“Overwatch” game director Jeff Kaplan recently posted on the game’s official forum. This time, however, he did not announce any technical issue about the game or speak about an update. The director shared a heartfelt post for the massive player base of Blizzard’s popular first-person shooter title.
Since it was launched last year, Blizzard has been regularly releasing updates to the game. In addition, hotfixes are being rolled out now and then to address issues encountered and reported by players. The team has produced numerous animated shorts, comics, and other pieces of in-game lore to keep the game interesting.
The team behind the widely played title has only increased its commitment and dedication improving the game.
Team of artists and players
In the “Overwatch” official forum, Kaplan shared a lengthy post in response to a player who has criticized the size of the team. For the critic, it is the result of bad and slow management. The game director said that the team is composed of over a hundred developers, which is not small but not overly large. Kaplan went on explaining that the team is a collection of artists and craftspeople who collectively own the game with a shared vision. He added that the team is a pool of game developers who love to make and play the popular title.
Going public
Kaplan also shared that posting on the forum and interacting with players is not a part of their job.
However, the developers do it because of their love for the video game. Aside from that, they want to have an open relationship with the player base. It is also their way to let the players know that they are listening and open to suggestions.
However, the game director said that because they are going public with their real names and not hiding under some pseudonyms, most of the time posting public could be scary.
He said that while the majority of the community is great, there are several few who are mean. He further went on saying that they are often personally attacked or threatened. Kaplan admitted that the part of the job where they are posting in public is scary and intimidating.
Mindless implementers
The game director also acknowledged that while they are not perfect, they know that they are not doing everything right.
He revealed that the developers are far more critical compared to the players; however, they are more professional when expressing their criticisms. He took pride that the team never runs out of ideas for the game. Kaplan also clarified that they are not mindless implementers that need to be numerous to increase output.
Meanwhile, a new “Overwatch” comic titled “Searching” was recently released. It is the sequel of the animated short titled “Infiltration.” It follows the story of Zarya who is tasked to locate Sombra.
