Prior to the release of Overwatch 2, the lead hero designer for most of the game’s new playable characters, Geoff Goodman, will be leaving Blizzard. Goodman also acted as lead hero designer for many of the playable characters in the original Overwatch.

Regarding Overwatch 2, Goodman helped design Sojourn and Junker Queen. It is likely that he also played a role in the design of the recently announced Kiriko, but that has not been officially confirmed.

A Blizzard spokesperson told PC Gamer that Goodman made the decision to leave Blizzard “earlier this year,” before providing the outlet with the following statement:

“We appreciate [Goodman] for his many years of service at Blizzard and I wish him all the best. His ability to bring Overwatch’s diverse roster of heroes to life through the game has been incredible, and the mark he has left on the Warcraft and Overwatch teams will be felt for years to come.”

PC Gamer’s report does not list the reason for Goodman’s departure. That said, there has been a pattern of high-profile Overwatch developers leaving Blizzard over the past year, including director Jeff Kaplan in April 2021, lead character artist Renaud Galand in May 2021, executive producer Chacko Sonny in September 2021 and producer Tracy Kennedy. in February 2022.

Many of these departures occurred after July 2021, when the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing filed a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard over claims of equal pay violations, sex discrimination, and sexual harassment.