![[LEVEL UP KL 24] From Development to Quality Assurance: How AI is Transforming the Gaming Industry, According to Microsoft’s Jun Shimoda](https://cdn.gamerbraves.com/2024/12/Jun-Shimoda_Interview_FI-360x180.jpg)
Jeff Kaplan, public-facing Game Director of Overwatch, is leaving Blizzard Entertainment. The announcement was made via a post on the Overwatch Blog, along with details on the role’s succession.
According to the blog, Aaron Keller will be taking over as the game director for the series. Keller is another founding member of the Overwatch team, who worked side-by-side with Jeff Kaplan to get Overwatch into what it is today.
Keller also issued a statement about taking over the leadership role for the game:
“Jeff’s been a great leader, mentor, and friend, and he knows how much we’re going to miss him. I’ve been lucky to work alongside him and the rest of the Overwatch team for many years in building something that continues to inspire people all around the world, and I’m honored to carry the torch forward”, he said.
He also reassured fans who were worried about the silence around Overwatch 2, as the game was very much still in development.
“Speaking of Overwatch 2, development is continuing at a good pace. We have an exceptional vision we’re executing on, the reaction from many of you to the updates we shared at BlizzConline thrilled us, and we have exciting reveals planned for this year and beyond as we ramp to launch. We’ll be sharing more frequent updates about Overwatch 2 progress and new features in the live game with you all very soon”, he says.
