Jeff Kaplan shocked Overwatch fans last week when he announced his decision to leave Activision Blizzard. The departure immediately raised concerns about what the change in leadership could mean for Overwatch 2, but Kaplan assured fans that his position would be filled by associate game director Aaron Keller.
Though Kaplan is best known as the lead designer and game director of Overwatch, he was originally hired in 2002 after being noticed as a prominent member of the EverQuest community. Following a brief stint as a QA tester for Warcraft 3, he joined the World of Warcraft team as a designer. His contributions to Blizzard over the past 19 years helped establish the company as the gaming giant it is today.
World of Warcraft
Jeff Kaplan was one of the first two quest designers to work on World of Warcraft. He designed most of the PVE content in the original WoW alongside Chris Metzen and Pat Nagle. Kaplan's work helped define some of the game's most iconic quests and locations, and much of his original work is still present in World of Warcraft Classic.
Kaplan continued to work as a designer for WoW up through the release of the MMO's first expansion, The Burning Crusade. He was then promoted to game director in 2008, overseeing the development and release of one World of Warcraft's most beloved expansions, Wrath of the Lich King. Seen by many as the height of WoW's golden age, WotLK added many elements the game that paved the way for its success. Kaplan left the WoW team the day after Wrath's release to begin work on an unannounced Blizzard project as lead game designer.
Titan and Overwatch
Titan was meant to be a cross between and MMO and a first-person shooter, but despite years of development, the title never got off the ground. The difficult development cycle led to Titan's cancellation in May 2013, leaving Jeff Kaplan and Chris Metzen with little time to salvage the years of work they'd invested into the project. Using some of the leftover maps, abilities, and character assets, they quickly put together a prototype for a team-based first-person shooter. A few years later, this would become Overwatch.
Overwatch was a massive success when it released in 2016. This put Jeff Kaplan in his most prominent role yet, as both game director and lead game designer. He served as the face of the game, interacting directly with its passionate online community. For years, most of Overwatch's balance changes were announced by Kaplan personally in videos and forum posts.
Kaplan was well-known for his calm demeanor and his bone dry sense of humor. Blizzard used to release Overwatch Yule Log videos on YouTube each Christmas, which featured Kaplan simply existing in front of the camera for eight hours at a time. His grounded, understated energy coupled with his commitment to the concept made him uniquely watchable and cemented his popularity among Overwatch fans.
Jeff Kaplan also served as game director of Overwatch 2 and spoke about the game at BlizzConline in February. Though he's no longer working on the project, the final version will likely feature many systems and mechanics that Kaplan helped design.
What's Next?
Though Jeff Kaplan's farewell letter gave no indication of what his next project might be, his career tells the story of an exceptionally talented designer. His work history with Blizzard suggests that he's more excited by the prospect of creating new games than maintaining established ones. Hearthstone designer Dean "Iksar" Ayala put it best in a tweet last Friday, saying, "People that talented are always on loan until they find a new challenge."
It wouldn't be surprising to see Kaplan create his own studio in the coming years, following in the footsteps of beloved Blizzard personalities like Mike Morhaime and Ben Brode. Here's hoping that, for now, he's enjoying a well-deserved break.
Overwatch is available now on PC, PlayStation 4, Switch, and Xbox One.