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.'

Despite some big changes happening with Overwatch lately, former game director Jeff Kaplan hasn't touched it since the year he left Blizzard. In fact, he actively avoids the game in every way he can, he told GameSpot in a recent interview.

Before Overwatch, Kaplan rose through the ranks on the World of Warcraft team, starting in QA and eventually becoming game director. He described his departure from the WoW team in 2008 as "a training moment" for when he would leave the Overwatch team, and Blizzard altogether, in 2021.

"I kind of went through a little bit of shock leaving WoW back in 2008," Kaplan says. "So, when I stepped away from Overwatch in April of 2021, I was kind of used to that moment of what it meant to give all of yourself, your heart, your soul–because it's not just a job, there's no one who can do this and have it just be a job–and then have this …