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Former 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.
26 Articles
26 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.
The Legend of California Is a Multiplayer Action Survival FPS Set in the Gold Rush Era and Designed by the Creator of Overwatch
Nearly five years after he left Blizzard, Jeff Kaplan, the man behind Overwatch, has revealed his new game called The Legend of California. Kaplan is developing it at his new independent studio called Kintsugiyama. The game will be published by Dreamhaven, which was founded years ago by fellow ex-Blizzard co-founder and president Mike Morhaime. It's a multiplayer action survival first-person shooter game set in the Gold Rush era and bound for ea…
Overwatch's Director Quit Following Outrageous Ultimatum from Blizzard Big Wig
Jeff Kaplan explains his departure.Jeff Kaplan, who worked at Blizzard for almost 20 years, has explained the main reason why he left the company in 2021.This comes from a much wider interview via Lex Fridman, going over Kaplan's whole career, including his role as game director of the original Overwatch.Read the full article on pushsquare.com
Jeff Kaplan, the former director of Overwatch, has announced his next game. Read more
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