Jeff Kaplan, the director of Overwatch, and the vice president of Blizzard Entertainment, has announced that he is leaving the company after 19 years.
Kaplan took to Twitter to announce his departure today: “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 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.
— Jeff Kaplan (@realJeffkaplan1) April 20, 2021
His message continued: “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.”
An update on the official Overwatch site explains that Aaron Keller, one of the original team members that helped create Overwatch, will be stepping in to direct the game in Kaplan’s absence.
In a handover message, Keller wrote: “While I have no pretenses about filling Jeff’s shoes, I’m excited to step into the game director role and continue to be part of a team that’s putting all of its heart, talent, and focus into the next iteration of Overwatch, and I’m honored to continue serving this incredible community.”
During BlizzCon 21, fans were given an in-depth look at Overwatch 2. A behind the scenes video went into detail on new character designs, as well as Hero Missions, a brand new co-op adventures that allow players that provide a wealth of challenges.
Hero Missions will also feature long-term character progression through unique talent trees, and new Null Sector enemies to battle.
Diablo II: Resurrected was also announced during BlizzCon 21. The remaster of the classic hack-and-slash game has sold 4million copies since its release 21 years ago.
The game will release on PC – and for the first time, consoles including the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and Nintendo Switch.
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