Overwatch’s Rate This Match Feature Removed, Jeff Kaplan Explains Why
At the end of every match, when players are looking over statistics and achievements, at the very top are three very discreet circles. On one end is a minus (-) sign and on the right side is a plus (+) sign and each person could rate the match accordingly. Unsurprisingly, this is known as the Rate This Match feature and it’s definitely not the most well-used aspect at the end of matches. In fact, it has been removed from the latest PTR (Public Test Region) patch and is likely to spill over to the main game’s user interface shortly.
While this is a pretty small and seemingly insignificant change it, well, pretty much is. Initially, the match rating system was intended to provide the developing team some data. What kind exactly, it’s not clear. However, more than a year after being implemented into the game, removing it seemed like the best move. Confused by the sudden change, players took to the forums and hoped for answers. Jeff Kaplan obliged and stated:
We had high hopes for this feature but after a year of the game being live and an extended period in beta, all we learned from the feature was:
- New players used the Rate This Match feature more than existing players
- Players enjoy winning
- Players do not enjoy losing
We want to reduce as much clutter in the UI as possible and seeing as we were not getting tremendous results from the feature, we decided to remove it.”
Essentially, it didn’t provide as much insight as the Overwatch team had hoped, summing it up to “people don’t like to lose, but they sure love to win” and voted to the corresponding one out of three circles. Furthermore, seasoned players typically didn’t use the Rate This Match feature as often as new players did. To further provide the Overwatch team with more insight, players responded to Kaplan’s explanation. Some didn’t understand why it even existed because naturally players will rate higher if they win, and lower if the match was lost. Others wondered what exactly it was that they were rating in the first place because it was too simplistic in design.
Though it does seem unanimous that it will not be missed, especially since it didn’t provide much substance from the player or developer side. So, what do YOU think of the Rate This Match feature being removed entirely? Do you feel like there still should be some sort of rating system at the end of matches? Feel free to leave any thoughts or comments in the section below or begin a conversation on Don’t Feed the Gamers official Facebook and Twitter! For more awesome gaming and related news, check out the articles below:
Hoi Duong2131 Posts
Hoi is an elusive figure at DFTG, whose favorite past-times include chillin' in the Fade, reading manga, watching anime, collecting novelty items, and gaming.
