Even though players are eagerly waiting for more signs of life from Overwatch 2, there is another “problem” in the Overwatch universe that has been bothering fans for a few weeks now. The popular cowboy McCree was supposed to be renamed, but a name was not known for a long time. Now Blizzard has broken the silence and presented what the gunslinger will be called in the future.

What is McCree’s name now?

In a future update of Overwatch, the cowboy Jesse McCree will be renamed. He will henceforth bear the name “Cole Cassidy” and will accordingly be addressed as such by other characters and be available for selection under this name in Overwatch 1 and 2. Starting on October 26th, the patch will be applied that implements the name change.

Why was the name changed?

McCree was a character in Overwatch who got his name directly from a Blizzard developer, namely Jesse McCree. He last worked on Diablo 4 as a level designer, but left Blizzard a few months ago. In the course of the big sexism scandal at Blizzard, however, many accusations revolved around this developer, so the Overwatch team decided to give the cowboy in the game a new name.

What is the reasoning behind the name change in the game?

At least a little bit of story the developers have come up with to make the renaming “logical” even in the world of the game.

From the introductory tweet, it appears that “the first thing an outlaw loses is his name.” The cowboy had been running away from himself for a long time, he said, and had therefore assumed a false identity. But in the life of every cowboy comes “a time when you have to stand firm”.

McCree had to be honest with himself and his team, and that’s why he resumes the name from the past – his real name: Cole Cassidy.

That’s only a small story morsel, but it’s better than a blunt renaming, without any lore justification. Whether that’s enough of a reason is something everyone has to decide for themselves.

How is this received by the community?

At least in the Overwatch subreddit, the new name seems to be well received. Although there are some critics who think that the name will take quite a while to establish itself, many like it. Some players find it particularly amusing that the abbreviation of “Cole Cassidy” is simply “CC” – because the cowboy is one of the strongest CC characters in the game with his Flashbang. Of course, no one knows whether this was considered during the naming process or simply a coincidence.

What do you guys think of McCree’s new name? A good solution? Or does the name not fit the cowboy at all?