For most people out there, Jeff Kaplan was just the face of Overwatch related videos when new updates and content came out for the game. The person who informed everyone about the state of Overwatch, of the team’s effort behind the scenes, and what are the plans for the future. He was more than that though, as he was the actual director of the famous FPS for quite some time now. As of Tuesday, April 21, it was announced that Jeff Kaplan is leaving Overwatch and Blizzard as a whole, in order to offer his 19-year old experience to a different company.
Aaron Keller will be the new director of Overwatch, replacing Jeff Kaplan
While the news of Jeff Kaplan leaving the juggernaut company are already quite big, we’ve also received info as to who is going to succeed his role as the director of Overwatch. Aaron Keller will be the one filling Jeff’s shows, and considering his also 18-year old experience in the specific game, the decision seems to be sealed by Blizzard. As one of the core members in the Overwatch team, he worked alongside Kaplan and shared the same vision for the game. They both helped on making Overwatch this giant success it is now, and most likely things are going to continue being well in the future with Arron as the captain.
Jeff Kaplan’s work and contribution didn’t go unnoticed by Blizzard, as they officially mentioned how grateful they are for having a person such as Jeff leading one of their biggest IPs. They also shared Kaplan’s official ‘goodbye’ note, on their official page:
” 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.Â
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 ”
With one veteran leaving the field and an other taking his place, the only certain thing is that Overwatch is still in very good hands, and who knows, this breath of fresh air may actually end up being beneficial for the game. All we have to say is that we give Jeff Kaplan our deepest appreciation, for giving us some amazing moments through the in-game world of Overwatch and its exceptional characters, gameplay and story. We hope he ends up well on whatever he continues forward with, and let us welcome with open arms Aaron Keller as the new director of the beloved franchise.
