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Blizzard has announced that they plan to change the name of Overwatch’s Gunslinger character after a recent sexual harassment lawsuit was brought against Activision Blizzard in California. The fan-favorite ‘McCree’ was named after Jesse McCree – a former longtime Blizzard employee that was pictured in the so-called ‘Cosby Suite’.
At this early stage, there’s no indication of what McCree’s new alias will be or when the character will be officially renamed.
A message from the Overwatch team. pic.twitter.com/2W3AV7Pv6X
— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) August 26, 2021
Overwatch To Rename McCree
It was clear a renaming was imminent, with many of the game’s casters straight up refusing to use the name in streams. Furthermore, Blizzard have actually stalled a fairly large narrative arc that was due in September to resolve this big mess.
Casters starting using a new alias for the character, simply coining him ‘The Cowboy’.
Furthermore, the renaming of McCree also follows a recent decision to stop making skins for Overwatch League MVPs – which came to light after sexual assault allegations surfaced over MVP Jay ‘Sinatraa’ Won.
The company released a statement earlier this month saying that McCree will no longer be working at the company – alongside other employees linked to the ‘Cosby Suite’ (Luis Barriga and Jonathan LeCraft).
To pop the cherry on the cake, California’s department of Fair employment and housing (DFEH) have also accused Activision Blizzard of ‘Withholding and suppressing evidence’ in an active investigation – with employees of the company walking out in protest of recent claims.
