My email.
Hi Gabe,
You've probably already received tons of emails pertaining to the update that was recently released for Counter Strike:Global Offensive, and hopefully you've done some investigation and know why.
If not, to put it simply; the game is broken.
It's clear to see that the update was tested very little, if not at all. There was clearly no contact with the professional players (who actually make a living by playing this game) or with any of the seriously ambitious community members who want the game to strive.
The backlash from /r/GlobalOffensive and the rest of the CS:GO community makes it obvious to see that the update is unwelcome and unwarranted. There are very few minor changes that are beneficial to the future development of CS:GO.
Recently, there was a very highly rated post on /r/GlobalOffensive with the growing figures of Counter Strike over the last 3 years. It was something along the lines of :
2013 : 1 million players 2014 : 3 million players 2015 : 9 million players
To get those sorts of numbers playing your game is any serious game developer's dream, but the CS:GO Developers and Valve as a whole just seem to be taking it for granted. There is very little to no communication between CS:GO developers and the community, and judging by the community reaction to the most recent update, this is one of your biggest flaws. Why would you make such ridiculous and ignorant game changes when the CS:GO subreddit is full of updates that the community actually wants to be added?
You cannot hide from the fact that Dota 2 receives far more development and attention than CS:GO. It is now obvious to everyone as it's been pointed out numerous times due to the ridiculously unplayable CS:GO update. I understand that Dota 2 is also a huge game and requires a lot of time and attention, but for goodness sake neglecting CS:GO like it has been is beyond ridiculous.
You need to understand that you have something here, you really have got a game that millions of people worldwide love and are passionate about. The figures I spoke about earlier speak for themselves, there are people transitioning daily from their other favorite FPS games to CS:GO because it's unique, it requires actual skill and the professional scene is incredible. You will lose ALL OF THAT, if the most recent update is not addressed/reverted, and future updates are derived from community and professional player input.
The community backlash and the hundreds of emails you're receiving was completely unnecessary, and I can imagine that this is not a good situation for you at Valve. Listen to the heaps of feedback you are being given, and allow the game to grow even more.
Thank you for reading this.
Kind regards, Josh