBubbles]

There are many hit and miss ones

[@zemiq1982]

When you put stuff out in the world, some people might not like it. Be it you as a person, or a piece of art you create, or a report you have to make for your manager. Receiving criticism can be hard, and sometimes you deserve and sometimes you don't, but either way you have to be able to deal with it. I don't know how you content creators handle all the mess that is sometimes wrapped up in KZbin comments, but I totally understand the pang of hurt someone can feel when someone doesn't like this thing you did that you poured yourself into. It's all about what you do with that criticism you receive. If it's deserved, then look at it, try to see the other side of it, and try to think of solutions to it. There's another channel I watch that actually goes back to games that they reviewed negatively but got patched up, and does a sort of revised state of the game review and really tries to give accolades to devs who maybe released a really rough, bad game and worked hard to make it a lot better after patches. Honestly, it's just the state of gaming. Games are released unfinished, and it's only fair for people to know what the game is like so they can decide if they believe in the vision and want to play a game in the state it's in, or wait for it to be better.

[@rosebrandt6264]

Thank you for being honest with us. I'm fairly new to your channel but this has really increased my opinion of you and made you stand out from the crowd of cozy game youtubers. Also, you were right about this game, it was pretty terrible--and I say that as someone who always tries to give a game the benefit of the doubt and appreciate the hard work involved. However, nothing says "we don't actually care about our players" than reacting like this to honest, constructive feedback. Your review was a lot gentler than I would have been, it was a strange, awkward game with a downright weird vibe (and not in a fun way, lol).

[@MissBubbles]

I really did my best to make it a light hearted video cause I was shocked by how bad the game was. I appreciate your kind words

[@NikkysCozyCove]

I stand with you Miss Bubbles 💙

[@RobertSmith-gu7qo]

My dear, it is their loss, not yours. Just put them on ignore and move on. They are not worth the time, or your aggravation.

[@katelynsewell3928]

I hope they will learn how to be kinder and more chill if their game flops. I can’t imagine treating reviewers like that.

[@MissBubbles]

Game is already mixed on Steam now..

[@imliterallyjustsomeguy]

On the one hand I completely agree with you in that you are a reviewer, you are only doing your job and you shouldn’t be penalised for that. However, as a fan of cosy games I do come across your content from time to time and when looking up Chill Town I found your review. And, I hate to review a review, but as a viewer I felt like out of the gate you didn’t want to like the game. “I will challenge myself to like ONE thing”, “there, challenge done”. I understand you’re trying to be entertaining but to introduce a review video like that, it comes across as biased and I felt like I was being convinced to also dislike the game. Again I don’t disagree with a lot of your points, I do think the game falls into the common trappings of a boring bare minimum “checks the boxes” cosy game. But the way it was presented felt extremely partial imo from the title to the intro. But as your review goes on, I felt it was super fair and justified. I just wish you had said “I really didn’t like this feature, but we’ll come back to that” bc otherwise, it left me feeling like wow is it that bad? Like even from your footage I wasn’t getting the sense of why you hated it SO much you know?

[@MissBubbles]

That's where you got the review wrong. "I will challenge myself to like ONE thing" was as I was writing my script, meaning, after I played the game for 8 hours. If you watched my previous Upcoming Farming Games I'm Excited about video, Chill Town was always one of them ☺️ If with all the footage and the entire video, you still do not get why I dislike the game, there's not much more I can do there for you. Plus my reviews are about me displaying the game's features and YOU deciding if you will enjoy it or not.

[@imliterallyjustsomeguy]

@@MissBubbles I don’t really feel like you got my comment either, I literally said I don’t disagree with a lot of your points. It’s just how it was presented that gave the impression that, out the gate, you didn’t like it and I shouldn’t either. If you didn’t get my comment, I also can’t help you there.

[@vampytz1]

We need honest reviews. Don’t mind them and keep it up.

[@IssyBee17]

I fully respected when I saw a bad review from a creator about a game I helped on. It gave me an opportunity to read through their grievances (which are usually delivered with the utmost respect) and find points that I can give to the dev as feedback and see if it can be fixed or if we just need to let resting dogs lie. Just don't get me started on unfulfilled Kickstarter rewards from a farming sim set in space 😅 The amount of tea I'd spill. Anyways, the blocking is childish behaviour and is not something SMM/CMs do unless the person being blocked is being incredibly ruthless with their negativity to the point of harassment.

