It is officially the spookiest stretch of the year again, and I am not talking about my comp rank. People are buying pumpkin spice drinks, planning costumes, and yes, still trying to pull off a convincing cowboy without looking like a lost Red Dead Redemption extra. If you are anything like me, you know Overwatch 2 has been a reliable source of Halloween costume inspiration since, well, the original Overwatch. So when I wandered into a seasonal Spirit Halloween shop last week, I expected to see a wall of brightly colored boxes for characters like Tracer, Genji, Rein, and of course everyone's favorite tumbleweed-rolling gunslinger Cole Cassidy. Instead, I got a jumpscare in the costume aisle: a package proudly labeled with the hero's old name, McCree.

Now, I'm not trying to be the lore police here, but it is 2026. The cowboy formerly known as McCree has been Cole Cassidy since 2021. That is five years. Five entire years of Overwatch 2, multiple hero balance patches, an engine glow-up, and enough battle pass drama to fill a Netflix docuseries. And somehow a major seasonal retailer is still slinging the old name like it is no big deal. Multiple Reddit posts have started popping up with photographic evidence, and the online listing for the same costume reportedly kept the old name in the product description, too. At this point, it is less "spooky season" and more "expired name season."

Let me explain why this makes my eye twitch. Back in August 2021, a wave of sexual harassment allegations against Activision Blizzard and its management had just broken. Among the names connected to the infamous frat boy culture and the so-called "Cosby Suite" was Jesse McCree, a real Blizzard designer. The fictional Overwatch cowboy had unfortunately been named after that same disgraced real-life employee. As the controversy unfolded, Jesse McCree left the company alongside others who were named. That left the character carrying a name that was, frankly, radioactive.

Blizzard eventually did the right thing and renamed the gunslinger Cole Cassidy. The official announcement tweet included a surprisingly poetic line: "The first thing a renegade loses is their name, and this one gave up his long ago." The lore explanation was that Cassidy had been running from his past, and making Overwatch better meant being honest with his team and with himself. As a player, I remember the name change being a bit of a meme at first, but it was the correct call. The old name was not just a label; it was a connection to a lot of real pain.

Even Matthew Mercer, Cassidy's original voice actor, agreed. He said the name had been tainted by the actions of the developer and that the change was needed so the character, game, players, and developers could move on. He acknowledged that some folks might say it is just a name and changing it is ridiculous, but the name represented a connection to many people's pain and abuse. If there was an opportunity to let that lie in the past and let the character live as something separate, he was behind it. Honestly, when the voice of the cowboy says "it's high noon for this old name," I listen.

So when a Spirit Halloween shelf in 2026 still showcases the McCree branding, it feels less like a harmless inventory mistake and more like somebody in the costume supply chain hit the snooze button for half a decade. I can already imagine the scenes: a well-meaning parent buys the "McCree" costume for a kid who just finished grinding Overwatch 2, the kid opens the box, and three generations of cowboys collectively sigh. It is not exactly the "ultimate homage" to the character; it is a costume version of a deprecated patch note.

Let me break down my feelings in a handy table:

What	The Situation	My Reaction
Hero's current name	Cole Cassidy	🥹 Correct, redemptive, lore-friendly
Hero's old name	McCree	😬 Tied to a disgraced real person
Spirit Halloween packaging	Still says McCree	🤠 The cowboy has not learned
Amazon description	Also the old name	📦 Somebody forgot the updated style guide
My costume plan	DIY Cassidy	✅ Safer, cheaper, and no bad vibes

Maybe I should not be too hard on Spirit Halloween. These seasonal stores often stock products years in advance, and Overwatch 2's early rollout was chaotic enough that someone probably stamped a bunch of boxes before the rename. But "years in advance" does not cover five years unless your supply chain is being run by a ghost. If the old inventory is still circulating in 2026, that is not a design choice. That is a haunted house of outdated branding.

As a regular player, I have no problem with people making cowboy jokes. I still say "pew pew" when I fire the revolver. I still accidentally roll off the payload. I still panic-ultimate at the worst possible moment. But I also think the name change matters. It was not about erasing history or being overly sensitive; it was about allowing a beloved character to exist separately from a harmful real-world association. When stores keep printing the old name, they are keeping that association alive for no good reason.

So, if you are shopping for Halloween 2026 and you spot a box that still says McCree, do me a favor: take a picture, laugh, and maybe buy a blank duster instead. You can be Cole Cassidy without the expired packaging. You can be a high-noon legend without accidentally paying tribute to a man who should have been forgotten. And if anyone asks why your costume lacks an official label, just tell them you gave up your old name a long time ago. It worked for Cassidy.

At the end of the day, the real horror of the season is not the plastic ghost on the shelf. It is realizing that a character can be renamed, a community can heal, and a cowboy can become a better man, but a seasonal store will still find an old box in the back and think, "Yeah, this is fine." Let's all agree to leave that name in the past where it belongs. High noon, Cole. High noon.