The popular cowboy from Overwatch, McCree, is getting a new name. Blizzard is responding to the sexism scandal of the past few weeks.
In recent weeks, much has been revolving around the major sexism and discrimination scandal at Activision Blizzard. In World of Warcraft, consequences have already been drawn, and references to the former developer Alex Afrasiabi were quickly removed from the game. Now Overwatch is following suit and is also making a significant change: the cowboy McCree will be renamed.
What happened? The Overwatch team has released a message revealing a decision that many have been longing for or fearing for weeks. The cowboy McCree in Overwatch will receive a new name. However, this is a process that will take several months until all related adjustments are made. After all, not only must the name be changed in written form, but also in sound files and on graphics, such as spray logos or skins.
How exactly McCree will be named in the future is not yet known and will probably be revealed by Blizzard in a few months.
Why is Blizzard doing this? In the course of investigations by a California agency, many Blizzard employees came under fire. Among them was Jesse McCree, after whom the cowboy was named. Jesse McCree recently worked as the lead level designer on Diablo 4 and was seen in a photo of the controversial “Cosby Suite.” He left Blizzard a few weeks ago.
The exact reasons for the renaming were revealed by Blizzard on Twitter. We have translated the full tweet for you:
We have created the Overwatch universe around the idea of inclusion, equality, and hope as building blocks for a better future. This is central to the game and the Overwatch team.
As we continue to discuss how we can best stand by our values and demonstrate our commitment to creating a game world that reflects this, we believe it is necessary to change the name of the hero currently known as McCree to something that better represents what Overwatch stands for.
We understand that any change to such a popular and central hero in the game world takes time to be done correctly, and we will keep you updated on the progress of this work. In the short term, we had planned to release a story arc in September with new lore and game content, in which McCree was a central component.
Because we want to incorporate this change into the story arc, we will postpone it to a later date this year and instead release an FFA map in September. In the future, in-game characters will no longer be named after real employees, and we will be more thoughtful when incorporating references to the real world in Overwatch.
This will help us clarify that we are creating a fictional universe that is distinctly different from the real world. It should better show that the creation of Overwatch is a team effort. Work on these updates is already underway, and this is just part of our ongoing commitment to honest reflection and the effort to make all necessary changes to build a future worth fighting for.
We recognize that actions speak louder than words, and we hope to demonstrate our commitment to making Overwatch a better in-game experience and providing the best possible experience from our team.
Community reactions: The player base in the subreddit and on Twitter has mixed reactions to this announcement. Many understand and welcome this step. While it may not be the most important thing at the moment, it’s a good signal and a sensible rule for the future.
Others are outraged by this change and wish that the character’s name remains. They have known him as McCree and do not associate him with a Blizzard employee. For some, it’s a “big change to the story” or a sign that decisions are being made based on “political views.”
Still others take it humorously and suggest silly names like “Unnamed DPS Hero” or “Shooty McShootface”.
Finally, some explain that the payload driver on the Hollywood map was right all along. Because he has been saying since the release of Overwatch: “Jesse McCree? A terrible name for a cowboy!” Who would have thought he would be so right.
What do you think about this matter?
