Jeff Kaplan谈离开暴雪后创办独立工作室

Former Overwatch game director Jeff Kaplan said he is not someone who likes attention, and that putting himself out there at Blizzard was to serve his game and team. He said stepping away from being tied to Overwatch after leaving Blizzard in 2021 turned out to be "pretty great" on a personal level. He is now working on The Legend of California at his new studio, Kintsugiyama.

Jeff Kaplan, former director of Overwatch, said he has not played the game since April 2021, when he left Blizzard after nearly 20 years to go indie, calling it a "clinical separation." He said he does not read the subreddits, watch YouTube videos, or search for his name or Overwatch, and has told algorithms he is no longer interested. He said leaving World of Warcraft in 2008 was more painful and served as a training moment for stepping away from Overwatch.

Former Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan has founded a new studio, Kintsugiyama, and is developing its debut title, The Legend of California. Kaplan described the transition from AAA legend to independent studio head as "humbling," noting that industry contacts who once sought his attention now ignore his emails. His studio is built on the belief that game developers should be the ones making game-related decisions.