Activision Blizzard hasn’t exactly had the best year, as developers are still left in what has been described as a toxic work environment we can only hope is improving now that the state of California’s lawsuit and pressure from employees inside and out continue to be in the public eye, and the latest update is actually quite significant, as the character McCree in Overwatch will have his name changed.
This is important because the developer whom the character is named after, Jesse McCree, was just recently fired from Blizzard amid the fallout of the lawsuit, as website Kotaku reports.
In a statement on Twitter from the Overwatch Team, the developers said:
“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. As we continue to discuss how we best live up to our values and demonstrate our commitment to creating a game world that reflects them, we believe it’s nevessary to change the name of the hero currently known as McCree to something that better represents what Overwatch stands for. 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. 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. Going forward, in-game characters will no longer be named after real employees and we will be more thoughtful and discerning about adding real world references in future Overwatch content. 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. 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.
-The Overwatch Team”
McCree was a large part of Overwatch lore, so there will be quite a bit of work to be done to entirely change the name, so while it may seem like a small change it truly is no small task. Hopefully changes in game like this aren’t the only ones happening at the company, and that things are changing for the better for those developers who have been consistently hurt by a place they once dream to work.