I still remember the day my gaming group chat blew up. Not about a new hero or a meta shift, but about a name. The cowboy I’d mained since 2016 was suddenly at the center of a storm I never saw coming. Back in mid-2021, when news broke about the Activision Blizzard lawsuit, everything changed—including how we talked about our favorite gunslinger.

See, his name wasn’t just chosen because it sounded cool (though it absolutely does). According to a 2017 interview with WIRED, former Overwatch writer Michael Chu explained that the team struggled to find “the perfect cowboy name.” Then someone suggested Jesse McCree—a real Blizzard designer. They “stack-ranked” it against every other option, and it won. The designer even signed over his name so the character could use it forever. Well, “forever” turned out to be a very short word in the live-service era.

The developer in question was allegedly involved in the misconduct that sparked the lawsuit, and suddenly the community couldn’t separate the hero from the man. Casters stopped saying his name during matches. Players flooded forums demanding a change. And honestly? The vibes were off. I couldn’t flashbang a Tracer without thinking about the baggage attached to those six letters.

Thank goodness Blizzard had already planted seeds in the lore that made a rename not just possible, but narratively elegant. Let me walk you through the wild theories we debated before the official announcement—because, trust me, every single one felt like a gift from the Overwatch writing gods.

Joel Morricone: The Blogger Who Might Be the Real Man

One of my favorite in-game voice lines happens on Dorado. Sombra taunts McCree, saying, “If that is your real name.” He shoots back: “Don’t know what you heard, but my name’s not Joel.” Wait—Joel? That line always made my lore-hungry brain buzz. Why would he jump to Joel unless it really was his name?

Then I dug deeper. In the Overwatch universe, there’s a blogger named Joel Morricone. And if you know spaghetti westerns, the name Morricone hits like a High Noon Deadeye. Ennio Morricone composed the iconic scores for films like The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. A gunslinger with the surname Morricone? That’s chef’s kiss. It felt too perfect to be coincidence. Many of us thought Joel Morricone was either McCree’s birth name or an alias he used while on the run. I was ready to embrace it. Just imagine the spawn room voice line: “Joel Morricone, at your service.” It has the same drawl, the same swagger.

Logann: The Concept Art That Started It All

Here’s a piece of Blizzard history that not everyone knows. Before McCree was McCree, there was Prospector Logann—a character dreamed up during the planning stages of a canceled StarCraft MMO. Chris Metzen’s original concept art? It’s basically the crouching cowboy we love, just a bit older and with a slightly different belt buckle. The resemblance is unmistakable, right down to the robotic arm and the vibe of a scoundrel with a heart of gold.

Naming him Logann would’ve been a beautiful callback. It’s different enough to avoid confusion, yet carries that creative DNA. Plus, “Logann” just sounds like trouble in the best way. I could see him introducing himself in a gritty short story with that name. It also mercifully dodges any of the real-world Confederate imagery hang-ups the original Logann concept art hinted at (yikes, glad that got scrapped).

Mercer: A Tribute to the Voice We Love

This was the feel-good choice. Matt Mercer is adored by the Overwatch community, and his association with the character runs deeper than any developer’s name. “Mercer” also happens to sound fantastic for a cowboy—there was a classic Western actor named Warren Mercer Oates, so the connection isn’t far-fetched. Some fans proposed giving him a more traditional first name like Wyatt Mercer or Roy Mercer. That would keep the homage while avoiding the weirdness of a character sharing the exact name with his actor. I admit, I was partial to Mercer. It seemed like a wholesome way to turn a mess into a tribute.

The Actual Outcome: Cole Cassidy

Of course, Blizzard is full of surprises. In October 2021, while we were still arguing about Joel and Logann, the team announced the new identity: Cole Cassidy. I’ll admit I laughed at first. “Cole Cassidy” sounds like a name you’d give a toy sheriff in a preschool playset. But you know what? It grew on me. The lore justification was spot-on: McCree was always running from his past, and adopting his real name—Cassidy—was a step toward redemption. The cowboy was finally owning up to who he was, not hiding behind a moniker tied to someone else’s mistakes.

Now, in 2026, booting up Overwatch 2 and seeing “Cassidy” on the scoreboard feels completely natural. The high noon line still hits, the flashbang (now a magnetic grenade, thanks balance team) still tilts me, and the legend continues. I’ve even come to love the alliteration. Cole Cassidy rolls off the tongue like a tumbleweed in a ghost town.

Looking back, the whole saga taught me that names matter—in-universe and out. But what also matters is how a community can rally around a character and demand better, not just for the game’s narrative, but for the real-world values it reflects. And you know what? That’s worth more than a pocket ace.

So, next time you’re in Route 66 and someone calls him McCree, just smile and say, “It’s Cassidy now.” Then fan the hammer for old times’ sake. 🤠