Black Ops 2 team threatened by fans over latest PC gun tweaks, Acti calls for end of violence

News by Dave Cook Contributor

Published on July 24, 2013

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 developer Treyarch published a list of PC gun balancing notes this week, and it has triggered a spate of violence aimed at Treyarch's design director David Vonderhaar. Activision's Dan Amrich has blogged to call for an end of the violent threats.

Not sure these fractions of seconds are worth the threats of violence. +

— David Vonderhaar (@DavidVonderhaar) July 23, 2013

PCGamesN reports that these updates in particular caused fans to apparently lose their s**t:

Multiplayer Game Balancing

AN-94: Damage slightly reduced.
DSR 50: Rate of fire reduced.
Ballista: Rate of fire slightly reduced.

The changes prompted fans of said guns to suggest that Vonderhaar be killed and other such ghastly things.

Amrich blogged on the matter, "This has happened with every Call of Duty game that’s come out for the last few years, and it will continue to happen — a gun’s stats being adjusted should not be a surprise to anybody at this point.

"Yet [Vonderhaar] often gets told he should die in a fire or kill himself or is a horrible person. If anybody thinks for a second that this is okay, it is not. But if the loudest voices in the Call of Duty “community” act like an angry mob instead, guess how the entire world views Call of Duty?

"Now consider that these Internet Tough Guy rants and demands are not unique to COD, but exist everywhere, in many gaming communities. This is why the world often does not take gaming seriously; this is why gamers are assumed to be immature, whiny assholes. Because the immature, whiny assholes are louder."

Amrich then asked gamers to put themselves in Vonderhaar's shoes for a second and added, "If you enjoy your games, have a little respect for the people who make them — and stop threatening them with bodily harm every time they do their job."

One glance at Vonderhaar's Twitter will show that he is quite the helpful chap among the Black ops 2 community. Do you think he has the patience of a saint, or have fans got reason to be upset when their favourite guns are nerfed?

I'm guessing you guys will go with the former?

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