Former Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan says he hasn’t played the hero shooter since leaving Blizzard in 2021 and deliberately avoids all content related to the game for his mental wellbeing. He explained that he no longer reads community discussions, watches videos or searches for his own name tied to the franchise, speaking about it during an bağlantı.
Kaplan was the public face of Overwatch for years, becoming a beloved figure in the community through his developer updates and close relationship with players. He left Blizzard in April 2021 bağlantı, before Overwatch 2 released, and has since made a conscious effort to distance himself from the franchise.
Describing his departure as an “almost clinical separation,” Kaplan said: “I’ve literally not played the game since April 2021.” He added that the last version of Overwatch he remembers is the one from April 2021, when Echo was the newest hero on the roster.
Kaplan refuses to watch Overwatch videos or read community discussions
Rather than keeping up with development, Kaplan has deliberately avoided engaging with the community or consuming any content about the game. “I don’t, for my own psyche, I don’t read the subreddits,” he said.
Kaplan revealed that he no longer visits the competitive Overwatch or main Overwatch subreddits, watches YouTube videos about the game, or searches his name in connection with the franchise. “I never go back and read. I don’t watch YouTube . I don’t search for my name in Overwatch. I don’t search for Overwatch. I sort of just disconnect,” he said.
Blizzard
He also told algorithms to stop recommending the game. “I actually tell all the algorithms like, ‘Yeah, I’m not really interested in Overwatch anymore. I know you think I’m the Overwatch guy, but like, that’s just not for me anymore.'”
Kaplan said his earlier departure from the World of Warcraft team in 2008 prepared him for the emotional toll of walking away from Overwatch. Leaving WoW was particularly difficult because the MMO had become such a significant part of his identity – an experience he said taught him that, however much he invested in a project, it ultimately belonged to the developers, players and Blizzard.
Kaplan remains proud of those who created Overwatch
Despite distancing himself from the game, Kaplan insisted he remains incredibly proud of the people who helped create it, describing its reveal at BlizzCon 2014 as one of the most special moments of his life. He compared himself to Uncle Rico in Napoleon Dynamite, saying he doesn’t want to spend his life reminiscing about past accomplishments and believes Overwatch now belongs to the developers and players continuing to support it.
Kaplan’s comments come months after he revealed the circumstances behind his departure from Blizzard, claiming an executive threatened to blame him for 1,000 potential layoffs if Overwatch failed to meet financial targets bağlantı.
Since leaving Blizzard, Kaplan has founded independent studio Kintsugiyama and is developing a new Wild West survival shooter called The Legend of California bağlantı.
Overwatch has undergone major changes without him, including dropping the 2 from its name in February 2026 and introducing a wave of new heroes bağlantı.
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