Jeff Kaplan Says He Clashed With Blizzard Management Over Overwatch 2
Jeff Kaplan, former game director on Overwatch, said in a November 11 video interview that from 2018 he was in constant conflict with Blizzard management over the game's direction.
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Reporting from 1 source: Automaton.
Why it matters
Kaplan's account puts the content drought in the original Overwatch and the sequel's hero-unlock model on management decisions made while he was director, not on the development team.
Key Facts
- Jeff Kaplan appeared in a video on the YouTube channel Gaming World Interviews on November 11.
- Kaplan said he strongly opposed the BlizzCon 2019 announcement of Overwatch 2 as premature.
- Kaplan said management prioritized Overwatch 2 so that new heroes were not permitted for the original Overwatch.
- Kaplan said management asked for heroes to be sold for money, which he resisted.
- Kaplan left Blizzard in 2021 after 19 years and founded the indie studio Kintsugiyama.
He said he opposed the BlizzCon 2019 announcement of Overwatch 2 as premature and criticized management for intervening in creative decisions and for asking that heroes be sold for money.
Kaplan appeared on the YouTube channel Gaming World Interviews on November 11 and described losing decision-making authority despite holding the director title. He said management prioritized Overwatch 2 to the point that new heroes for the original game were not permitted, leaving it short of content for years.
He also said management asked for heroes to be sold for money, which he called a line he did not want to cross. Overwatch 2, released after his 2021 departure, uses a battle pass to unlock new heroes.
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