Former Overwatch game director Jeff Kaplan has revealed the moment that pushed him to leave Blizzard after nearly two decades at the company, saying he was threatened with being blamed for mass layoffs if Overwatch failed to meet revenue targets.
Kaplan spoke about the situation during a long interview on the Lex Fridman Podcast, where he discussed his career at Blizzard, the development of Overwatch, and the internal pressures that built up before his departure in 2021.
The veteran developer had worked at Blizzard for 19 years and became widely recognised as the public face of Overwatch during the hero shooter’s rise in popularity.
The Meeting That Ended Kaplan’s Blizzard Career
Kaplan said the moment that ultimately broke him came during a meeting with Activision Blizzard’s chief financial officer.
According to Kaplan, the executive told him that Overwatch needed to hit a specific revenue target in 2020 and maintain recurring revenue in the years that followed. If those targets were not met, the company would reportedly lay off around 1,000 employees.
The responsibility for those layoffs, Kaplan said he was told, would fall on him.
He described the moment during the podcast as “the biggest f**k you moment I’ve had in my career”, saying the conversation made him realise he could no longer continue working at Blizzard.
Due to a non-disclosure agreement, the specific financial figures discussed in the meeting were redacted in the interview.
At the time, Activision Blizzard’s CFO was Dennis Durkin, who left the company in May 2021, roughly one month after Kaplan’s departure.
How Overwatch League Created Pressure On The Game
Kaplan also said that problems surrounding the Overwatch League played a major role in creating the pressure that eventually led to the meeting.
The esports league launched in 2017 with team slots reportedly selling for around $20 million, attracting major investors who expected the league to grow into something comparable to traditional sports competitions.
According to Kaplan, the league was heavily marketed to investors with extremely ambitious expectations, including suggestions it could rival leagues like the NFL in popularity.
As those expectations grew, the Overwatch development team began receiving requests for features designed to support esports broadcasts and team branding.
These included Twitch integration, spectator camera controls, and the development of in-game team uniforms for Overwatch League organisations.
Kaplan said the additional work gradually consumed resources that would otherwise have been used to expand the core Overwatch experience.
Development Challenges During Overwatch 2
As the esports league struggled to meet its lofty expectations, the financial pressure shifted back toward the Overwatch game itself.
Kaplan explained that investors began looking at the revenue generated by the live game, which had reportedly earned around $500 million in a single year, and started asking what additional monetisation opportunities could be added.
The development team found itself balancing multiple priorities at once, including maintaining the live game, supporting the esports league, and building Overwatch 2.
According to Kaplan, that situation meant the team was often reacting to new demands rather than following its original development plans.
Kaplan later said that the version of Overwatch 2 that eventually launched differed significantly from the game that had originally been envisioned.
Kaplan’s New Studio And His Next Game
After leaving Blizzard in 2021, Kaplan quietly founded a new studio called Kintsugiyama.
The studio has been working on its first project for several years, and it was recently revealed as The Legend of California, a multiplayer action-survival first-person shooter set during a fictional Gold Rush era.
Published by Dreamhaven, the company founded by former Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime, the game takes players to a mythical island version of California where they can explore the frontier, gather resources, build ranches, and fight hostile enemies.
The Legend of California is currently planned to launch in Early Access on PC in 2026.
A Rare Look Inside The Business Side Of Game Development
Kaplan’s comments provide an unusually candid look at the pressures that can shape large game projects.
While he spoke fondly about many aspects of his time at Blizzard, the interview also highlights how business expectations, esports ambitions, and revenue targets can dramatically affect the direction of a live service game.
For many players, Kaplan remains closely associated with Overwatch’s early success, and his upcoming project with Kintsugiyama will likely attract attention from fans interested in what he builds next.