Jeff Kaplan leaves Overwatch developer Activision Blizzard

ByKyle Wilson Hours

Last Updated on: 20th April 2021, 07:11 pm

It’s a move that’s shocked quite a few people, but the incredible Jeff Kaplan has resigned as Overwatch Director at Activision Blizzard after 19 years at the company. Aaron Keller will be stepping into the position and we have both their statements below.

Jeff Kaplan on Leaving Overwatch & Blizzard

In the official update from the Overwatch team, there is no mention of why Kaplan has decided to leave the company.

This could be to pursue another project elsewhere, or due to creative differences. We’re not sure. We’re not sure we’ll be sure for a while yet, either. The dust will have to settle, we imagine, before anything else comes out.

However, this is the statement he has left…

READ MORE: Overwatch 2 Free-to-Play: Blizzard Adopting a Classic Model

” 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 

Aaron Keller on Becoming Overwatch Director

On the flip side, Blizzard veteran Aaron Keller is stepping into the role. He has been with Blizzard’s Overwatch team from day one and was also a major part of World of Warcraft’s development.

Jeff Kaplan Overwatch Aaron Keller
Credit: Activision Blizzard

Here is what he had to say about the transition…

” 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. 

– Aaron “

It’s all very PR friendly and does little to shed any light on the actual situation at Activision Blizzard.

However, there is mention that development on Overwatch 2 is going smoothly and we should get some more frequent updates on this project in the future! So, there’s hope.

READ MORE: Apex Legends Rampart Buff: Is she tough enough now?

We know we are huge fans of Jeff Kaplan and his work with Overwatch here and we’re excited to see where his career takes him next.