[@MissBubbles]

Omg I'm guessing the second paragraph is about One Lonely Outpost?

[@IssyBee17]

@@MissBubbles Bingo 🤣 I'm just waiting on someone to do a video essay on it 🤭

[@MissBubbles]

@@IssyBee17 I was so excited for that game then saw the state it was released in and decided to pass 😂

[@vivalamew]

I got the game and couldn't refund it 😭 steam should let us refund if a game is a scam oe abandoned no matter how long you've owned it

[@MissBubbles]

Same, I exceeded the 2 hours so my request was denied

[@bastiwen]

I'm very happy you decided to make thins important video :)

[@rhythmandblues9302]

This is only a bad look for them.

[@PaStef37]

People working in the entertainment industry obviously do it by choice. It's usually not an area you end up in by chance or because you have no other choice. Places are scarce and sometimes starting your own business is even the best choice to get to work into it. Especially as a developer, there are thousands of other work opportunities before coming to that. And then they complain about the pressure and how hard it is. Yes, that's the thing : you work in that area you love but it comes at a cost. Entertainment is abondant nowadays and thus easily replacable, which means success is far from being guaranteed even if your work is excellent. But they chose to do that. So complaining about how hard it is is a too easy as an excuse, when nobody forced you into it. Even more so if it's just to say to others "yeah but you have it easier than me!". Ok then, change. You can get a lot of other jobs in IT that won't be that much pressure on your shoulders. But no, they don't want that, they just want to complain and for people to feel sorry for them in order to excuse their behaviour "because of pressure". I don't know if that's the case here, but the truth is, sometimes, working in entertainment is a form of escapism for some people, so that they don't have to work another job they think they won't like. But they don't realize it will also be a job like all others with constraints and demands, and then they have a hard time accepting it once in it, because it might just not really be their thing in the end, just a pretty idea.

[@MissBubbles]

Funny enough, this was a convo I had with another dev team and they said the same thing. They also said some people will leave their job, have no plan secured, and start working on a game with no back up plan. That is so stressful and many times a recipe for a disaster. Similar to let's say a content creator leaving their 9-5 to pursue being a full time KZbinr, not realizing that the instability of this job might get you broke and homeless unless you have a solid financial plan set in place. So to say financially this was a struggle thus the Early Access had to be released is worrisome to me. And to not be able to fairly critique a product on the market, cause otherwise you are bad and not seeing the back story, is even worse. Not saying that's what Low-Hi Tech did, but by the sounds of it, it feels like it might have been the case. However, I am not sure. I can only go off of what the anonymous dev said to me on Discord (the one I mentioned in this video).

[@PaStef37]

@@MissBubbles Thank you for reading my comment. Yes, it seems like it. People actions and reactions are a reflection of how they feel inside. They were clearly already stressed out. You only did your job as usual, but for them it may have been the drop too much, and they overreacted, putting you on the spot. While it has nothing to do with you personnally, it is their issue. The problem is that what you give is what you get, and now they get backlash and bad rap, which will only stress them out even more if they don't stop escalating. Let's hope they find their footing back, stop putting the blame where it's not and manage to solve their problems. And most of all, eventually release a great game 🙂

[@Shinigami344]

Get 'em queen

[@MissBubbles]

Happy to serve🤭

[@milktee269]

their game looks soooooooooo bad anyway

[@homesteadhero]

If anything, I'm GRATEFUL for reviewers who do not endorse every product. Consumers look to you for advice on what to invest in. Our time, attention, and wallets are limited: promoting everything only estranges us in the long run when we inevitably spend hard-earned resources on a product lacking in quality. I'm ALWAYS down for finding the good in things - or even the potential in a presently-underdeveloped venture - as you always do, but we cannot spurn the importance of addressing real detriments to our gaming experiences. And, if all else fails, you are a GAMER before anything else: and you deserve to share your enjoyment (or lack thereof) of a game you've poured your resources into too! I'm so inexplicably sorry, Bubbles. That you had to endure a lackluster product. That you then had to dread the creation of a video concerning it that you knew would draw ire. That you then had to feel shunned by developers and THEN make a whole other video addressing your experiences. I pray this community changes - for devs who, as pointed out, do find themselves in unfair contracts and strapped for time and unduly canceled, but also for content creators who can become imprisoned by the very creators of the content they feature.

