Jeff Kaplan Was An Industry Icon, Now Peers Ignore His Emails: Ex-Overwatch Director Talks “Humbling” Reality Of Indie Dev

"Have you ever seen Napoleon Dynamite?" I'll admit it: When I sat down with former Blizzard developer Jeff Kaplan to discuss his legacy and what comes next, I hadn't anticipated being asked questions myself--especially ones pertaining to one of the early aughts' most iconic (and absurd) comedy films. Yet it took only 20 minutes until we reached this point--when discussing the tragedy of Uncle Rico felt like a both a natural and important conversation to have. Despite being a self-proclaimed introvert, it's easy to see how the World of Warcraft developer went on to become not just the director of Overwatch, but the highly public face of the game. "Oh, are we getting bought for $69 billion today?" It all feels like Monopoly money.