Without warning, Overwatch loses its key figure: Jeff Kaplan, head of the project and visible face of the development team, leaves Blizzard days after the fifth anniversary of his departure and in the middle of the celebration of a seasonal event.
The announcement has been made by Blizzard itself through the official Overwatch website. For his part, fellow company veteran Aaron Keller will succeed Kaplan as game director. Quite a responsibility, considering that the project is making its own transition to its announced sequel.
Kaplan has worked hard to become a very recognizable figure for fans of Tracer and company. Beyond laying the foundations for one of the most successful FPS of the decade – recognized as Game of the Year at the 2016 Game Awards – its transparency and sincerity during the development of the game for the gaming community has been exemplary.
Jeff Kaplan, much more than the director of a hit game
Before Overwatch , Kaplan became a key figure in the evolution of World of Warcraft. Later, he would turn fully into TITAN, the millionaire MMORPG canceled by Blizzard, managing to assemble much of the work invested in a different project: a hero shooter that soon became very popular thanks to the charisma of its heroes.
Unsurprisingly, Kaplan’s farewell to his Overwatch team and fans is filled with words of thanks.
I’m leaving Blizzard Entertainment after 19 incredible years. It was truly the honor of a lifetime to have the opportunity to create worlds and heroes for such a passionate audience.
I want to express my deep appreciation to all those Blizzard colleagues who supported our games, our gaming teams, and the players. Also, I want to dedicate a special thank you to all the exceptional developers with whom I shared this creative journey.
It is not about accepting the world as it is, but about always daring to see it as it could be. I hope you do the same.
GG, Jeffrey Kaplan
Kaplan is the latest major developer to leave a Blizzard that, in recent years, is running out of its most recognizable faces: in 2018 J. Allen Brack took over from Mike Morhaime as President of Blizzard and, a year later, Ben Brode left from being the face of Heartstone to creating his own studio: Second Diner.
Still, there have been interesting moves by the company: in addition to the very recent integration of Vicarious Visions into Blizzard, in 2020 Rod Fergusson , head of The Coalition, took over the responsibility of shaping the Diablo saga.
The future of Tracer and company passes to Aaron Keller
A key premise in Overwatch is its constant evolution and its ability to adapt. A constant challenge for Kaplan’s successor to take on: Aaron Kelle r becomes the director of the game and, by extension, its sequel.
Keller is not exactly a newcomer: he started working at Blizzard (and World of Warcraft ) a year after Kaplan arrived and, as we discussed, he is one of the original Overwatch team members.
Jeff has been a great leader, mentor and friend, and only he knows how much we will miss him. I have been fortunate to work alongside him and the rest of the Overwatch team for many years to build something that continues to inspire people around the world, and I am honored to carry the torch forward.
I love Overwatch. From our first concept art drawings, to the first maps we built, to that first time I got to test Tracer (who, at that time, was shooting lasers through his eyes). At that moment, the game clicked with me.
I love her beautiful, inspiring and hopeful world that is worth fighting for. I love his characters: larger than life, colorful, powerful and global. And most of all, I love the fast and fluid game that requires teamwork, situational awareness and quick decision making.
Right now, the final week of the Overwatch Archives 2021 event is being held in Overwatch, which kicked off on April 6. A rare opportunity to grab player icons, graffiti, and skins for Lúcio, Zenyatta, and Mercy, who is debuting a Camo outfit. A celebration of the game’s legacy and lore with rewards and various themed game modes.
Overwatch 2 still doesn’t have a date on the horizon, and Kaplan’s departure is likely to have an impact on its development or release plans.
For now, Blizzard places us in the not too distant future to talk about the future of the game and we will soon have news: May 16 marks five years since the launch of Overwatch and, that implies the arrival of the traditional anniversary event .
