- Primary Subject: Jeff Kaplan's Blizzard Exit / Overwatch
- Key Update: Jeff Kaplan reveals he resigned after a CFO threatened 1,000 layoffs if revenue targets weren't met.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: March 12, 2026
- Quick Answer: Jeff Kaplan left Blizzard after being told by a CFO that 1,000 employees would be laid off if he didn't meet specific revenue goals.
Former Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan has revealed why he left Blizzard, and the reason is heartbreaking.
After 19 years of working at Blizzard, Kaplan left Blizzard in April 2021. The former Overwatch director became well-known for enthusiastically interacting with fans. He was vocal in public forums and even made his own videos giving insight into the game's development and future updates.
His departure was a shock to many, and now, almost five years later, Kaplan revealed the reason he chose to step down.
Jeff Kaplan Reveals Real Reason He Left Blizzard
Jeff Kaplan recently sat down for a lengthy interview with Lex Fridman. There, he revealed what broke him and convinced him to resign from his role at Blizzard.
He spoke about the introduction of the Overwatch League and how it drained resources, ultimately affecting the development of Overwatch 2. At the time, the establishment of the league had good intentions, but it ended up having massive repercussions.
"And then as we transitioned, Overwatch League was the best intention – my parents always say the road to Hell is paved with good intentions, that was the Overwatch League – and it ended up being an albatross. And then Overwatch 2 was the same thing."
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He then revealed that he was called into the CFO's office and told that Overwatch had to make a certain amount of money in 2020, and that every year it needed to recur a certain amount of revenue. Kaplan then revealed, "And then he says to me, ‘if it doesn’t do $[...], we’re going to lay off 1,000 people, and that’s going to be on you’."
Kaplan claims that moment was "the biggest f*ck you moment I had in my career. It felt surreal to be in that condition."
That moment was what triggered him to quit, which was a heartbreaking decision. He stated, "I had believed I would never work any place but Blizzard. I loved it. It was a part of who I was, and I felt I was a part of it. And I literally thought I would retire from the place; I never thought the day would come. And that was it, I was like, ‘we’re done here’. Luckily for Blizzard, that CFO is no longer there."
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Following the internet, many fans took to social media to sympathize with Kaplan. Many Overwatch players expressed their shock at how Blizzard treated key players in their company. Others slammed the CFO, who remained unnamed in the interview, for leveraging layoffs against Kaplan to pressure him to find a way to produce revenue.
Jeff Kaplan is currently working on a new online survival game titled The Legend of California with a new studio named Kintsugiyama. Players can now wishlist it on Steam, and you can watch the first trailer below:
The game is currently scheduled to release sometime this year, meaning we'll get to experience another one of his games soon.
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