At Activision Blizzard, it was pretty tumultuous. Some of those undulating waters spilled over into its games when Blizzard decided to rename it last week OverwatchCowboy hero Jesse McCree. McCree was a big part of Overwatch and Matthew Mercer has been a huge part of McCree as he has been the voice of the former Deadlock Gang member since its unveiling in March 2015. In a recent interview with ComingSoon, Mercer shared his thoughts on the name change, saying that it had to be done “and not to mention those who have been abused by Activision Blizzard.
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“I know this is a small consolation, but it is one that had to be done to make a lot of people comfortable with the story of. continue Overwatch and the characters, ”he said. “People have different opinions on this and some may say that it is just a name and that it is ridiculous to change, but it is a name that also has a connection to the pain and abuse of many people. And when we have the opportunity to do better and leave that in the past and let the character live as something separate, as it should, then I can’t help but stand behind it. “
But that wasn’t a decision Blizzard made without him. Blizzard actually called him to ask if he was okay with his plans, a formality that surprised him, especially since voice actors aren’t always up to date when it comes to making decisions about their roles.
“They called me and asked if I was aware of the situation and I said, ‘I am very much.’ And they said, “As part of this process, we want to separate this character from the dire circumstances and give them the opportunity to get this right, and it is only one small road among many that needs to be done. We just wanted to call and let you know and make sure you’re ok with this. ‘ I said, ‘Yeah, thank you for letting me know. That’s pretty great. ‘”
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Mercer doesn’t know what the cowboy will be called, but he seemed more focused on the healing process, which the name change was part of than the name change itself.
“If it was the only thing they did, it would be nowhere near enough,” he said. “But it’s just one facet of all of the things they seem to be doing internally to try to correct a lot of mistakes. I feel so much for all of the people who have been abused and victims of people in the company who have abused their power and positions. My heart has been breaking since the whole thing went under. “
The nameless cowboy still means a lot to Mercer, but he hopes the industry will take advantage of this terrifying series of events for major structural change that will protect its workers.
“The character means a lot to me,” said Mercer. “The whole experience of Overwatch meant a lot to me and while I’ve had only positive experiences with Blizzard in my limited time, it has been heartbreaking and heartbreaking to see all of this go down. I hope it’s a very, very important change in the industry. It’s a shame that it takes the extent of abuse, mismanagement and abuse of power to really shed light, but if anything good can come of that, it should shape the industry. People should really check how they run their development studios and the release process and make sure these people are protected and given respect and space. “
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The real Jesse McCree was one of the main members implicated in the Activision Blizzard allegations. The previous one Diablo 4 Lead Designer was featured in the infamous Cosby Suite picture and was fired in early August. Hence, Blizzard said it no longer names its characters after real people.
Fans had asked Blizzard to rename the hero. Overwatch League casters even voluntarily stopped calling McCree by his name, only using other nicknames. Blizzard said the name change will take some time as attempts are made to incorporate it into lore, but it is actually coming.
Overwatch Voice Actor on McCree Name Change: It ‘Needed To Be Done’ first appeared on ComingSoon.net.
