- Firstly, our system will use a new method of calculating the helpfulness of each review, taking into account the users that are trying to manipulate the system. One way we're doing that is by counting the helpful ratings on reviews differently for users that are far outside the norm. Ratings from users that follow normal patterns of rating will continue to be counted the same way that they have, whereas accounts that rate an excessive number of reviews on an individual game will see the weight of each individual rating count for less and less.
- Secondly, store pages will now show the default helpful positive and negative reviews in a similar proportion to that of the overall review score for the game. For example, if the game is reviewed positively by 80% of reviewers, then the ten reviews shown by default on the store page will be 80% positive, showing eight positive and two negative. This should keep the reviews shown on a game's page from being so easily manipulated by a few determined players and should more accurately represent the overall sentiment of the people playing the game.
We're rolling out both of these changes as a beta today. You can turn the new method on and off to see how it impacts the default display of reviews on any given store page. Note that these changes only impact the default listing of reviews (Called "Summary") and the "Most Helpful" display option.
Still much more to do
There are still a number of further changes we're considering for the user review system. One thing we're looking at, is how review scores on games change over time as games develop or languish, and ways to better indicate how players are enjoying the game right now. We also want to better indicate when players are reviewing issues in a game that only pertain to a particular region (such as server locations), or particular language (such as poor translations). We're also exploring ways to calculate a personalized review score for each player and thinking about how that would look.
We know the review system is important for players and developers and we're going to continue making improvements to ensure that user reviews remain useful and trustworthy. Please let us know your thoughts on these latest changes.
And Bethesda game prices are a lot higher (~20-25%).
Incredible. 
