Further adjustments in World of Warcraft are pending. The Pink Love Rocket is also subject to renaming.
The renaming in World of Warcraft continues. The latest version of Patch 9.1.5 on the PTR has a handful of adjustments ready. One of the rarest mounts in the game is being renamed, and the icon is also changing. Apparently, it seemed too reminiscent of a phallus.
What is being renamed? The “Pink Love Rocket,” one of the rarest mounts in the game. The rocket can rarely be dropped by the event boss during the Valentine’s Day event (“Love is in the Air”). As the name suggests, it is a large, pink rocket that strongly resembles Goblin technology.
In the future, the rocket will carry a different name, namely “X-45 Heartbreaker” – presumably “X-45 Heartbreaker” in German. The icon of the rocket will also be changed, making it clearer that it resembles a Goblin rocket.
Why is this being renamed? Blizzard does not provide a specific reason for this. However, it is obvious that the “Pink Love Rocket,” especially in connection with the former icon, could be seen as quite ambiguous. For a long time, there has been a community joke that the icon and name refer to a penis.
With the renaming and adjustment of the icon, this parallel has obviously disappeared.
A Boss is Also Being Renamed
But the Pink Love Rocket is not the only renaming. A boss from an old Pandaria raid is also being renamed. The “Twin Consorts” in the Throne of Thunder are getting a new name. They will be renamed to “Twin Empyreans” in the English original. A new German name is still pending.
Along with this, Blizzard is also changing the description and the underlying story of these two Mogu. In the (still current) description, the two female Mogu are clearly what the name also implies – concubines:
It is said that the Twin Concubines are the greatest treasures of the Thunder King. According to rumors, they are the only female Mogu who ever existed, so Lei Shen kept them well – but his devastating arsenal against intruders even better.
Current description of the Twin Consorts in the Dungeon Journal
In the new description, there is no mention of the fact that they are the only two women of the Mogu and belong to Lei Shen. In Patch 9.1.5 it says (translated):
The Twin Empyreans are among the strongest champions of the Thunder King. Eager to secure his reign, Lei Shen always keeps his loyalists close and their combined powers against intruders even closer.
New description of the “Twin Empyreans” in Patch 9.1.5
This means that former concubines and “love servants” of the Thunder King are now faithful fighters.
What is this supposed to achieve? Since the onset of the major discrimination and sexism scandal, the developers have begun to alter unwelcome content in World of Warcraft. Initially, only the names of NPCs and items that were reminiscent of former developers were changed. However, other content has also been affected, as female representations have previously been removed from the game and replaced with fruit.
Blizzard apparently wants to fundamentally revise the portrayal of women in World of Warcraft and is not hesitant to alter the story of characters—even if they come from expansions that are almost a decade old.
What do you think about these renamings? Absolutely okay and justified? Or do they go too far?
