Metacritic scores are taken a little too seriously in this industry (said as someone who likes Metacritic), but Irrational may be lending them more credence than most. In a move that has generation much lip-flapping, the BioShock Infinite developer is looking for a staff member with an 85% Metascore to his or her name.
In the studio’s lengthy list of requirements for a design manager position, it asks for, “Credit on at least one game with an 85+ Average Metacritic Review Score.”
The thinking is obvious — Irrational wants high quality developers with a traceable history of success. Still, arguments brought up against it are fairly sound — it excludes the fact that game making is a team effort, critical opinion isn’t always indicative of a good or successful game, and that even the best developers can be hamstrung by poor decision making by those wearing the expensive suits. Likewise, a game can be great in spite of a bad creator at the steering wheel, all thanks to a talented team.
It’s certainly an odd thing to have as a basic requirement, given the amount of variables that go into the generation of a Metacritic average. It’s certainly not a criteria I’d have, but then, Irrational did make BioShock, so I guess it knows what it’s doing.
