Jeff Kaplan spent nearly two decades at Blizzard Entertainment, rising to the position of vice president while contributing to World of Warcraft as a core designer.
He later became one of the most recognizable figures behind Overwatch, serving as its lead director and public face. However, Kaplan left Blizzard in 2021 to pursue independent game development, eventually establishing his own studio, Kintsugiyama.
In a recent interview with Gamespot, the veteran game designer reflected on the challenges of moving from a major AAA developer to running an independent studio, describing the experience as “humbling.”
Jeff Kaplan discusses his “humbling” career reset
Over the past few years, Kaplan has largely stayed out of the spotlight, dedicating himself to developing Kintsugiyama’s first project, The Legend of California. His new role has brought a stark change in circumstances, from setting up server infrastructure in his dining room to finding that industry contacts who once sought his attention no longer respond to him.
“It’s very humbling because… you go from a lot of success. Like, think of World of Warcraft and Overwatch and the levels of success that those games have had. Also the level of success that I enjoyed personally in my career being associated with those games,” Kaplan told Gamespot.
{{/usCountry}}“It’s very humbling because… you go from a lot of success. Like, think of World of Warcraft and Overwatch and the levels of success that those games have had. Also the level of success that I enjoyed personally in my career being associated with those games,” Kaplan told Gamespot.
{{/usCountry}}Kaplan clarified that he was not claiming sole credit for the games he helped create, but rather pointing to what comes with spending 19 years at Blizzard.
“You go from that success to essentially having the reset button pushed on you. You start completely from square one, at the bottom of the mountain,” he said.
Kaplan shares a painful career revelation
The Kintsugiyama founder also discussed how people’s attitudes toward him have shifted since his departure from Blizzard.
"It’s actually eye-opening in a great way, even if it’s painful sometimes.... I have many people in the industry who won’t return my emails, who won’t even give me the time of day," Kaplan revealed in his interview with GameSpot.
He explained that people at Blizzard treated him differently because they recognized his connections and wanted to be associated with his reputation.
Kaplan finds lessons
Kaplan reflected on the situation through a “glass half-empty, glass half-full” perspective, explaining that he prefers to focus on the positive side of the experience.
He said, “The half-full version of it, which I really enjoy, is it shows you where truth is, it shows you where loyalty is, it shows you people’s true nature. It makes you realize that there’s a lot of managing up and people using you as a means to an end.”
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Kaplan added that while starting fresh has been rewarding in some respects, he still finds the change in how people respond to him unusual.
“It’s a little weird to me that people aren’t returning my emails, you know? I’m like, ‘I made you a billion dollars. You’d think you’d return my email,’ you know? But hey, whatever,” he said.