Since its release in 2016, Overwatch has proven to be one of Blizzard's most popular IPs. Its unique mix of genres, as well as post-launch support from Blizzard, meant fans were constantly engaging with new updates and the meta was ever-changing. A sequel was inevitable, and remains one of the most anticipated games coming soon despite the trickle of information that has been revealed thus far. The COVID-19 pandemic and Activision-Blizzard controversies have certainly lessened general hype for the game however, and the latter, in particular, has forced a unique change to one of the Overwatch community's favorite heroes: Jesse McCree.
It seems that during initial development, even the Overwatch team was unaware of how massive the game would become. This is likely why the developers named their cowboy hero after the real-life Jesse McCree, especially given it sounds like a stereotypical cowboy name. Then it came to light that the real Jesse McCree was involved with the now-infamous "Cosby Suite" that played a part in the Activision-Blizzard lawsuit over issues like sexual assault, and many Overwatch casters began to stop using McCree's name. Blizzard was forced to rename and rewrite some of the outlaw-turned-hero's lore and backstory as a result.
Cole Cassidy's Lore
While it seems unlikely anyone would object to a name change because of these real-world events, it's helpful that there is an in-universe explanation as well. Cole Cassidy has always been one of the Overwatch characters shrouded in mystery, so the revelation that he had been lying about his real name seems to fit. After going from job to job, Cassidy met Ashe and the two worked together in numerous heists before being busted by an Overwatch sting operation led by Gabriel Reyes, A.K.A. Reaper. Reyes gave Cassidy the option between going to prison or joining Blackwatch, and the rest is history.
It's unclear exactly when Cole Cassidy began using the Jesse McCree alias, but it seems to be many years before meeting Ashe and joining the Deadlock Gang. In an October 22 Twitter post by the official Overwatch account, it explains that Cassidy wants to make a stand and begin being honest with his Overwatch team, as well as himself. The post maintains a previously established balance between seriousness and typically cowboy cliches that Overwatch fans know and love about the character.
This revelation is vague enough to work on its own currently, but also has the possibility to be heavily expanded upon in future lore entries, or even Overwatch 2. The in-game renaming of McCree feels like yet another positive step in Cassidy's journey from most-wanted outlaw into one of humanity's finest heroes.
This kind of lore and world-building outside of the game is something Overwatch has had a lot of success with, like in its animated short movies. Luckily for Activision-Blizzard and the Overwatch fanbase, the character of Cole Cassidy already had a history with bending the truth as a renegade, so his character is likely the only one that could go through a believable in-universe explanation for this name change. Whether or not Overwatch does anything further with Cole Cassidy turning over another new leaf remains to be seen. What is clear is that going forward, Activision-Blizzard employees will likely no longer name characters after staff members, which certainly seems to be for the best. It will take some time to get used to Cassidy's new name, but changing it before Overwatch 2 launches is the right move.
Overwatch is available now on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.