A new name for McCree in Overwatch has been decided. We reveal what the cowboy is called now and what the reasoning behind it is.
Even though players are eagerly waiting for more news from Overwatch 2, there is another “problem” in the Overwatch universe that has been on fans’ minds for weeks. The popular cowboy McCree was supposed to be renamed, but for a long time, the name was unknown. Now Blizzard has broken the silence and introduced how the gunslinger will be named in the future.
What is McCree’s new name? In a future update of Overwatch, the cowboy Jesse McCree will be renamed. He will henceforth carry the name “Cole Cassidy” and will accordingly be referred to by other characters and will be available under this name in Overwatch 1 and 2.
Starting October 26, the patch that implements the name change will be deployed.
Why was the name changed? McCree was a character in Overwatch who was named directly after a Blizzard developer, namely Jesse McCree. He last worked on Diablo 4 as a level designer, but left Blizzard several months ago. In light of the huge sexism scandal at Blizzard, many accusations revolved around this developer, prompting the Overwatch team to decide to give the cowboy in the game a new name.
How is the name change justified in the game? The developers have at least come up with a little story to make the renaming “logical” within the game’s world.
The introductory tweet states that “the first thing a rogue loses is his name.” The cowboy has been running away from himself for a long time and has therefore assumed a false identity. But in every cowboy’s life, “there comes a time when one must stand firm.”
McCree had to be honest with himself and his team, which is why he is taking back the name from his past – his true name: Cole Cassidy.
While this is just a small story tidbit, it’s certainly better than a dull name change without any lore justification. Whether this reason is sufficient must be decided by each person for themselves.
How is this being received by the community? At least in the Overwatch subreddit, the new name seems to be well received. Although there are some critics who believe that it will take a while for the name to establish, many are pleased. Some players find it particularly amusing that the abbreviation of “Cole Cassidy” is simply “CC” – as the cowboy is one of the strongest CC characters in the game with his Flashbang. Whether this was considered in the naming or is just a coincidence, no one knows.
What do you think of McCree’s new name? A good solution? Or does the name not fit the cowboy at all?