[@shazel8616]

Some people are allergic to the truth 🤧

[@MissBubbles]

😭

[@lRedBaronl]

Don’t worry. Just stay true to yourself!

[@angelinarobbins1567]

I'm so sorry you had to go through that Miss Bubbles. Hopefully they won't block you again or target you again.

[@MissBubbles]

I was never targeted per say, more so means of communication were completely cut off

[@aldrea6506]

It sucks that you had to go thru that, but don't let it get to you, the Devs are the issue, not you. I watched your video on Chill Town when it came out and I could tell that it bothered you to make that review. Your review wasn't malicious or "omg how could they think this would be a good game?", you gave constructive criticism on what YOU felt was lacking in the gameplay and what you felt could be done to make a better game. The devs need to realize that they need to listen to people outside of their group for feedback. If they are struggling with development, then be up front about it! I play several indie games that are/were in early access(Planet Crafter, Len's Island, Coral Island, I am Future, etc) where the Devs are very transparent about what's going on and letting their player base know if something needs to be delayed. They are also constantly asking for feedback about what might not work right, what needs to be fixed, etc.

[@MissBubbles]

This comment means a lot! I get so happy when others realise how my reviews are done and that I don't benefit from not enjoying a game!

[@beastwithin1002]

I'm going to be honest here. I didn't enjoy the tone of your video for this game. I've watched you not enjoying a game before and I thought that you have handled that better on those reviews. This being said, you are absolutely right on sharing your honest reviews the way that you want. It is appaling to me how they reacted and for sure I won't be buying this game. I really like your videos and hope you understand my feedback. It doesn't actually mean anything as people will perceive messages differently. I perceived it this way, whether or not it was your intention.

[@MissBubbles]

The tone of my feedback was on the humorous side since I was struggling to say anything positive. As such, I decided to make it as light hearted as possible. Appreciate your feedback, always!

[@Kindlesmith70]

XD Sounds like a groupd of people or individuals that do not accept feedback. These kinds of people aren't worth dealing with. I always want to knwo the negatives people have concerning a game, as they can pick out the things I'd find in the game myself. I do not even care about spoilers espically if it brings up a very clear reason for avoidnig the game. If the negatives aren't too imposing, I'd jump into the game and play it myself.\ Absolutely. A review should be of the game itself at the time of review, and not anything surrounding it, for example is in early access, or there's trouble financially. While it is nice to be supportive if there are troubles, customers are not charity donors. It's business. The end product matters. I feel game development funding is an excuse to not make a game. Plenty of people that make games without issues of income as they have a job that gets them this. Making anything is hard if you don't have the required skill sets. My take is, if you want to make a game, make a game. No excuses. There's always a way around problems which includes canning a project and moving on with life if the process becomes truly impossible. All I hear from this video is typical complaints that can be easily taken care of. Sure this will come at a cost of more time, and that is probably what this project ultimately needs. People don't have the needed skill sets to get this company working efficiently, which includes adequate PR.

[@GeekyMina]

I was so hyped for Reka, and there was such drama on discord and bullying to non VIP that I won't be spending my money on that game, and I was so excited when I saw thee first news on it but no, if they want our money they must learn how to treat their customers first.

[@MissBubbles]

Never heard of Reka before, is it out?

[@quintint3973]

Imagine instead of - I don't know - actually making a good video game, instead you blame the reviewer and go so far as to write to the content creator "dev-splaining" how THEIR job works. Their audacity is only matched by their lack of critical thinking. Also, Ubisoft and EA make bad games all the time and they're still fine. So yes, you CAN bounce back as a developer. But if you know you can't, don't release a bad game. That's called capitalism. Not all ventures succeed.

[@MissBubbles]

Even other indie studios make bad games as well and then succeed, that's game dev for you and pretty much life. You try, you fail, you try again, until you succeed!