Overview
- In a Lex Fridman interview, the former Overwatch director says he was told Overwatch had to meet specific 2020 revenue and recurring annual targets or 1,000 jobs would be cut and blamed on him, with figures redacted under an NDA.
- Kaplan argues the Overwatch League was overmarketed to team buyers and siphoned resources, prioritizing Twitch integration, broadcast tools, and team skins over live-game updates and work on Overwatch 2.
- He describes escalating demands to monetize in-game as league returns lagged, which he says undermined plans such as a larger PvE component for the sequel.
- Kaplan did not name the executive who issued the ultimatum; outlets note Dennis Durkin was Blizzard’s CFO at the time and left the company in 2021.
- The city-based league operated from 2018 until its closure in 2024, and Kaplan now leads indie studio Kintsugiyama on The Legend of California.