Jeff Kaplan Avoids Overwatch: 'I Just Sort of Disconnect'

Ever wonder what it's like to walk away from a game you helped make famous? For Jeff Kaplan, former Overwatch director, it means completely disconnecting from the community he once led.

In a recent interview with GameSpot, Kaplan opened up about how he protects his mental health by avoiding anything Overwatch-related. "I've literally not played the game since April 2021," he said. "I don't, for my own psyche, I don't read the subreddits. After I said my goodbye to competitive Overwatch and the Overwatch subreddit, I never go back and read. I don't watch YouTube [videos]. I don't search for my name in Overwatch. I don't search for Overwatch. I sort of just disconnect." He even tells the algorithms he's not interested anymore, saying, "I know you think I'm the Overwatch guy, but like, that's just not for me anymore."

Kaplan left Blizzard in 2021 and founded his own studio, where he's working on an open world, action-survival shooter called The Legend of California. But his departure from Overwatch wasn't his first emotional goodbye. He explained that leaving the World of Warcraft team to work on Overwatch was actually more painful. "WoW was who I was at that point," he said. "I worked every minute, every waking minute, on WoW. If I wasn't working on WoW, I was playing WoW." He described stepping away from WoW as "shocking in a very negative emotional way" because it was such a part of his identity.

That experience taught him a valuable lesson: the games he worked on didn't belong to him—they were Blizzard's IP. So when it came time to move on from Overwatch, it was easier. "Overwatch happened. I was a part of it. There's a group there now, and Overwatch is now about them. Both the players and the developers, that's their Overwatch now. They're making it, they own it, they play it. I'm onto this new thing, and that's where I'm at in my life," he said.

Kaplan hasn't shied away from sharing his thoughts on the gaming industry since leaving Blizzard. He recently had harsh words for players who complain about games they'll never play: "If a game comes out, and you don't want to play it, and you've never played it? Shut the f*** up. No one cares." And in March, he revealed the reason he left Blizzard, describing a specific meeting as "the biggest f*** you moment I had in my career."

It's clear Kaplan has moved on, both professionally and mentally. He's focused on his new project and has no intention of looking back. For fans of his work, it's a reminder that even the most beloved developers are human—and sometimes, walking away is the healthiest choice.

What do you think about Kaplan's approach to protecting his peace? Will you be checking out his new game, The Legend of California? Let us know in the comments!