[Tycho]

I can't help but feel the bad reviews caused irreparable damage. Even if they'd had a few more months to tweak it, I doubt they would have attracted many gamers. It's not the first rushed but promising game I've seen sink on launch (see: True Crime NY). Big budget games are a somewhat different category than (business) (web)apps.

[jonnathanson]

Bad reviews are often symptoms and not causes, but I agree with you here. When you're selling a new MMO to consumers, you need to keep in mind that customer trial costs are high, especially for hardcore early adopters. These are people with lots of time and money sunk into their current "solutions," and they're only going to try a new one if it seems like a sure thing. Reviews and pre-release buzz are thus critical. Especially significant is that a good aggregate review scorecard doesn't necessarily make your product, but a bad one can certainly break it.