Blizzard to Rename McCree in the Wake of Recent Scandal
Blizzard is going to rename of the character known as McCree in Overwatch. The reason is that this character was named after a developer who was recently fired for unprofessional behavior.
The sexual harassment and mobbing scandal at Activision Blizzard continues to take its toll. The latest manifestation of this appeared to be the announcement of name change for McCree, a character from Overwatch.
The reason for this is that the character was named in honor of Jesse McCree, a Blizzard studio veteran who until recently worked as the lead level designer for Diablo IV. The developer was fired by the publisher a few weeks ago, in connection with the aforementioned scandal.
Jesse McCree, along with several other Blizzard employees, was in the now infamous photo taken inside the so-called Bill Cosby Suite, a hotel room from the 2013 BlizzCon. The place was cluttered with bottles of alcohol, and the main decoration was a photo of the comedian, who at that point was already being publicly accused of rape.
After McCree's name appeared in reports of harassment and bullying at Activision, some fans began to demand that the character named after him be renamed. The team behind Overwatch has decided to meet these demands. Developers explain that inclusiveness, equality and hope are the foundations on which the brand's universe was built, hence such a decision.
For now, it was not given how the hero's new name will sound. However, the need to change it will delay the introduction of a new story line for this character.
