‘Papa Jeff’ leaves Blizzard

Overwatch Game Director Jeff Kaplan stepped down from Blizzard Entertainment after 19 years.

In a statement, Kaplan thanked the game developer for their long partnership and the opportunity to create worlds and heroes “for such a passionate audience.”

“I am leaving Blizzard Entertainment after 19 amazing years. It was truly an honor of a lifetime to have the opportunity to create worlds and heroes for such a passionate audience,” Kaplan said in his social media account.

“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.”

Popularly referred to as “Papa Jeff” in the Overwatch community, Kaplan is one of the most prominent figures in Blizzard frequently seen at Blizzcon, live Overwatch events, and developer update videos.

Taking his place is an 18-year veteran with the company, Aaron Keller, who has been a part of the original team that created the Overwatch.

Kaplan’s resignation caught the Overwatch universe by surprise since Blizzard is at the helm of developing Overwatch 2.

Still, Keller assured that Overwatch 2 is developing at a good pace and promised to release updates about its progress.