Activision-Blizzard has revealed the new name for the Overwatch hero formerly known as Jesse McCree.
He is now known as Cole Cassidy.
Before we elaborate. Let us fill you in on why this had to happen. It’s a story worth knowing about.
Voiced by the phenomenally talented Matthew Mercer, Jesse McCree was a character that plays into the cowboy/gunslinger archetype. His famous quote, “It’s high noon!” became a bit of a meme some time back.
The character of McCree was named after a former Blizzard employee of the same name. The real person left the company during the ongoing allegations of harassment and abuse at the company.
Blizzard initially announced the change in name back in August. The new name was unveiled this week.
According to the lore snippet we got, apparently the cowboy-formerly-known-as-McCree had been “running from his past” and he was going to go back to his real name for the new Overwatch (the organization came back after being disbanded in the story of the game).
Blizzard has also claimed that going forward, they would not be naming any characters after real employees and that they would be more thoughtful and discerning about making real-world references in their game.
So… meet Cole Cassidy.
Before we finish, it is important to note that Activision Blizzard is currently facing serious ongoing allegations of harassment and mistreatment of marginalized workers.
Blizzard has been accused of cultivating a “frat boy” culture including toxic work environment, sexual harassment, and unequal pay between men and women.
Emmen Gaming 