Overwatch Announces McCree Name Change Following Backlash

The team behind Blizzard Entertainment's Overwatch has announced that McCree, who is one of the [...]

By Logan Moore

The team behind Blizzard Entertainment's Overwatch has announced that McCree, who is one of the original Heroes that first launched with the game back in 2016, will be receiving a name change in-game. This alteration comes after Overwatch came under fire from fans for the continued use of McCree's name, which was originally meant as a callback to Jesse McCree, who is a former Blizzard employee that was fired by the company earlier this month.

After weeks of pressure from many fans around the globe, the Overwatch team released a statement this afternoon informing fans that McCree will be receiving a new name in the future. "We built the Overwatch universe around the idea that inclusivity, equity, and hope are the building blocks of a better future. They are central to the game and to the Overwatch team," said the statement that was released on social media. "As we continue to discuss how we best live up to our values and to demonstrate our commitment to creating a game world that reflects them, we believe it's necessary to change the name of the hero currently known as McCree to something that better represents what Overwatch stands for."

Although such a name change for McCree has now been confirmed by the Overwatch studio, the developers have also said that it will take a bit of time until this new name is revealed and officially rolls out. "We realize that any change to such a well-loved and central hero in the game's fiction will take time to roll out correctly, and we'll share updates as this work progresses," the development team stated. "In the near term, we had planned to kick off a narrative arc in September supported with new story and game content, of which McCree was a key part. Since we want to integrate this change into that story arc, we will be delaying the new arc until later this year and instead launch a new FFA map this September."

As a final resolution to this whole matter, the Overwatch team said that characters seen within the game will no longer be given names that are based on actual employees at the studio. "This will help reinforce that we're building a fictional universe that is unmistakably different from the real world and better illustrates that the creation of Overwatch is truly a team effort," the message went on to say.

"Work on these updates is underway, and they are just a part of our ongoing commitment to honest reflection and making whatever changes are necessary to build a future worth fighting for. We know that actions speak louder than words, and we hope to show you our commitment to making Overwatch a better experience in-game and continue to make our team the best it can be."

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