Jeff Kaplan recalls 'constant fighting' with Blizzard over Overwatch 2

Former Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan is pulling no punches about his final years at Blizzard. In a recent interview, Kaplan revealed there was "constant fighting" with executives from 2018 onward, per a Kotaku report.

One major clash was over the 2019 announcement of Overwatch 2. Kaplan told Gaming World Interviews he stormed into an executive's office to protest. He argued the team didn't know what the game was or its business model, calling the reveal a "huge mistake."

The ex-director was also furious that Blizzard chose to unveil Overwatch 2 and Diablo IV during the same event. He saw it as corporate posturing by new execs trying to prove "Blizzard's back," a move he bluntly labeled idiotic.

Kaplan cited a revolving door of "business guys" mandating creative decisions, like halting new hero development for the original game to focus on the sequel. After three years of losing creative agency, he said he was tired of fighting for a project he no longer believed in and left in 2021.