Jeff Kaplan

Overwatch: How Blizzard Created a Hopeful Vision of the Future

Bio:

As game director and vice president at Blizzard Entertainment, Jeff Kaplan is the leader and creative vision-holder for Overwatch. Kaplan oversees a crack squad of game development operatives tasked with the following mission parameters: Design a highly-stylized team-based multiplayer shooter set on a near-future earth, featuring a diverse cast of extraordinary characters embroiled in an epic, globe-spanning conflict. And make it awesome.

Prior to transitioning into his current role, Kaplan served as the game director of World of Warcraft, the world’s most popular subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game. He oversaw the World of Warcraft development team, and was ultimately responsible for the game’s vision and overall direction. Kaplan got his start on World of Warcraft in 2002 as a quest designer on the game’s development team.

Kaplan earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English with an emphasis on creative writing from the University of Southern California in 1995. He then went on to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing from New York University.