{
  "id": 14823076,
  "title": "'I Just Sort of Disconnect' — Jeff Kaplan is Avoiding Overwatch at all Costs",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/i-just-sort-of-disconnect-jeff-kaplan-is-avoiding-overwatch-at-all",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-15T23:44:16.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "IGN",
    "slug": "ign",
    "url": "https://www.ign.com/articles/i-just-sort-of-disconnect-jeff-kaplan-is-avoiding-overwatch-at-all-costs"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan has spoken about how he has completely cut ties with the online world of Blizzard's hero shooter. Kaplan, who was the face of the game for years, founded his own game development studio after leaving Blizzard in 2021. In a recent interview, Kaplan revealed that he has not played Overwatch since April 2021 and has avoided reading subreddits, watching YouTube videos, or searching for his name online. He explained that he has created a \"clinical separation\" from the game, similar to his emotional detachment from World of Warcraft. Kaplan said that leaving WoW to work on Overwatch was a \"training moment\" for him to take the next step in his career. He likened WoW to being a part of his identity, as he spent all his time working on and playing the game. With Overwatch now owned and developed by Blizzard, Kaplan believes that it is time for him to move on and focus on his new project, The Legend of California. Kaplan has not held back from sharing his opinions on the gaming industry, recently expressing frustration towards players who complain about games they do not play. He said, \"If a game comes out, and you don’t want to play it, and you’ve never played it? Shut the f*** up. No one cares.\"",
  "summary": "Former Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan explained how he protects his psyche by completely avoiding online discussions and subreddits about Blizzard's hero shooter.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "PC Gamer",
        "title": "Ex-Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan ignores everything about the hero shooter after his 'almost clinical' departure 5 years ago: 'I don't search for my name in Overwatch. I don't search for Overwatch. I sort of just disconnect.'",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/14/ex-overwatch-director-jeff-kaplan-ignores-everything-about-the-hero",
        "published": "2026-10-14T22:54:53.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}