Xbox CTO Scott Van Vliet says reviewing a game on Xbox takes too many steps, and that the first updates toward a simple redeem-and-play setup for press and creators are coming soon. It lands right after Modern Warfare 4 showed up on Metacritic with no Xbox score.
Xbox CTO Scott Van Vliet posted on X at 8:23 PM ET tonight: “Reviewing a game on XBOX takes too many steps today. Press and creators should be able to redeem and play, and that’s what the team is ultimately building toward. The first updates are coming soon.”
The post came a day after Windows Central pointed out that Infinity Ward’s Metacritic celebration for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 listed an 89 on PlayStation and an 86 on PC, with no Xbox number at all. Per Windows Central, the Xbox Series X version sat at “tbd” on Metacritic with only two critic reviews. Windows Central has since updated its story with Van Vliet’s post.
Windows Central’s Jez Corden also posted on X that Xbox is working to address the review code disparity.
The problem, as Windows Central lays it out: on Steam or PlayStation, reviewers redeem a code and play. On Xbox, they have to dig up their console’s Xbox Live Device ID and wait for the publisher to manually whitelist that hardware before a code or build will work. Under tight embargoes, most critics just pick the easier platform. No timeline or details on the first updates have been shared yet.
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OnPoint’s take: Finally. Microsoft owns Call of Duty, and the biggest Xbox game of the year couldn’t even get an Xbox Metascore. That’s not a fan problem, that’s a paperwork problem, and it’s good to see the CTO own it in public instead of pretending it’s fine. Fix this and you get more reviews played on Xbox, Xbox scores on every big launch, and fewer “nobody plays on Xbox” takes. As an Xbox-first outlet, we want to review on the box we love, so “redeem and play” can’t come fast enough. Let’s go.
Sources
- Scott Van Vliet on X: Reviewing a game on XBOX takes too many steps today
- Windows Central: Call of Duty’s Metacritic celebration highlights a bizarre Xbox problem
- Jez Corden on X: Xbox working to address the review code disparity
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