Overwatch League Casters Are Avoiding A Certain Word Following Blizzard Lawsuit
Following the lawsuit issued to Activision, Overwatch casters are now refraining from mentioning a certain phrase on the broadcast of the OWL.
11th Aug 2021 13:07
Activision Blizzard
Overwatch League Casters Are Avoiding A Certain Word Following Blizzard Lawsuit
Following the lawsuit issued to Activision, Overwatch casters are now refraining from mentioning a certain phrase on the broadcast of the OWL.
11th Aug 2021 13:07
Activision Blizzard
Following the lawsuit issued to Activision regarding alleged harassment and gender discrimination in the workplace, Overwatch casters are now refraining from mentioning a certain phrase on the broadcast of the OWL.
Popular commentary pair Brennon “Bren” Hook and Josh “Sideshow” Wilkinson opted to refrain saying “Jesse McCree” – a hero within Overwatch – as the character is allegedly based upon an Activision employee who is featured in the controversial Blizzard report.
The hero, McCree, is named after former a Blizzard Lead Game Designer of the same name, and following the accusations against the company, the casting duo made an effort to not say his name, often referring to the hero as “the cowboy”.
After being noticed on Twitter, both Bren and Sideshow appreciated the post with a like, indicating that their intention was true.
The blacklisting against McCree’s name stems from the publicised ‘Crosby Suite’ report from Kotaku, in which the designer reportedly featured in a screenshot as being a part of a group of employees who gathered women into the suite.
Since the conversation was spread across social media, many Overwatch fans have been calling for Blizzard to change the heroes name in-game - going as far as starting the hashtag trend 'RemoveMcCree'. With no action taken from the developers yet, Sideshow and Bren have seemingly taken things into their own hands by refusing to reference his name directly.
The pair also made an effort to discuss his moves, rather than the hero himself, often referring to the Peacekeeper, rather than McCree’s ability.
Fans spotted the name-boycott during their casting of the Countdown Cup on August 8, where the likes of Florida Mayhem and Atlanta Reign came out as expected winners, whilst Washington Justice their first win of the split on board against Vancouver Titans.
The boycotting of McCree's name may now also be picked up by other casters, as acknowledged by Mitch "Uber" Leslie.
Whether this is a permanent feature, is yet to be understood, although we'll soon find out as the Countdown Cup enters the last weekend of league play.
About The Author
Jack Marsh
Jack is an Esports Journalist at GGRecon. Graduating from the University of Chester, with a BA Honours degree in Journalism, Jack is an avid esports enthusiast and specialises in Rocket League, Call of Duty, VALORANT, and trending gaming news.
