US EditionFormer Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan returns with a Western survival shooter
- Jeff Kaplan is back, leading The Legend of California at Kintsugiyama, an indie multiplayer action-survival FPS set on a mythical island California during a gold rush era.
- Kaplan left Blizzard in 2021 after serving as Overwatch lead director and working on World of Warcraft, citing growing corporate pressure to prioritise revenue over game development and a 1,000-person layoff threat tied to missed targets.
- Players can craft, gather, hunt, fight and build, while a 34-strong team designed the world with seeded randomization and players form companies of up to three.
- Rather than a traditional showcase, Kaplan revealed the project during a five-hour appearance on Lex Fridman's podcast, with closed alpha playtests expected soon and Early Access later this year.
- Mixing Red Dead Redemption and Rust influences, the game reimagines California as an island and Dreamhaven’s involvement positions it within industry conversations about developer autonomy and corporate pressure.
39 Articles
39 Articles
Jeff Kaplan Says He Quit Overwatch After Blizzard Threatened to Blame 1,000 Layoffs On Him
Former Overwatch game director Jeff Kaplan is revealing new details about why he abruptly left Blizzard in 2021, and his explanation paints a troubling picture of the pressure placed on the development team behind one of the company’s most successful franchises. During a recent interview on the Lex Fridman podcast, Kaplan described a meeting with Blizzard leadership that he says ultimately pushed him to walk away from the company. According to K…
Ex-Overwatch lead reveals new cowboy-themed open world game
Ever wanted to be a cowboy and stake your claim on the land? The Legend of California is an indie multiplayer action-survival FPS that lets you do just that. Developed by Kintsugiyama and published by Dreamhaven (the game company of former Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime), The Legend of California is headed by a name that Overwatch fans will recognize: Jeff Kaplan.
Former Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan returns with a new game: The Legend of California is a Wild West-style Open World Survival FPS with multiplayer, crafting and procedural cards.
Jeff Kaplan, the iconic former director of Overwatch, left Blizzard after receiving an ultimatum from his then-CFO. The order was simple: achieve colossal revenue targets, or face personal responsibility for laying off 1,000 employees. He described this pressure as "the biggest 'fuck you' of his career," revealing how the profit-driven approach ultimately ended his time at Blizzard.
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