Core-Gamer Responses to Prominent Diversity in AAA Games

Abstract

In a sample of 27 AAA games released between 2015 and 2025, higher visibility of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in protagonists, supporting cast, or marketing is associated with slightly lower user review scores. The effect is modest—about 0.5 to 1 point per DEI step on a 0–10 scale—and only marginally significant (p ≈ 0.08). Critics’ scores remain essentially flat, which produces a noticeable widening of the critic–user gap for DEI-positive titles.

The findings suggest that overall user sentiment may be sensitive to how prominently identity is framed, with long-form reviews showing a similar negative association as short-form ones—contradicting the idea that the pattern is driven purely by review-bombing. Although the evidence is not conclusive, the consistent direction of the results indicates that marketing and perceived authenticity play a role in shaping reception. Fundamentally, the data highlight a tension between critics and core audiences that becomes more visible when identity is foregrounded.