Jeff Kaplan Reveals Blizzard Exit Pressures, New Game

Former Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan has disclosed in a recent interview the corporate pressures that prompted his abrupt departure from Blizzard Entertainment in 2021, while unveiling details of his new action-survival shooter, The Legend of California, set for early access on Steam later this year.

Kaplan, who spent 19 years at Blizzard and helped shape titles including World of Warcraft and Overwatch, left his role as vice president and game director amid mounting financial demands on the Overwatch team. In a conversation with podcaster Lex Fridman, he described a pivotal meeting with Blizzard's then-chief financial officer as the breaking point. The executive presented Kaplan with a specific revenue target for Overwatch in 2020, stating that failure to meet it annually would result in 1,000 layoffs, with responsibility falling on Kaplan. "That was the biggest f--- you moment I've had in my career," Kaplan said. "It felt surreal to be in that condition."

The ultimatum came as Blizzard shifted focus toward aggressive monetization, particularly through the Overwatch League launched in 2018. Kaplan explained that executives had promoted the esports venture aggressively, selling...