After a nearly 20 year career at Blizzard Entertainment, Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan is leaving the company. The announcement came in the form of a Blizzard blog post, where Overwatch veteran Aaron Keller was announced as the next director.
In an update thanking Kaplan for his years of work, Keller spoke to his experience and admiration for the game, "I love Overwatch. From our first pieces of concept art, to the first maps we built, to the first time I was able to run around as Tracer (who at that early point shot laser beams out of her eyes), this game has just clicked with me."
Keller also expanded upon his experiences with Kaplan, noting that he was a mentor, leader, and friend during his time on Overwatch. The new director made it clear he has "no pretenses about filling Jeff's shoes" and that he's excited for his own transition. Keller also reassured fans that Overwatch 2 was still in good shape, noting that "development is continuing at a good pace."
As for Kaplan, he thanked the community around Overwatch, expressing his appreciation for everyone who supported the games, teams, and players over the years.
Kaplan's departure comes on the heels of more Overwatch rumors surrounding the second game. In a report from March, it was rumored that Blizzard was working on an Overwatch mobile game that it planned to release alongside of Overwatch 2. Blizzard never confirmed the rumor, but Kaplan had promised fans earlier that the team had "years of lore planned" for the series, noting that there would be new stories and mediums.
When it comes to Overwatch 2 - you won't be seeing either Blizzard's shooter or Diablo 4 until next year. Blizzard's earnings call from early February of this year revealed that the studio doesn't expect those games to launch in 2021. However, during the company's digital festival, BlizzConline, Blizzard did share a sneak peek at how things were going for Overwatch 2. Fans got a glimpse of new maps, systems, and more during the digital celebration of all things Blizzard.