Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan is leaving Blizzard after more than 19 years with the company. Kaplan’s departure was announced via a blog post on Blizzard’s site, along with a personal note from Kaplan himself. 18-year Blizzard veteran Aaron Keller, who was also a founding member of the Overwatch team, will be stepping up to the director role. Both Keller and Kaplan have worked closely together in their tenure at Blizzard, both on Overwatch and World of Warcraft before that.
Kaplan’s note to the Overwatch community doesn’t specify his reason for leaving the company or where he’s headed to next on his journey, and this leadership change seems to be effective immediately.

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.
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

Kaplan was arguably the face of Overwatch for the community, and he was the recipient of both the community’s love and ire, spawning countless memes, and ever passionate in his appreciation of the people who played Overwatch. As one ...