History of Jeff Kaplan in Timeline

Jeffrey "Jeff" Kaplan is an American video game designer known for his significant contributions to Blizzard Entertainment. He played a key role in designing aspects of the massively popular World of Warcraft and served as the lead director for the critically acclaimed and commercially successful team-based shooter, Overwatch. He held the position of Vice President at Blizzard Entertainment before his departure from the company in 2021, marking the end of a long and influential career at the company.

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Full Timeline

November 4, 1972: Jeffrey Kaplan's Birth

On November 4, 1972, Jeffrey Kaplan was born in New Jersey. He later grew up in La Cañada Flintridge, California.

2000: Drops Creative Writing

By 2000, Jeffrey Kaplan decided to drop creative writing after receiving over 170 rejection notices in a single year. He instead spent his time playing video games and experimenting with level editors.

2001: Involvement in EverQuest

Around 2001, Jeffrey Kaplan became involved in EverQuest under the handle "Tigole Bitties". His accomplishments and commentary caught the attention of Rob Pardo, Blizzard's lead designer for Warcraft III.

May 2002: Hired by Blizzard

In May 2002, Jeffrey Kaplan was hired by Blizzard as a quest designer for World of Warcraft after Rob Pardo suggested he apply for the job.

February 2009: Steps down as Game Director for WoW

In February 2009, Jeffrey Kaplan announced his departure as game director for World of Warcraft. He switched his role at Blizzard to work on a new, unannounced MMO project, later revealed as Titan.

2013: Development of Titan Stopped

In early 2013, development on Titan was stopped at Blizzard. Kaplan and Metzen were tasked with creating a new intellectual property, leading to the creation of Overwatch.

September 2014: Titan's Cancellation Announced

In September 2014, the official cancellation of Titan was announced. The project had a prolonged and struggling development period, and Kaplan considered the gameplay as "very cluttered and confused".

2017: Awarded Vanguard Award

In 2017, Jeffrey Kaplan was awarded the Vanguard Award at the Fun & Serious Game Festival in Bilbao, Spain.

April 20, 2021: Departure from Blizzard

On April 20, 2021, Blizzard announced that Jeffrey Kaplan was leaving the company after 19 years. Aaron Keller took over Kaplan's role in the oversight of Overwatch.

2021: Departure from Blizzard Entertainment

In 2021, Jeffrey Kaplan left Blizzard Entertainment, where he held the position of vice president. He had designed elements of World of Warcraft and was the lead director of Overwatch.