Overwatch lead developer Jeff Kaplan leaves Blizzard

Jeff Kaplan is leaving Blizzard. He had previously been Overwatch’s game director and in that capacity headed the Blizzard team working on the game. He was also primarily the face of the game, through regular community update videos.

In a short statement, Kaplan writes that he is leaving Blizzard after 19 years and that it has been “the honor of his life to have been able to create worlds and heroes for such a passionate audience.” He adds: “Never accept the world as it appears to be. Always have the courage to see it as it could be. I hope you do the same.” Kaplan says nothing about any future plans.

He is succeeded by Aaron Keller, an employee who has been part of the Overwatch team from the very beginning and has been with Blizzard for eighteen years. He was previously responsible for building World of Warcraft.

Keller also briefly mentions Overwatch 2 and says that the development of that game is at a good pace. This successor is not expected to be released this year. Keller does say, however, that more frequent updates on OverWatch 2’s new features and progress will be shared soon.

Jeffrey Kaplan – Blizzard