Overwatch 2 removes yet another IRL reference to a developer
Blizzard EntertainmentEagle-eyed Overwatch fans have clocked Blizzard changing the name of yet another developer reference in OW2.
Following the infamous lawsuit against Activision Blizzard for promoting a “pervasive frat boy culture” in the work environment, the company confirmed that they would no longer be putting references to real-life developers in their games.
Having changed the name of Overwatch’s cowboy character to Cole Cassidy following player complaints, the devs have also made adjustments to the highly anticipated sequel, Overwatch 2.
With a reference to former Overwatch Director, Jeff Kaplan, already biting the dust, it seems like yet another restaurant has had to change its name in the wake of the scandal.
Blizzard EntertainmentOverwatch 2 dev reference removed
Coming into the game’s beta launch, one sharp-sighted Overwatch fan has spotted a change to one of Toronto’s local cafes.
Formerly known as ‘Tim Fordsons’ (a play on iconic Canadian coffee shop, Tim Horton’s), the name has now been changed to ‘Tom Beansons.’ The previous name was a reference to Timothy Ford, the Assistant Technical Director for both Overwatch and the sequel.
“What’s wrong with the rival confident Beansons taking over and beating their historic rivals the Fordsons?” asks one fan. “This war started CENTURIES ago when Ford and Bean set up food stalls next to each other,” they continue, providing a brief and rather hilarious (fictional) history of the two stores.
Another comments that it “makes me curious about Blizzard World,” one of the hybrid maps in the base game.
As we draw ever closer to catching a glimpse of Overwatch 2, it’ll be interesting to see if there are any other changes to the game – or, if Blizzard have missed any like they did when they renamed Cassidy.
Either way, as long as we can grab a nice hot latte and some ‘Tombits’ to escape from the cold, we’re pretty happy.