Tracking the controversy involving former Blizzard Entertainment developer Jesse McCree during the company’s 2021 sexual-harassment scandal, including his participation in the notorious “Cosby Suite” gathering and group chat, his departure from Blizzard, and the subsequent decision to remove his name from Overwatch. The California lawsuit that triggered the scandal did not directly accuse McCree himself of sexually harassing women.
McCree Was Photographed In Blizzard’s Infamous “Cosby Suite.” Photographs obtained during reporting on Blizzard’s workplace culture showed McCree and other developers gathered in a hotel room at BlizzCon 2013 that employees referred to as the “Cosby Suite.” The room contained alcohol and a large portrait of Bill Cosby. [KOTAKU]
The “Cosby Suite” Became Closely Associated With Allegations Against Alex Afrasiabi. California’s workplace-discrimination lawsuit alleged that senior World of Warcraft developer Alex Afrasiabi repeatedly hit on women, attempted to kiss them and put his arms around them without consent at company events. The lawsuit said his behavior was sufficiently notorious that his hotel suite received the Cosby nickname. Afrasiabi, rather than McCree, was the developer specifically accused of this conduct in the complaint. [WASHINGTON POST]
McCree Participated In A Sexually Explicit “Cosby Crew” Group Chat. Screenshots from a 2013 group conversation showed Blizzard developers discussing women being brought to the hotel room. When Afrasiabi wrote about marrying the women, McCree replied, “You misspelled fuck.” The exchange became one of the main pieces of evidence connecting McCree personally to the broader controversy. [KOTAKU]
Other Developers Discussed Bringing “Hot Chixx” To The Room. The same group chat included former Blizzard developer David Kosak saying he was “gathering the hot chixx for the Coz,” followed by sexually charged responses from other participants. McCree’s participation in the chat intensified criticism that senior Blizzard developers had normalized a crude boys-club culture. [KOTAKU]
Former Blizzard Employees Said The Cosby Suite Had A Troubling Reputation. Some former employees told reporters that the room was known as a party and drinking location associated with Afrasiabi and other influential developers, while accounts differed over whether the original Cosby nickname referred to Bill Cosby’s sweaters or his sexual-assault reputation. [PC GAMER]
McCree Was Not Personally Named As A Harasser In California’s Lawsuit. Despite widespread descriptions tying him to Blizzard’s harassment scandal, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing complaint did not specifically accuse McCree of groping, assaulting or sexually harassing female employees. Contemporary reporting distinguished his documented participation in the Cosby Suite culture from the direct misconduct allegations made against Afrasiabi. [FORBES]
Blizzard Fired McCree Amid The Company’s Harassment Reckoning. In August 2021, Blizzard announced that McCree, Diablo IV director Luis Barriga and World of Warcraft designer Jonathan LeCraft were no longer employed by the company. Current employees told The Washington Post that the three had been fired, although Activision Blizzard did not publicly disclose a specific reason for McCree’s termination. [WASHINGTON POST]
McCree’s Departure Came Shortly After His Cosby Suite Connections Became Public. Blizzard announced McCree’s exit roughly two weeks after publication of the photographs and chat messages connecting him to the Cosby Suite. The company said new leaders had been installed and emphasized its goal of maintaining a “safe, productive work environment.” [KOTAKU]
Overwatch League Commentators Stopped Saying McCree’s Name. Following the revelations, some Overwatch League broadcasters voluntarily stopped referring to the game’s cowboy character as McCree and instead called him “the cowboy.” Blizzard said it had not ordered commentators to avoid the name. [KOTAKU]
Fans Pressured Blizzard To Rename The Overwatch Character Named After McCree. The character had been named in honor of the real-life developer years earlier. After McCree’s connection to the Cosby Suite became public, players argued that continuing to memorialize him inside one of Blizzard’s flagship games was inappropriate. [PC GAMER]
Blizzard Announced That McCree Would Be Renamed. In August 2021, the Overwatch team said it would change the character’s name and adopt a new policy preventing in-game characters from being named after real employees. Blizzard said the change reflected a desire to build a fictional universe representing its values. [KOTAKU]
The Name Change Forced Blizzard To Delay Planned Overwatch Story Content. Blizzard had been preparing a new narrative storyline centered partly on McCree, but said the content would be postponed while the character was renamed and reworked. [KOTAKU]
The Character Was Renamed Cole Cassidy. Blizzard ultimately replaced the Jesse McCree name with Cole Cassidy in October 2021, permanently severing one of the most visible connections between the game and the former developer. [PC GAMER]
Activision Blizzard Later Said More Than 20 Employees Had Left Following Misconduct Investigations. In October 2021, Activision Blizzard said more than 20 employees had departed and more than 20 others had received disciplinary action following internal investigations into workplace misconduct. McCree was among the prominent developers who had already left during the scandal, although the company did not publicly identify the specific investigative finding, if any, involving him. [PC GAMER]
Relevant YouTube Videos
One of the first political bloggers in the world, Oliver Willis has operated OliverWillis.com since 2000. Contributor at Media Matters for America and The American Independent. Follow on Twitter at @owillis. Full bio.
You must be logged in to post a comment.