Former Overwatch team led by Jeff Kaplan taking us to a simpler, wilder time with The Legend of California

After years of silence and speculation, former Overwatch lead developer Jeff Kaplan has returned to the gamemaking spotlight with a newly announced game after appearing on the Lex Friedman Podcast. Over the course of the five hour interview, Jeff discussed the early days of World of Warcraft, the development of Project Titan and how Overwatch rose from its ashes, his sudden departure just before the launch of Overwatch 2, and what he’s been up to in the last few years away from the public eye. This break could be summarized by gardening, gaming, and teaming up with former Overwatch lead programmer Tim Ford to start a new game, The Legend of California, at a new studio, Kintsugiyama Studio.

The Legend of California is a departure from the squad-based twitch shooter that the pair is known for, and is instead an open world survival game set in an alternate 1840’s California. Heavily inspired by the original maps of the state when it was assumed to be an island, as well as the oil painting landscapes of Albert Bierstadt, The Legend of California will allow you to roam the vast, diverse landscapes of the state. Players can set up ranches, businesses for selling wares, hunt wildlife or bandits, or participate in the gold rush by mining in elaborate mines. All the while, you will have to survive in the vast wilderness, dealing with dangerous wildlife or roaming raiders. Should you decide to engage in the optional PVP mode, you could even be one of people raiding homesteads.

Early comparisons to Red Dead Online would be hard to ignore, however The Legend of California is offering something the Rockstar game lacked in multiplayer that fans would be interested in — homesteading. The ability to build your own ranch, hire other players to work it, and set up shops — as well as rob them — would would actually be a huge draw for an expansive RP community.

The Legend of California is currently available to be wishlisted on Steam with the ability to opt into a playtest. The game is expected to enter early access later this year with no set release date or mention of a console version either.  The first look video does show a game that needs a fair bit of polish, but also shows promise. We look forward to seeing more videos out of Kintsugiyama Studio as development continues, as well as the Dinoflask videos to follow now that we have fresh new Jeff Kaplan content.