The Overwatch character McCree is under criticism. Many are calling for a renaming, as they are bothered by the name.
In recent weeks, the discrimination and sexism scandal at Blizzard has overshadowed almost everything. In the course of the aftermath, some employees were let go, including Jesse McCree. However, there is a bigger problem here, as he was the namesake of an Overwatch character. Many fans are now calling for the renaming of McCree.
What is the problem? The cowboy Jesse McCree is one of the most well-known Overwatch characters. However, he shares his name with one of the developers, who Activision Blizzard recently parted ways with and who was involved in the sexism scandal. Jesse McCree was mainly responsible for Diablo in recent years and, apart from the name similarity with the cowboy McCree in Overwatch, had nothing to do with the game.
In various streams, the casters at matches have already begun to avoid saying McCree’s name, instead referring to him just as “the cowboy” (via dotesports.com).
Has anything similar happened before? Yes, in World of Warcraft. Several characters and items bore the name of the developer Alex Afrasiabi. Blizzard promptly renamed the corresponding items and characters after players spat on and killed the Afrasiabi NPC for days.
Streamer Asmongold finds the behavior ridiculous
However, the demand does not receive unanimous support. The streamer Asmongold has commented on this issue. Asmongold is primarily known for World of Warcraft or, in recent weeks, Final Fantasy XIV. He stated in the stream that he would find it ridiculous if McCree were renamed in Overwatch and explained this quite extensively:
I hope they don’t change McCree’s name in Overwatch. From my perspective, that would be just dumb. McCree is an existing character with a lot of history around him. The damned NPCs of Alex Afrasiabi didn’t have that; they were just random NPCs with his name.
So, if that were to happen, I would just find it weird. It’s like trying to hide it, like retconning things to make it look like it never happened.
Asmongold also reacts to the casters avoiding McCree’s name. He says:
I find that just dumb. This is just one of those things where it’s like… yes, even though it was originally named after this guy who was an asshole, that’s not really what [the Overwatch character McCree] is. The character has developed. At least that’s how I see it.
Towards the end, Asmongold even becomes a bit annoyed:
What happens if you say his name? Do you call him three times and then he comes back? Is this like the damned Voldemort or Beetlejuice?
How likely is a renaming? Rather unlikely. The effort of a renaming would be massive compared to the renaming of the Afrasiabi changes. Not only would McCree have to be changed in the texts, but also in the numerous dialogues and comics. This would mean that Blizzard would have to review all media related to Overwatch or have over two dozen voice actors record their lines with McCree’s new name.
An effort that seems hardly proportional to the benefits.
What do you think about this matter? Should McCree be renamed?
