Former Overwatch Director Jeff Kaplan calls out players who complain about games they don't play

Former Blizzard veteran Jeff Kaplan has criticized gamers who complain about games they have no intention of playing, emphasizing that developers do not seek out unnecessarily negative feedback.

The details:

• During a recent livestream showcasing his studio's upcoming title, The Legend of California, Kaplan shared insights into both the game and the larger gaming community. After some Overwatch fans complained that The Legend of California did not appeal to them, the director went on to discuss those who complain and are negative about games as soon as they are released.

• He explained that no game can cater to every single person and that it is okay for players to not enjoy certain genres. However, being negative about a game only makes sense in some situations, such as being a dedicated fan of an existing release. “I want to talk about my view on nerd rage,” he said. “It’s one thing if you’re playing a game—let's say I’m playing a game, and in that game you have Paladins and Warlocks, and I play a Paladin and they nerf the Paladin. And I get a little upset, and I voice my opinion, because I so love this game, and I’m bummed that my Paladin is nerfed. I can kind of understand that a little bit. I never understand anyone being hostile about it or being rude about it, but I understand being upset, and I understand voicing your opinion. But if a game comes out and you don’t want to play it, and you’ve never played it? Shut the fuck up, no one cares. We don’t need to hear that you aren’t into it.”
• Kaplan added that the “nerd rage” surrounding games that players are not interested in is also often completely ignored by developers, as they instead focus on their target audience. “I’ll tell you what it does,” he explained. “As a game developer who’s been in charge of teams, who has the ability to do something about it? I just fucking ignore you. All you’ve accomplished is 'Ah, I guess I’m not going to listen to you anymore.' Because you’re so off the deep end that it’s not even worth listening to you at that point.”