Metacritic isn't everything these day with streamers, YT personalities and many popular outlets not even scoring their game reviews. Time to stop getting upset over a number on a website being lower than you would like.
Funny thing is, this wouldn't have happened with IGN or Gamespot, or any site with a traditional editorial structure. The reviewer would've informed someone, the publisher would've either fixed it or claimed they were going to fix it before launch, and the game would most likely get that 8/10. This is fine if they actually fix the bug before launch, but they might not. Whether you prefer this or Sterling's approach is personal preference, I guess.
Funny thing is, this wouldn't have happened with IGN or Gamespot, or any site with a traditional editorial structure. The reviewer would've informed someone, the publisher would've either fixed it or claimed they were going to fix it before launch, and the game would most likely get that 8/10. This is fine if they actually fix the bug before launch, but they might not. Whether you prefer this or Sterling's approach is personal preference, I guess.