Overwatch co-creator Jeff Kaplan on his exit from Activision Blizzard: 'It was the biggest f**k you moment I've had in my career'

Overwatch co-creator Jeff Kaplan on his exit from Activision Blizzard: ‘It was the biggest f**k you moment I’ve had in my career’ | PC Gamer Skip to main content Open menu Close main menu PC Gamer THE GLOBAL AUTHORITY ON PC GAMES US Edition UK US Canada Australia Subscribe Sign in View Profile Sign out Search Search PC Gamer Games Hardware News Reviews Guides Video Forum More PC Gaming Show PC Gamer Clips Software Codes Coupons Movies & TV Magazine Newsletter Affiliate links Meet the team Community guidelines About PC Gamer PC Gamer Magazine SubscriptionWhy subscribe?Subscribe to the world’s #1 PC gaming magTry a single issue or save on a subscriptionIssues delivered straight to your door or device From$1Subscribe now Don’t miss these FPS As the Marathon player count discourse reaches peak stupidity, Warframe and Overwatch devs speak up in solidarity: ‘This is big unemployed, maidenless behavior’ FPS Overwatch is getting a bunch of Nier: Automata skins and at this point I’m convinced support mains are the only ones spending money on this game FPS Overwatch’s grand revamp event is a suffocating blip in an otherwise successful return to form Adventure Making Dispatch was motivated by ‘a mix of arrogance and stupidity,’ its creative directors say FPS Highguard’s failure is emblematic of something that has tormented videogame investors for years now: past live service hits do not equal future live service hits FPS Highguard is closing next week: ‘Despite the passion and hard work of our team, we have not been able to build a sustainable player base to support the game long term’ Games Former EA chief Peter Moore says his game industry style of PR irritated his bosses at Liverpool FC, and that’s partly why he’s not the CEO of Liverpool FC anymore FPS RIP Highguard: In a better world, an FPS is allowed to be unpopular FPS Highguard didn’t flop FPS Former Highguard dev who called out grave-dancing over the reveal trailer says the discourse ‘had some very dark corners that may have accelerated the timeline of our failure,’ but adds, ‘it wasn’t the primary cause’ FPS Valve veteran imperiously scorns reports that it’s secretly finished Half-Life 3 and moving devs to other projects: ‘They’ve been done for months! 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From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we’ve got you covered. Signup + Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! Signup + An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter Overwatch co-creator Jeff Kaplan was the public face of Overwatch before he left Activision Blizzard in 2021. If you were interested in videogames between 2014 and 2021, it’s likely you’ll recognise his face. In a new interview on the Lex Fridman podcast, Kaplan details for the first time how and why he left Activision Blizzard, and it’s not pretty.The way Kaplan explains it, the good ship Overwatch started to buckle when unreasonable expectations were placed on the Overwatch League, a hugely hyped esports league founded in 2017 and closed in 2024.”Where it got away from us is that there was a lot of excitement about Overwatch League, like too much,” Kaplan said. “It got overmarketed to the people buying the teams. They went on this roadshow where they had a deck—and you can put anything in a deck, and sell anything—and they were pretty much selling the Brooklyn Bridge, that Overwatch League was going to be more popular than the NFL.”Article continues below You may like Overwatch 2 drops the 2 and goes back to being Overwatch as Blizzard launches its biggest update ever next week: ‘We want to gain players’ confidence, we want them to have trust in the game’ Overwatch’s glow-up didn’t just happen overnight—its successes have been in the works for years now Overwatch’s biggest season ever kicks off with 5 new heroes all at once, including a cat with a jetpack who can toss you off the map It got to a point where commitments made to Overwatch League and its “billionaire investors” started