Blizzard announced today on Twitter that it will change the name of Jesse McCree and delay the start of OverwatchThe next arc in history. The change comes after the real-life developer for whom the cowboy character was named he let go of the company amid the ongoing consequences of a lawsuit in California accusing the company widespread sexual harassment and discrimination.
“We built the Overwatch universe around the idea that inclusion, equity and hope are the basic elements of a better future, ”said the development team he wrote in a statement. “As we continue to discuss how we live our values best and demonstrate our commitment to creating a game world that reflects them, we believe we need to change the name of the hero currently known as McCree to something that better represents Overwatch it means.”
Blizzard had already planned to launch a new narrative arc in Overwatch in September, but as McCree played a key role in it, the content has been delayed until the end of the year. In the meantime, a new FFA map will be added to the game.
“In the future, the characters in the game will no longer have the names of real employees and we will be more thoughtful and discerning about how to add real-world references in the future. Overwatch content, “the team wrote.
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McCree was originally christened Blizzard designer Jesse McCree. But Blizzard faced growing calls to change the character’s name after a Kotaku the report featured old Facebook images showing McCree posing with other Blizzard employees in front of a giant portrait of Bill Cosby in a 2013 BlizzCon hotel room nicknamed the “Cosby Suite.” The images also included a text chat in which World of Warcraft Designer Alex Afrasiabi wrote about marrying women returning to the room. “You missed wrong,” McCree replied. Afrasiabi is a developer named in a lawsuit in California accusing him of sexually harassing female co-workers.
Afrasiabi was fired from Blizzard last year for “misconduct.” But it wasn’t until demand public complaints against him and a fan reaction occurred that the company began removing its references World of Warcraft. Tchanges were made to “rebuild trust”With the gaming community in demand.
McCree was recently a designer at Diablo 4. But two weeks ago Activision Blizzard confirmed he no longer worked for the company, along with game director Luis Barriga i World of Warcraft designer Jonathan LeCraft. LeCraft was also seen in the Cosby Suite. Barriga has not been named in any of the current allegations against the company.
“We have a deep and talented list of developers and new leaders have already been assigned, if any,” an Activision Blizzard spokesman said at the time. “We are confident in our ability to continue to progress, deliver incredible experiences to our players and move forward to ensure a productive and safe work environment for all.” No reason was given for the departures.
Even before today’s announcement, some al Overwatch community he had stopped using McCree’s name in reference to the character. Overwatch League pitchers Brennon ‘Bren’ Hook and Josh ‘Sideshow’ Wilkinson stopped using it during live broadcasts earlier this month and declared it a personal choice.