Russians Fight Stalker 2 by Buying Negative Reviews
STALKER 2 is becoming the target of an organized review bombing. The situation causes amusement in the fan community.
The recently released STALKER 2 once again falls victim to review bombing. Someone is actively attempting to discredit the game and undermine its current success by using some very weak tactics, as evidenced by the offers of earnings circulating on the Internet.
Russians are offering compensation in exchange for leaving a negative review (or comment) about the game on Steam or TikTok. The message is spreading via Telegram and most likely isn't limited to these two platforms (after all, there are many other influential media on the Internet). What surprised the players, however, is not the act of review bombing itself (after all, such a situation has already occurred in relation to the game). The issue is a very low rate, which is supposed to tempt players to leave negative feedback.
We won't make money on this
The worst thing is probably the payment for a comment on TikTok. For an unfavorable opinion on this platform, we will get 80 kopecks - which is less than one cent. For a video published on TikTok, you can earn half cent (for every 200 views), while a negative review on Steam is worth 100 rubles (just 1 buck) if a template offered by the "employer" is used.
When volunteers have greater ambitions and write their own reviews without using a pre-made template, they can expect to receive from 350 rubles ($3) to 450 ($4). However, this is only if they demonstrate excellent craftsmanship and present their thought process well (i.e., writing about optimization, bugs, etc.).
Fight fire with fire
Let's be honest - these are very poor rates for tarnishing the image of this interesting game. All players and fans who participated in the discussion on Reddit and X are aware of it. They also commented in their own style on the entire matter, viewing it as an opportunity to turn the situation against the manipulators:
So basically troll farms are offering a 5% rebate on the game? Take your $3 and then just edit the review back to positive, camrade!
- hjd_thd
But jokes aside. The reason for this whole situation is the fact that STALKER2 is already at this stage a powerful symbol of Ukrainians' resistance and perseverance in the face of Russian aggression. The game developers describe the game as a love letter to Ukraine, developed under very difficult circumstances.
The mere fact of its existence is a way for them to declare to the entire world that they live, exist, and have a distinct identity for which they won't stop fighting. Despite the technical problems present in the game, the title is very successful - which certainly can't be easy to swallow for the opponent.