Well, this is awkward. We live in a day and age where practically anything you post on the Internet can and will be shared, whether you lIke it or not. And for several Harmonix employees, that’s exactly what happened.
Reddit user “Documental38” noticed something rather odd when reading the favorable Amazon reviews for Rock Band 4. Apparently when you click on a reviewer’s wish list, you can see that person’s actual name. And in this case, some of those names matched the names of actual employees of Harmonix.
When Destructoid reached out to Harmonix, the developer offered a quick response and explanation of what had happened:
Harmonix has clarified its internal policy about posting reviews of our own products on retail sites, and we’ve asked that existing reviews be edited to identify Harmonix employees or be removed entirely. While we believe the reviews posted by a few employees were sincere and without ill intentions, as a studio we don’t believe these are appropriate actions. We appreciate the feedback from the community, and take our relationship with our fans seriously.
And apparently the employees of Harmonix have received the memo as well, as one employee, Michael Nordhaus, recently updated his review:
I added this review half in jest (as you might be able to tell from the tone of the original). In hindsight, it’s probably important that I note that I worked on the game and work for Harmonix. That being said, I’m confident that if I didn’t I would still give the game five stars. It’s a beautiful, peaceful, cooperative game, rare enough already in today’s landscape, that I can play with my wife and kids. Music discovery, playing with your family and friends, and cooperation make Rock Band my favorite.
Of course, some reviewers have taken this unfortunate occurrence as an opportunity to inject a little humor:
