Overwatch 2 appears to be cutting down on references to ex-director of Blizzard, Jeff Kaplan, in the new overhaul of the New York map.
Following Kaplan’s departure from Blizzard in April, development of Overwatch 2 has continued with Aaron Keller in the lead role. Kaplan had been there from Overwatch’s inception, and many were surprised to see him go after 19 years with the company.
Kaplan was not the only high-profile departure from Blizzard in 2021, as following a lawsuit alleging “constant sexual harassment” and a “frat boy workplace culture”, several others stepped down – including Chacko Sonny and Jesse Meschuk.
Noticed by an Overwatch fan on Reddit (thanks Dexerto), a pizza shop that had once borne the name “Jeph” in honour of Kaplan, had since been renamed in the latest version of the Overwatch 2 New York map.
Noticed they took out the Easter egg reference to Jeff Kaplan on the New York map. Top image is from the PVP livestream and bottom is from the Bastion rework video from Competitiveoverwatch
