It broke earlier today that Jeff Kaplan, director for Overwatch, had decided to leave Blizzard. In just a few brief paragraphs posted to the official Overwatch website, a legendary 19-year run had come to an end. As Kaplan is one of the most recognizable faces and personalities at Blizzard, fans quickly took to Twitter to react to the news.
For their part, the official Overwatch Twitter paid a small tribute to Kaplan and announced Aaron Keller as his replacement. The tweet encouraged fans to help them thank Kaplan for "being the Mercy to [their] Genji," a playful, Overwatch-specific way of expressing their gratitude for Kaplan's indispensable efforts in creating the game. Of course, the news came as quite a shock to Overwatch fans, and the reply thread to the initial tweet was filled with snap reactions.
Most of the messages were those of gratitude towards Kaplan, who always managed to maintain a hands-on approach with Overwatch players despite being a high-level figure on the project. Unfortunately, many of the supportive tweets were offset by those suggesting that Overwatch was overdue for a staff overhaul. Among the many tweets were those that highlighted the relative dearth of new content as of late, as well as the lack of official announcements regarding Overwatch 2.
Because of the reticent nature of Kaplan's departure letter, fans were left to speculate on the former Overwatch director's reasons for leaving. This sparked a debate between players about whether Kaplan was responsible for the lack of new content or not, with some suggesting that it was out of his control. At the same time, some fans elected to show their appreciation for Kaplan and focused on his early efforts surrounding the game's development and successful launch.
Others were simply upset by the allusion to "Gency"—a portmanteau of Genji and Mercy that fans use to reference them as a romantic pairing. Those that were totally distraught elected to begin a thread quoting the lyrics to Blink-182's famous song, "I Miss You."
Regardless of fans' feelings about Kaplan, his departure marks one of the most significant shakeups at Blizzard in quite a while. Kaplan began at Blizzard way back in 2002 on Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos. With Aaron Keller taking his place at the helm, many players are concerned about the potential implications this change could have on the development of Overwatch 2. If the cynics are to be believed, then a change-up is necessary and welcome. If players side with the Kaplan supporters, his departure does not bode well for Overwatch 2. After all, this was a man who despite being Overwatch's director, regularly addressed cheaters personally.
Overwatch is available now on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.