The Overwatch hero we've all known as McCree for years multiplayer game's cowboy gunslinger will be known as Cole Cassidy beginning October 26, when Blizzard will officially change his moniker and introduce a new backstory for the character.
The hero had originally been named after former Blizzard lead level designer Jesse McCree, who was let go from the company in the wake of a sent shockwaves through the company. It's also had the result of making the name McCree a sore point both for Blizzard and for Overwatch fans, and Blizzard announced in August that it planned to update it.
Today, October 22, Blizzard officially unveiled the new name, Cole Cassidy, along with a snipped of introductory text. "The first thing a renegade loses is their name, and this one gave up his long ago," it reads. "Running from his past meant running from himself, and each ing year only widened the divide between who he had been and what he had become."
"But in every cowboy's life, there comes a time when he has to stop and make a stand," the blurb goes on. "To make this new Overwatch better – to make things right – he had to be honest with his team and himself. The cowboy he was rode into the sunset, and Cole Cassidy faced the world at dawn."
Meet Cole Cassidy.
Rides into Overwatch October 26. pic.twitter.com/CT6PmaNXNs
— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) October 22, 2021
Blizzard has said it won't be naming Overwatch characters after real-life employees, and the new name for the hero formerly known as McCree "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."
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