Jeff Kaplan shockedOverwatchfans last week when he announced his decision to leave Activision Blizzard. The departure immediately raised concerns about what thechange in leadership could mean forOverwatch 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 ofOverwatch, he was originally hired in 2002 after being noticed as a prominent member of theEverQuestcommunity. Following a brief stint as a QA tester forWarcraft 3, he joined theWorld of Warcraftteam as a designer. His contributions to Blizzard over the past 19 years helped establish the company as the gaming giant it is today.
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World of Warcraft
Jeff Kaplan was one of the first two quest designers to work onWorld of Warcraft. He designed most of the PVE content in the originalWoWalongside 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 inWorld of Warcraft Classic.
Kaplan continued to work as a designer forWoWup 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 oneWorld of Warcraft’s most beloved expansions,Wrath of the Lich King.Seen by many as the height ofWoW’s golden age,WotLKadded many elements the game that paved the way for its success. Kaplan left theWoWteam the day afterWrath’s release to begin work on an unannounced Blizzard project as lead game designer.
Titan and Overwatch
Titanwas 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. Thedifficult development cycle led toTitan’s cancellationin 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 becomeOverwatch.
Overwatchwas 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 ofOverwatch’s balance changeswere 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 releaseOverwatch Yule Logvideos 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 andcemented his popularity amongOverwatchfans.
Jeff Kaplan also served as game director ofOverwatch 2and 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?
ThoughJeff Kaplan’s farewell lettergave 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.Hearthstonedesigner 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.
Overwatchis available now on PC, PlayStation 4, Switch, and Xbox One.
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