Kaplan: Blizzard failed horrifically with scrapped MMO Titan

Blizzard designer Jeff Kaplan has revealed how the cancellation of MMO Titan has provided huge motivation for the studio.

Titan was abandoned in 2014 after seven years in development. CEO Mike Morhaime said simply that the team weren’t able to find the fun” in the title.

"You had a really amazing group that was working on Titan," Kaplan told GameSpot. "They were really talented individuals, but we failed horrifically in every way … In every way that a project can fail. It was devastating.

"You had these people who either came from other companies or from within Blizzard, and were used to working on games that were very successful like a World of Warcraft, for example. To go through such a complete and utter failure is very hard for people who are used to experiencing success.”

The experience, he said, has ultimately led to an even greater determination to make upcoming shooter Overwatch a success.

"Pressure came from all directions. Not that anybody was outwardly putting pressure on us, but because you’re used to doing well and succeeding … having a moment where you didn’t do well was almost like an embarrassment. Nobody said a word, everyone was super supportive, but I think there was this inward embarrassment.

"I think a lot of us were asking ourselves, on an individual basis, that question. So when it came to move to Overwatch there was an extremely tight bond on the team and a ravenous hunger to show the world that we’re not failures and we can make something really fun."