Overwatch Offers Free Name Change After Renaming McCree

Overwatch’s McCree hero now has a new name, but he’s not the only one who’s going to get the opportunity to have people refer to him by a different name. Blizzard Entertainment announced this week that it’s offering players a free name change in case they want to go by something different in-game. The offer is only live for a limited time, however, and since it refers to the BattleTags Overwatch players go by, it’ll only be available to those who have a BattleNet account which limits its usefulness to the PC platform.

The free BattleTag name change was announced not long after Blizzard said that McCree would now be known as Cole Cassidy. Likely as a way to assuage some of the bumpiness of an unprecedented situation like this where an established character’s name is changed, Blizzard said people could let go of a name they’d been holding onto if they wanted a new one.

As we introduce a new name, you might have the desire to do the same. We are providing a free BattleTag name change to all players.

✨ https://t.co/gYMbJd7w61 pic.twitter.com/C8gGTmCBND

— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) October 22, 2021

“As we introduce a new name, you might have the desire to do the same,” Blizzard said. “Starting 22 October, 2021 and continuing through 5 November, 2021, all players will be offered a free BattleTag name change. This applies to anyone who does not currently have a free name change available. Existing name changes will not stack for future use.”

You’ve got until November 5th to take advantage of the opportunity as Blizzard said, so don’t miss out on it if you want to change your name. If you’ve never changed your BattleTag at all, however, you’ve got a free change waiting for you anyway. That’s because everyone gets one free name swap whenever they make an account, but as Blizzard noted in the announcement, the name changes do not stack which means this offer isn’t too useful for those who’ve never changed their name in the first place.

Cole Cassidy adopted his new name as a result of the lawsuit Activision Blizzard is currently facing which includes allegations of sexual harassment, discrimination, and other actions. The hero was previously named after real-life Blizzard employee Jesse McCree who was one of several developers that left the studio following the start of the lawsuit and ensuing investigations.

Blizzard said previously it would have a story arc coming of which Cole Cassidy would play a prominent role in, so it looks like we may soon see more about the hero if that arc is indeed about to get underway.