An AI-generated review of Resident Evil Requiem written by a fake ‘iGaming and sports betting analyst’ briefly hit Metacritic

AI-Generated Review for Resident Evil Requiem Removed from Metacritic After Viral Discovery

In a shocking turn of events that has sent shockwaves through the gaming industry, a review for Resident Evil Requiem published on Videogamer.com has been pulled from Metacritic after eagle-eyed readers noticed it was entirely AI-generated. The review, which awarded the game a glowing 9/10, was written by a mysterious author named Brian Merrygold—a figure who appears to not exist in the real world. Adding to the suspicion, Merrygold’s profile picture on Videogamer carries the filename ChatGPT-Image-Oct-20-2025-11_57-34-AM-148×148.png, a glaring red flag for anyone familiar with AI-generated content.

The review itself described Resident Evil Requiem as “the gory, glorious finale the fans deserved,” a phrase that, while enthusiastic, lacked the depth and nuance expected from a human critic. The review briefly appeared on Metacritic alongside reviews from legitimate sources, including our own Elie Gould, raising serious questions about the integrity of review aggregators in an era dominated by AI-generated content.

The Bigger Picture: Videogamer’s AI Pivot

This incident is part of a larger trend at Videogamer, which has undergone a dramatic transformation since August 2025 when it was acquired by Clickout Media. The company recently laid off its entire editorial staff in what insiders described as a “pivot to AI.” Since then, Videogamer has shifted its focus to video and casino games, publishing articles like “Best Crypto Casinos in Malaysia for 2026” and dedicating entire sections to betting. The site’s new direction has left many in the gaming community questioning the future of human-driven journalism in the industry.

Metacritic’s Role and the Fallout

Metacritic, a review aggregator that has wielded enormous influence in the gaming industry for over two decades, has long been a trusted source for gamers and developers alike. Executives like Take-Two’s Strauss Zelnick and former EA boss Peter Moore have both drawn correlations between Metacritic scores and sales figures. In some cases, developers have even missed out on bonuses due to their games not achieving high enough Metacritic scores—a fate that befell Obsidian developers with Fallout: New Vegas.

In response to the controversy, Metacritic’s Marc Doyle issued a statement to PC Gamer, emphasizing the platform’s commitment to maintaining the integrity of its reviews. “Metacritic has been a reputable review source for a quarter century and has maintained a rigorous vetting process when adding new publications to our slate of critics,” Doyle said. “However, in certain instances such as a publication being sold or a writing staff having turned over, problems can arise such as plagiarism, theft, or other forms of fraud including AI-generated reviews.”

Doyle went on to explain that Metacritic’s policy is to never include AI-generated critic reviews on its platform. “If we discover that one has been posted, we’ll remove it immediately and sever ties with that publication indefinitely pending a thorough investigation,” he added.

The Broader Implications

This incident has sparked a broader conversation about the role of AI in journalism and the potential consequences of its unchecked use. Critics argue that the reliance on AI-generated content could lead to a homogenization of reviews, where nuanced opinions and diverse perspectives are lost in favor of generic, algorithmically-generated praise. Warren Spector, a veteran game designer, summed it up best in 2013: “Metacritic, at best, rewards games that are conventional and well understood by players and critics alike. New and challenging things are, by their very nature, disruptive and easily misunderstood. Aggregation of opinion, at best, offers hope and guidance to people whose goal is to maximize profitability but little to people whose priorities lie elsewhere.”

The Future of Gaming Journalism

As the gaming industry continues to evolve, the role of human critics and journalists remains more important than ever. While AI can certainly assist in certain tasks, the unique insights and perspectives that human writers bring to the table cannot be replicated by algorithms. The removal of Videogamer’s AI-generated review from Metacritic is a step in the right direction, but it also serves as a stark reminder of the challenges that lie ahead.

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