The long-awaited renaming of McCree in Overwatch is here. His new name is Cole Cassidy. It comes months after Blizzard announced the name change. It was due to controversy, as the Blizzard employee that McCree was named after was accused of misconduct. Read on to learn more about McCree’s name change in Overwatch.
Overwatch’s McCree renamed to Cole Cassidy
Yes, McCree has a new name. In Overwatch, he’s now under the name Cole Cassidy.
The news was revealed on the official Overwatch Twitter on October 22. The change will take effect in-game on October 26. Following that, all references to McCree will be totally wiped from the game. Though not confirmed, you can imagine the change will come through a minor software update or hotfix.
Meet Cole Cassidy.
Rides into Overwatch October 26. pic.twitter.com/CT6PmaNXNs
— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) October 22, 2021
Blizzard announced the McCree name change in August 2021. However, they only confirmed the title today. His name referred to Jesse McCree, a long-term Blizzard employee. That month, leaks revealed his involvement in a controversial employee group chat, which named itself the Cosby Suite. Screenshots shared by Kotaku shows McCree talking in the chat, which made light of Cosby soon after several allegations of sexual misconduct were made against the comedian.
Following the backlash, and the plummet in Blizzard’s stock, they decided to remove all references to McCree in Overwatch. It seems that there will be no stat changes, and Cole Cassidy will play the same as his previous iteration.
Prior to the announcement, the Overwatch community speculated over the potential name change. The most popular suggestion was Dave, which fans were sad not to see confirmed:
Howdy Cole Cassidy! 👋🤠
(Though Dave will always have a special place in our hearts) ❤️💙
— Washington Justice (@washjustice) October 22, 2021
While it may be nothing more than a name change, it’s proof of Blizzard acknowledging their murky history. It is a step towards moving on from the allegations that have plagued the company this year, and a sign of progress for all those affected by them.
In other news, a new GTA Trilogy launched today. We’ve got details on the price and release date, as well as whether you can buy the games separately.
