How Easter Eggs in Video Games Came to Be

Easter eggs in video games date back to at least 1973 when Moonlander hid a McDonald's for players to find.

The term "Easter egg" was coined after Adventure for the Atari 2600 (1980) hid a room crediting programmer Warren Robinett.

Atari manager Steve Wright embraced the hidden credit and popularized the term, encouraging developers to add secrets.

Easter eggs have since become common in modern franchises such as Resident Evil Requiem, GTA, Halo: Reach, and Battlefield 4.