Last year in April, Blizzard announced that Jeff Kaplan was exiting the studio after working with them for 19 years. This departure left many wondering: why did Jeff Kaplan leave Overwatch and Blizzard? Here is everything you need to know.
For those who aren’t familiar, Kaplan is an American video game designer who was also the vice president of Blizzard Entertainment. He is best known for his works as quest designer, later becoming the game director, for World of Warcraft.
Kaplan is also the person behind the largely popular team-based shooter Overwatch, which continues to thrive despite his absence. Now that you know a little bit more about the man, let’s look into his departure a bit more.
Why Did Jeff Kaplan Leave Overwatch & Blizzard?
Even after a year since the announcement, it remains a mystery as to why Jeff Kaplan left Overwatch and Blizzard. The company did share a “personal note” from Jeff in which the legendary game director wrote the following:
“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 was appointed to take over Kaplan’s role to oversee Overwatch. Kaplan isn’t the only high-profile member leaving the company. Several Blizzard executives and higher-ups have departed the company in the past few years, including former CEO Mike Morhaime, who left the company in 2018 to build his studio, Dreamhaven.
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