Overwatch 2 adds classy Jeff Kaplan tribute with NYC map easter egg

Overwatch 2 has paid tribute to former Game Director Jeff Kaplan with a brilliant coffee cup easter egg on the brand new NYC map.

After Jeff Kaplan left Blizzard back in April, a lot of Overwatch fans were concerned about the direction that the game would take following his departure.

The former game director was a key figure in the hero shooter’s development and built up a great relationship with the game’s community.

Fans were extremely sad when the news broke that he was leaving the project, and that Overwatch 2 would launch without Kaplan at the helm.

Now, a number of Overwatch 2 developers have revealed an easter egg that pays homage to Kaplan on the new NYC map and allows his legacy to live on in the sequel.

Blizzard/Activision

Jeff Kaplan left Blizzard back in April 2021.

Overwatch 2 pays homage to Jeff Kaplan with brilliant easter eggs

During a gameplay live stream of Overwatch 2 on May 20, the team showed off a series of new maps coming in the game’s sequel, including Monte Carlo, Rome, Toronto, and of course, New York.

Although every single one of the map’s looked incredible, it was New York that captured the fan’s attention due to an amazing set of Jeff Kaplan easter eggs. The devs not only added a restaurant called ‘Jephs Corner Pizza’, but they also included a coffee cup with the name ‘Jeph’ on the side.

Eagle-eyed fans even noticed that the book that the coffee cup is sat on top of is called ‘The Green Hills of Stranglethorn’. This is a quest Kaplan wrote back when he was part of the World of Warcraft development team.

Although most Overwatch fans will be familiar with the story, the misspelled name on the coffee cup harkens back to when Jeff ordered a Starbucks on the Blizzard Campus back in 2017.

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Despite Jeff seemingly being a relatively simple name, the employee accidentally spelled it wrong, labeling the cup with ‘Jeph’. That led to an incredibly funny photo of Kaplan being shared on Twitter of him standing with the cup.

If anyone deserves an easter egg inside Overwatch’s highly anticipated sequel it’s Jeff Kaplan. Since the original game’s release back all the way back in 2016, he’s been the face of the project and earned legendary status among the game’s community.

It’s obvious a lot of thought went into paying homage to Kaplan in the new game and it’s definitely a touch that’s appreciated by the community.

Kaplan may not be part of the development team anymore, but his contribution to the game will never be forgotten by Overwatch fans across the globe.