Overwatch 2 loses its lead hero designer
The lead hero designer behind Overwatch's huge roster of characters—and the ones to come in its upcoming sequel—has left Blizzard, the company confirmed to PC Gamer.
Geoff Goodman «made the decision to leave Blizzard earlier this year,» a Blizzard spokesperson said. The last public appearance by Goodman was in a group interview(opens in new tab) alongside senior game designer Josh Noh in June.
Blizzard provided a statement about Goodman's departure:
«We thank Geoff for his many years of service at Blizzard and wish him all the best. His ability to bring to life Overwatch’s diverse hero roster through gameplay has been incredible, and the mark he’s left on the Warcraft and Overwatch teams will be felt for years to come.»
Goodman's history with Overwatch goes all the way back to before it was known as Overwatch, when the team was still working on project Titan. Titan was cancelled and resurrected(opens in new tab) into the team-based hero shooter that launched in 2016. Outside of the game's former director Jeff Kaplan, who left Blizzard in 2021(opens in new tab), Goodman was one of the few faces of Overwatch, frequently asked to discuss balance changes and new heroes in interviews and events.
Goodman helped design major reworks for Doomfist and Orisa, new heroes Sojourn(opens in new tab) and Junker Queen(opens in new tab), and likely had a hand in several of the game's upcoming heroes, including new support hero Kiriko(opens in new tab).
Although no reason was given for Goodman's departure it comes after a series of high-profile Blizzard departures in the buildup and aftermath of the lawsuit(opens in new tab) filed by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing for workplace harassment and discrimination last
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