So by now, you should know that the previously rumored "release date reveal" for God Of War Ragnarok never happened yesterday. But the mere fact that it didn't apparently pissed off a lot of fans to the point of sheer hostility, which is where Santa Monica Studios creative director Cory Barlog stepped in.
As reported by PlayStation Lifestyle, Barlog pleaded for human decency and respect from God Of War fans after the incident has come and gone. That's because some people actually targeted leakers The Snitch and Bloomberg's Jason Schreier for their disappointment, saying if they didn't leak a reveal on June 30th, this would never have happened:
don't.
the answer is not to find someone to blame or focus hate on. maybe just pay it forward and treat the people that make the things we love with some human decency and respect.
this is not a battle, we are not at war. we are just trying to make + enjoy things together.❤️ https://t.co/o1X3WBQyKF— golrab of the frost (@corybarlog) June 30, 2022
You can see Barlog's reply on the top, where he also said how there's no "war" and that people are just trying to make and enjoy the same things together. He's likely referring to the development team behind Ragnarok (of course) as well as the legions of fans eagerly waiting for the game to come out.
However, this is apparently just the tip of the iceberg. The hostility against whether or not the reveal should've happened runs deeper, as some devs working on God Of War Ragnarok were even allegedly harassed.
According to a report by PushSquare, some Santa Monica employees reported receiving unsolicited d*** pics from disgusting "fans." They say that these pictures were sent to them "in exchange" for a release date reveal. One of the devs who were on the receiving end was cinematics producer Estelle Tigani, who posted this on Twitter:
Pro tip: sending me dick pics asking for the God of War Ragnarok release date will not, in fact, get me to reveal the release date.
— Estelle Tigani (@estelletigani) June 30, 2022
To the people who are doing so, when did that ever work for you?! pic.twitter.com/U6Ea1Emi3X
In response, Barlog was understandably pissed:
Are you fucking kidding me with this now???
— the fake cory balrog (@corybarlog) June 30, 2022
I cannot believe I even have to say this but don’t fucking send dick pics to ANYONE on this team, or anyone in this industry for that matter.
They are busting their ass to make some for you to enjoy.
Show some fucking respect. https://t.co/o0xEZkWouj
Seriously, guys? Basic human decency. The people at Santa Monica are already under a ton of pressure from constant clamor about the game's release date. It will come when it's ready, and trust this: you wouldn't want a game to be rushed and come out broken like Cyberpunk 2077.
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Rushing A Game Is Always Terrible, And Fans SHOULD Know This
It seems like with the constant (and frankly disturbing) clamor for Santa Monica to release their latest AAA title, fans are basically rushing the developers. And in the game industry, rushing to finish the game at a set deadline is never, ever, EVER okay.
Let's once again touch on the release of Cyberpunk 2077. Or if we go as far back, Mass Effect Andromeda. Even if Cyberpunk was first teased all the way back in 2013, the game was still rushed after the original release date was revealed. Multiple delays already indicated the game wasn't ready, but it still came out - broken in every aspect.
The result? CD Projekt Red's reputation tanked. On the other hand, Mass Effect Andromeda was said to have been rushed during the last 18 months of development after a troubled five-year cycle (via TheGamer). This resulted to, once again, a broken game. Bioware's reputation tanked as well.
God Of War Ragnarok is absolutely no different. Santa Monica is clear about taking as much time they need to ensure the game ships in an incredibly polished and complete state. If they put out a release date, the team will then have even more pressure to deal with, which will lead to - you guessed it - a broken game.
So please, stop it with the disgusting behavior. You're not doing anyone any favors, and you're certainly not "cool" for doing something like that. It's just a video game, for goodness' sake.
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