Jeff Kaplan Says We're Not Really Playing GOATS

It can be a real struggle keeping Overwatch players happy. There’s always something that seems to be worth complaining about, from character A being too strong, to character B being too weak, there’s rarely a time where the community is happy and content enough about the game to simply sit back and enjoy it. Lately, a lot of the hate seems to be directed at the GOATS team composition, and the hero’s that comprise it. It may seem that all anybody is playing on ladder is GOATS, but Overwatch game director Jeff Kaplan says the reality is very different.

“The reality is, south of diamond, no one is playing GOATS,” Kaplan said on a livestream with FRAN. “Or even if they’re playing Reinhardt and Zarya and Brigitte, and all the other characters that comprise GOATS, they’re not playing GOATS.”

What is GOATS comp? from r/Competitiveoverwatch

This train of thought isn’t just limited to GOATS either. Kaplan went on to explain that picking D. Va and Winston doesn’t automatically mean we’re playing Dive, but rather it’s just the nature of the patch cycle. Players will read about changes online, see what pro players are choosing in their games, then emulate that thinking they’ve found the one true way to play. After a couple of weeks of that, the players get bored and start complaining about the comps, asking for nerfs or buffs to mix things up.

“What’s inevitably going to happen is, whether the meta changes or not, people will end up not liking the current meta,” Kaplan said. “And I already see that happening. I see people say, ‘GOATS is dead and now it’s double sniper and that’s terrible,’ or ‘Everyone’s going to just play McCree.’ What the hell do you people want?”

For those of us who are still convinced that GOATS is a problem in most of our games, Jeff has one final piece of advice to give. “If you want random heroes every match, Mystery Heroes is now available for you in the Arcade,” Kaplan said. “There is no meta.”