Editor's Annotation: A lawsuit has been filed against Activision Blizzard past the California Department of Off-white Employment and Housing, which alleges the company has engaged in abuse, discrimination, and retaliation against its female employees. Activision Blizzard has denied the allegations. The total details of the Activision Blizzard lawsuit (content warning: rape, suicide, corruption, harassment) are being updated as new information becomes available.

Content warning: The following article and links contain references to racist iconography, rape, suicide, verbal abuse, sexual assault, and harassment.

The cowboy hero of Overwatch might receive a name change soon, in the wake of the recent Activision Blizzard lawsuit. The grapheme shares a name with Jesse McCree, a erstwhile Blizzard employee allegedly involved in workplace misconduct. Because of this, someOverwatch players take asked that McCree be renamed then he's no longer associated with the real person.

Split from the designer, the proper name McCree functions as a reference to Mad Canis familiaris McCree, an early on, Old West-themed video game. Equally a character, McCree has very much formed his own identity, with his sharpshooting prowess, signature, drawly voice lines, and just-stepped-out-of-Tombstone look. That said, his proper name is almost certainly connected to that same developer.

In a 2017 interview with WIRED, erstwhile Overwatch writer Michael Chu explained the squad was struggling to come upward with "the perfect cowboy name."

"Someone suggested, 'Hey, what virtually the name Jesse McCree?' Jesse is a designer at Blizzard. [...] We kind of stack-ranked 'Jesse McCree' against every other name nosotros'd come up with, and at the stop of it, we still thought 'Jesse' McCree was the best cowboy name. [...] Jesse had to sign over his name to u.s.a., and so now he will forever exist linked to our favorite cowboy character."

"Forever" may non be so. Overwatch esports casters are already avoiding saying McCree's proper name, and the optics of not changing it could be bad for Blizzard. There are plenty of in-game reasons the writers could take McCree change his name - the biggest being his desire to run from his criminal by - and there are already a few potential names he could use instead, either with in-game justification or in reference to the character's existent-earth backstory.

Overwatch Lore Hints "Joel" Might Already Be McCree'southward Existent Proper name

In that location has been at least 1 hint inOverwatch that Jesse McCree is not the graphic symbol'south birth proper name. In a dialogue interaction, Sombra calls him McCree and derisively adds, "If that is your existent name." McCree responds, "Don't know what you heard, but my proper name's not Joel." In that location are differing theories on where McCree could have come with "Joel," as it'south non immediately apparent if that's a reference to in-game lore or a shout-out to popular culture. There is a famous Western actor named Joel McCrea, though it could even be a reference toThe Final of Us' Joel Miller.

In that location is a case to exist made for this being a reference to McCree's true identity, however. In the game's canon, at that place is already a "Joel" - a blogger named Joel Morricone. Given that McCree's blueprint is inspired by many characters in Spaghetti Westerns and that Ennio Morricone is a well-known composer of Spaghetti Western themes, the coincidence seems as well convenient. Whether Joel Morricone is McCree's existent name or a nom de feather, it's an advisable Western proper name for a gunslinging cowboy.

"Logann" Would Recollect To Overwatch'southward Pattern Phase

The name "Logann," meanwhile, could give a nod to the character's design origin. McCree appears to be inspired past a piece of concept art once created by Chris Metzen of a graphic symbol chosen Prospector Logann. According to Blizzard Lookout man, a team at Blizzard after revived this grapheme in concept art, pictured above, for a Starcraft MMO that never got out of the planning stages. This Logann art makes the graphic symbol look older than McCree, simply otherwise, it'due south an unmistakable resemblance, right downward to the belt buckle.

While McCree, a quondam criminal turned hero, plays a very unlike role in the Overwatch story than Logann would have inStarcraft (existence a fellow member of the Terran Confederacy, the symbol on his arm in the concept art has an uncomfortable likeness to the existent-world racist iconography of the Amalgamated Boxing Flag), he bears Logann's artistic Dna. Fifty-fifty regardless of the origin, the vibe of the proper noun would work well with McCree's design, whether information technology be made into his showtime or last name.

McCree Could Take His Vocalization Histrion'due south Name, "Mercer"

Image Source: Matt Mercer/Twitter

Some fans accept asked for McCree'due south name to be changed to that of Matt Mercer, McCree's vocalization actor in Overwatch. Mercer is more closely associated with the character than the real-life Jesse McCree, and he is well-liked past theOverwatch customs. While the team chose the Blizzard developer's name because it sounded similar a good cowboy moniker, the name "Mercer" isn't a bad cowboy name, either; in that location was a Western histrion named Warren Mercer Oates, for example. If it'd be as well foreign for the character to share the verbal name as his actor, the hero formerly known equally McCree could have a more "cowboy" starting time name, such as Wyatt, Roy, or John.

Regardless of whether Blizzard chooses to rename McCree, he'll likely remain a staple of the Overwatchseries. He's set to appear in the upcomingOverwatch 2, and Blizzard has already revealed a new visual design for the character in the sequel.

Next: Overwatch 2 Reveals Updated Await For Iv Heroes

How Fortnite Chapter 3's Map Compares To Previous Ones

Nigh The Author

Rachel Kaser (30 Manufactures Published)

Rachel is a author from Texas who specializes in video games, tech, and entertainment. She graduated from UT Austin with an English degree, and 1 of her beginning jobs was reviewing video games. When she's non playing games and writing about them, she's keeping up with the MCU, reading mystery novels, and attempting to write mysteries of her ain.

More From Rachel Kaser