Jeff Kaplan, who formerly led development on Blizzard's hero shooter Overwatch, has stated that he has not played the game since leaving the company in April 2021. Kaplan departed Blizzard under difficult circumstances, which he described as a "biggest ‘fuck you’ moment" of his career when an Activision Blizzard executive threatened layoffs.
In a recent interview, Kaplan discussed his transition to independent game development with his new studio, Kintsugiyama, and their work on a western-themed game titled The Legend of California. During the conversation, he touched on his relationship with Overwatch after stepping down as director. He explained that he aims to remember the game as it was when he left, drawing a parallel to his earlier experience leaving World of Warcraft. He found severing ties with WoW more painful, as it was deeply intertwined with his identity.
Kaplan has intentionally distanced himself from Overwatch to maintain a healthy separation. He avoids reading subreddits, watching YouTube videos, or searching for his name in connection with the game. He actively manages his online algorithms to reflect his current disinterest. "I’ve literally not played the game since April 2021," Kaplan stated. "We had added Echo. She was the last hero. And that’s my memory of Overwatch – how it played in April of 2021."
Despite his detachment, Kaplan expressed immense pride in his work on Overwatch and holds his former colleagues in high regard. He referenced the character Uncle Rico from Napoleon Dynamite, who dwells on a past athletic career, as someone he does not wish to emulate. "I don’t want to be Uncle Rico! Overwatch happened. I was a part of it. There’s a group there now and Overwatch is now about them. Both the players and the developers, that’s their Overwatch now. They’re making it, they own it, they play it. I’m onto this new thing, and that’s where I’m at in my life," he explained.
Since Kaplan's departure, Overwatch has undergone significant changes, deviating from the original PvE-focused vision pitched in 2019. The game was later rebranded as Overwatch 2 and underwent a soft reboot, introducing a new storyline and a focus on regular content updates through cinematics, comics, and audio dramas. Aaron Keller has since taken over as director, guiding the game through its recent developments.