On Friday, Activision Blizzard has officially announced the new name for the Overwatch hero formerly known as McCree. Due to the character being named after an ousted Blizzard developer, the company announced that McCree's new name will be Cole Cassidy.
The official change will take effect in-game starting Tuesday, October 26.
In the official Twitter account for Overwatch, Blizzard announced the renaming as part of the game's lore, referring to Cole Cassidy as a hero "running from the past" and ultimately choosing to "be honest with his team and himself" about who he really is.
Blizzard originally announced the change in August 2021 following serious allegations of harassment. The Overwatch hero was named after a Blizzard employee Jesse McCree, who left the company earlier that month alongside others amid ongoing allegations of abuse and harassment at the company.
"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."
Blizzard added, "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."
Blizzard previously said that it planned to start a new narrative arc for Overwatch in September, with McCree expected to play an important role. However, due to the name change, the company is delaying the new arc until later this year.
The company has since removed several other inappropriate references from World of Warcraft and renamed other characters who were named after other similarly-departed employees.
Activision Blizzard is currently being sued by the state of California for fostering a "frat boy" culture including a toxic work environment, sexual harassment, and unequal pay between men and women.