Overwatch creator debuts Wild West shooter as first game since leaving Blizzard

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After nineteen years with Blizzard, where he believed he’d stay for his entire career, the lead creator of Overwatch is now releasing his first game since moving on.

Jeff Kaplan left Blizzard in April 2021 during the creation of Overwatch 2. He’d been told by the company’s financial leader that Overwatch needed to earn a specific amount of money, or significant layoffs – potentially a thousand jobs – would occur, and he’d be held responsible. Since then, he’s been building a new studio called Kintsugiyama, and they’re finally ready to share what they’ve been working on.

Overwatch creator Jeff Kaplan’s first game since leaving Blizzard is here

The Legend of California is a Wild West first-person shooter set during the Gold Rush on a fictional island version of the state.

Kintsugiyama designed the game to be played with others, featuring maps that are created randomly each time you play. While famous places like Yosemite always stay in the same spot, other interesting locations change with every new game, keeping things fresh.

Kaplan described how they built the game world to maintain California’s recognizable shape, but reimagined it as an island. Instead of typical levels, the game uses a difficulty system based on server tiers. This means the challenge level of an area can vary dramatically – a place might be perfect for new players on one server, but a difficult challenge for experienced players on another.

You can play this game alone or with a team of up to three friends. You’ll collect materials, build and manage ranches, and fight against enemy camps, with the option to battle other players too. The game focuses on skillful combat and features a detailed crafting system for creating weapons, tools, and food.

The Legend of California is available to wishlist on Steam now, with Playtests coming.

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2026-03-12 19:19