Ex-Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan completely avoids OW content for his “own psyche”

Former Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan has revealed that he hasn’t played the hero shooter since leaving Blizzard in 2021 and actively avoids any content related to the game for the sake of his mental wellbeing.

Kaplan was the face of Overwatch for years, becoming a beloved figure in the community thanks to his developer updates and close relationship with players.

However, the director left Blizzard in April 2021, before Overwatch 2 was released, and has since made a conscious effort to distance himself from the franchise.

In an interview with GameSpot, Kaplan explained that his earlier experience leaving the World of Warcraft team in 2008 prepared him for the emotional toll of walking away from Overwatch.

He described his departure as an “almost clinical separation,” adding, “I’ve literally not played the game since April 2021.”

Blizzard

According to Kaplan, the last version of Overwatch he remembers is the one from April 2021, when Echo was the newest hero added to the roster.

Rather than keeping up with the game’s development, he has deliberately avoided engaging with the community or consuming any content about Overwatch.

“I don’t, for my own psyche, I don’t read the subreddits,” he explained.

Kaplan revealed that he no longer visits the competitive Overwatch or main Overwatch subreddits, watches YouTube videos about the game, or even searches for his own name in connection with the franchise.

“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 remarked.

“I actually tell all the algorithms like, ‘Yeah, I’m not really interested in Overwatch anymore. I know you think I’m the Overwatch guy, but like, that’s just not for me anymore.’”

Blizzard

The developer explained that leaving World of Warcraft was particularly difficult because the MMO had become such a significant part of his identity. That experience taught him that, regardless of how much of himself he invested in a project, it ultimately belonged to the developers, players, and Blizzard.

Despite distancing himself from Overwatch, Kaplan insisted that he remains incredibly proud of the people who helped create it, describing its reveal at BlizzCon 2014 as one of the most special moments of his life.

He also compared himself to Uncle Rico from Napoleon Dynamite, explaining that he doesn’t want to spend his life reminiscing about past accomplishments. Instead, he believes Overwatch now belongs to the developers and players who continue supporting it.

His comments come months after Kaplan revealed the circumstances behind his Blizzard departure, claiming an executive threatened to blame him for 1,000 potential layoffs if Overwatch failed to meet financial targets.

Since leaving Blizzard, Kaplan has founded independent studio Kintsugiyama and is developing a new Wild West survival shooter called The Legend of California.

Meanwhile, Overwatch has undergone major changes without him, including dropping the 2 from its name in February 2026 and introducing a wave of new heroes.