Released in 2016 to critical acclaim, Blizzard Entertainment’s competitive hero shooterOverwatchwas praised upon its release for its team-focused gunplay and eclectic cast of characters. While no longer the multiplayer mainstay it once was in the gaming community,Overwatchremains reasonably popular to this day.
Overwatch’s colorful cast continues to be one of the game’s biggest strengths and differentiators in the competitive FPS genre. Ranging from the highly intelligent gorilla scientist Winston to the mech-wielding former professional gamer D.Va,Overwatch’s troupe is certainly diverse. Recently, the game’s developer announced that the title’s American gunslinger McCree was going to have his name changed in response to the state ofCalifornia’s lawsuit against Activision-Blizzard.
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Yesterday, in a tweet from the officialOverwatchaccount, developerBlizzard revealed McCree’s new name: Cassidy Cole. Reception from fans and players to the new name has been mixed; some are applauding the new moniker and others are admitting that the character will forever be McCree in their minds.
The massively popular and occasionally controversial Twitch streamer xQc has stated his thoughts on the Cole Cassidy name reveal during a recent stream, echoing some other community members who are less than impressed with the new title.
“This is some sort of hoax, man. Huh? Is it real? Cole Cassidy? … Okay. Ain’t nobody is ever going to use that name.” xQc then continues, using Cassidy’s name as if he were playing a match ofOverwatchwhile chuckling to himself, “Watch out on the high ground behind. Cole is going to ult. We’re going to use Nano Cole. Nano Cole.”
While manyOverwatchfans are respecting Blizzard’s decision to change McCree’s nameamid the ever-growing lawsuit, it’s understandable that it may take quite some time for players to adjust to the new handle. McCree was an original character inOverwatchwhen it first launched in 2016, and his previous callsign is certainly burned into players’ minds.
Overwatchisn’t the only game facing changes in response to the Activision-Blizzard lawsuit, either.World of Warcraftrecently had some in-game achievements renamedto remove sexual innuendos, which many saw as inappropriate due to the company’s multitude of sexual harassment allegations. Still, a name change to a popularOverwatchcharacter like McCree is a much more visible revision than a rename of a handful of achievements. Fans will have to see if community members like xQc and others will eventually adapt to the new name.
Overwatchis available on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
