A report from The Verge confirms that Overwatch 2's Lead Hero Designer Geoff Goodman has resigned after a long-time stay in Blizzard. The decision was made by the designer earlier this year.
A statement was sent by the company to PC Gamer regarding the designer's resignation, and it states that "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 Works
Goodman resigns amidst the release of Overwatch 2's newest hero, Kiriko, just a few days ago. He led the team in designing the 35th hero.
Along with Kiriko, Sojourn and Junker Queen were also included in his works for Overwatch 2. Some reworks for characters like Doomfist and Orisa were also done by Goodman.
Future heroes that are still not released to the public are also possibly done by the resigned designer, as PC Gamer speculated in the same report.
Goodman was one of the teams behind Project Titan. Although it was canceled, he made a huge mark for Blizzard as he contributed a lot of designs to the game.
Former Director Jeff Kaplan said that he was the "spokesperson" of the company in interviews or launch events whenever there will be changes or new heroes in the game.
Reason of Resignation
No reasons were given by the company and Goodman himself regarding his departure from the company. However, he was not the first employee to leave the company.
Executive Producer Chacko Sonny left Blizzard last year, while Producer Tracy Kennedy also left in February this year.
The two mentioned employees filed their resignations after the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing filed a case against the company last July 20, 2021.
The lawsuit indicates workplace harassment and discrimination, as reported by Polygon. According to the department, Blizzard has ten violations of state employment law which led to an investigation from them into the practices within the workplace.
The investigation found that female employees were discriminated against when it came to employment, compensation, assignment, promotion, termination, constructive discharge, and retaliation.
Last April, Goodman stated that all of the employees made sure that everyone felt safe as they returned to work after the issues. He stated, "It seems to be everyone's, you know, much happier now and things are going forward. But I think it's it's still there and still lingers. It's definitely a morale hit."
Goodman's last appearance as the lead hero designer of Overwatch 2 was in a group interview by SVB, which can be viewed on their Youtube channel.
This article is owned by TechTimes
Written by Inno Flores
