After nearly two decades, Blizzard Entertainment's Jeff Kaplan left his role as the company's Vice President and director of the Overwatch series on April 20. Kaplan played a pivotal role in the conceptualization, creation, and constant maintenance of the 2016 team-based shooter, which has grown to become one of the world's most recognizable franchises since. Aside from his work behind the scenes, Kaplan was the face of Overwatch and presented all of its Developer Updates which announced new heroes and major changes in the game through the years. He was the person diehard fans expected to see every time something exciting was happening with the series; many gamers were sad to see him go.
Social channels, like Reddit and Twitter, were flooded with farewell messages to Kaplan, who the internet nicknamed Papa Jeff. Gamers shared heartfelt posts talking about the impact Overwatch has had on their lives, fan art that transformed Kaplan into an Overwatch hero, and photos they had taken with the Blizzard executive during events. It was a somber but wholesome day for fans of the shooter who are eagerly awaiting news about the upcoming Overwatch 2 release.
Kaplan has not shed any light on what the future holds for his career. Instead, Blizzard revealed his departure with a press release that included brief but touching parting worlds from the former director that quoted Overwatch's Dr. Harold Winston. "It was truly the honor of a lifetime to have the opportunity to create worlds and heroes for such a passionate audience...Never accept the world as it appears to be. Always dare to see it for what it could be. I hope you do the same." His final words inspired countless tweets and posts from the Overwatch community. Here are the best Jeff Kaplan farewell posts.
One of the most upvoted Reddit posts regarding Kaplan's departure was a joking reference to his usual introduction to Overwatch's Developer Updates. The Blizzard executive would start each video with "This is Jeff from the Overwatch team." Redditor rubikboi19 realized every Overwatch update from now on would lack Kaplan's iconic introductory words and made a meme that might be simple but hits home for gamers who have been looking forward to those words for five years.
Redditor Fair_Industry7328 shared an illustration of Kaplan as an Overwatch, created by artist Kai Chang. The Reddit users hoped Blizzard would add Kaplan as a new character to the game's roster in the future. The illustration featured Kaplan as a hero, similar to Overwatch's gravity-bending tank Sigma.
Overwatch insider, Overwatch Naeri, tweeted two pictures of Kaplan alongside two members of the cosplay group Spiral Cats. Kaplan is donning a D.Va jersey, which he's worn in a handful of Overwatch Developer Updates in the past.
Papa Jeff shrine at my desk started off as a joke but has been here for years. I don’t plan on taking it down - thank you Papa Jeff for giving us OW. ❤️ from Overwatch
Redditor moonkanin had jokingly built a small desk shrine of "Papa Jeff" years he announced that he was leaving Blizzard. The picture of Kaplan and the letter board is still next to his desk, and the Redditor said they don't have any plans to get rid of it soon.
Finally, Redditor ZenofyMedia cropped Kaplan into an Overwatch cut scene where Winston is sadly looking at a picture of his old team of friends. This might've just been another farewell meme but it was a touching symbol of how Kaplan will forever be etched into Overwatch's history regardless of the new leadership that takes control of the game.
Source: ArtStation/KaiChang