no img no img

Write what you are looking for and press enter to begin your search!

Logo
live-news-icon

Live News

Asia Gaming Beat: February 15, 2025: In an intense match, the Lone Wolves came out victorious. Read all about the big night here // Elden Ring Nightreign's Network Test Went So Bad, FromSoft Had to Give It Another Go: In an intense match, the Lone Wolves came out victorious. Read all about the big night here // Valentine's Day 2025: Wishes & Messages From The Games Industry: In an intense match, the Lone Wolves came out victorious. Read all about the big night here
post-16 post-13

Jeff Kaplan Leaves Blizzard And Overwatch

Talk about a major changing of the guard. Jeff Kaplan, the game director of Blizzard’s team-based shooter Overwatch and beloved face of the game, is leaving Blizzard.

Here’s his parting message:

i am leaving Blizzard Entertainment after 19 amazing 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 everyone at blizzard who supported our games, our game teams and our players. but i want to say a special thanks to the wonderful game developers that shared in the journey of creation with me. 

never accept the world as it appears to be. always dare to see it for what it could be. i hope you do the same.

gg,

jeffrey kaplan

His replacement will be Blizzard veteran and Overwatch founding member Aaron Keller. Here’s his opening statement:

Greetings, Overwatch Community, 

Jeff’s been a great leader, mentor, and friend, and he knows how much we’re going to miss him. I’ve been lucky to work alongside him and the rest of the Overwatch team for many years in building something that continues to inspire people all around the world, and I’m honored to carry the torch forward. 

I love Overwatch. From our first pieces of concept art, to the first maps we built, to the first time I was able to run around as Tracer (who at that early point shot laser beams out of her eyes), this game has just clicked with me. I love its inspiring, hopeful, beautiful world worth fighting for. I love its characters—larger than life, colorful, powerful, and global. And most of all, I love the fast, fluid gameplay requiring teamwork, situational awareness, and quick decision making. 

I also recognize that making games at Blizzard has always been a group effort and never about just one point of view. Together with the rest of the team I feel fortunate that we have a deep bench of development and creative leaders, numerous veteran Blizzard artists and designers, and some extremely talented new blood as well—along with tons of support throughout the company for the live game and for Overwatch 2. 

Speaking of Overwatch 2, development is continuing at a good pace. We have an exceptional vision we’re executing on, the reaction from many of you to the updates we shared at BlizzConline thrilled us, and we have exciting reveals planned for this year and beyond as we ramp to launch. We’ll be sharing more frequent updates about Overwatch 2 progress and new features in the live game with you all very soon. 

While I have no pretenses about filling Jeff’s shoes, I’m excited to step into the game director role and continue to be part of a team that’s putting all of its heart, talent, and focus into the next iteration of Overwatch, and I’m honored to continue serving this incredible community.

Will this be truly the end of an era? Or will it be a brand new beginning for Overwatch’s multiplayer, competitive scene, and eventual sequel? Time will tell. Until then, here’s a video of Jeff Kaplan sitting near a fireplace for 8 hours.

Related News

post-07
Diablo 4 Already Has 2 Expansions In The Works

Diablo IV has now been fully released worldwide but one standout feature of the game is its live service component, which allows Blizzard to swiftly a...

post-07
God Of War Ragnarok Goes Gold Ahead Of Launch

Sony Santa Monica has announced that God Of War Ragnarok has gone gold ahead of the game's launch on 9 November 2022. The news was revealed via Twi...

post-07
Assassin's Creed Codename Jade Closed Beta Is Now Open For Registration

During Ubisoft Forward 2023, Ubisoft announced that players can now register for the Assassin's Creed Codename Jade Closed Beta by signing up on the o...

Write a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Tournament Tool Kit

Latest Video

Follow Us

Recent Posts

post-17
Captain America Brave New World: Five Things To Know If You’re Not Keeping Up With The MCU
post-17
Street Fighter 6 World Tour Guide: How To Find Mai Shiranui
post-17
SNK Did Mai Shiranui’s Definitive Theme Justice In Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves
post-17
Daredevil Born Again Trailer Breakdown: Kingpin, Muse, White Tiger & More
post-17
Honkai Star Rail 3.0 The Herta Guide
post-17
Our Most Anticipated Games Of 2025
post-17
Kakuchopurei’s Southeast Asia Game Awards & Appreciation 2024
post-17
The Best 40 Games Of 2024
post-17
Must-Watch Animes This Winter: 2025 Season
post-17
Heroes We Need To Come To Marvel Rivals
post-17
[Updated] Comic Fiesta 2024: What You Need To Know
post-17
Marvel Rivals: The Best Heroes To Counter Iron Fist
post-17
Marvel Rivals: The Best Heroes To Counter Jeff The Land Shark
post-17
Path Of Exile 2 Early Access: All Uniques In The Game So Far
post-17
Infinity Nikki: All Dungeons & Boss Guides & Walkthroughs
post-17
Path of Exile 2 Early Access: All Ascendancy Nodes Revealed
post-17
Indiana Jones And The Great Circle: PC Specs & Southeast Asia Launch Times Revealed
post-17
Infinity Nikki Gacha & Monetization Explained
post-17
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl – How To Increase Carry Weight?
post-17
These Are The Finalist Games For Apple’s App Store Awards
post-17
The Best Black Friday & Cyber Monday Deals To Get: Gaming & Hardware Edition
post-17
Asia Gaming Beat: February 15, 2025
post-17
Elden Ring Nightreign’s Network Test Went So Bad, FromSoft Had to Give It Another Go
post-17
Valentine’s Day 2025: Wishes & Messages From The Games Industry
post-17
Like A Dragon Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii Demo Sets Sail Today
post-17
The Lord Of The Rings The Rings Of Power Renewed For Season 3
post-17
This Is When The New Gundam Is Coming To Malaysian Cinemas
post-17
Here’s Your First Look At Fatal Fury: City Of The Wolves’ Season 1 DLC
post-17
Twisted Metal Season 2 Trailer Reveals Release Window & Fan-Favourite Character
post-17
Astro Bot Gets Five Brutal New Levels & A PS5 Pro Boost
post-17
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Battle Destiny Remastered Gets Definitive Release Date