Activision Blizzard is offering players the chance to change their BattleTags

Overwatch
(Image credit: Blizzard)

As Activision Blizzard is giving an Overwatch character a name change, the company has also opened up the opportunity for players to change their BattleTags, too.

"As we introduce a new name, you might have the desire to do the same," the company said in a blog post on the official website. "Starting October 22, 2021, and continuing through November 5, 2021, all players will be offered a free BattleTag name change. This applies to anyone who does not currently have a free name change available. Existing name changes will not stack for future use."

"Players can request a name change through this form. You will receive a notification once your request has been processed. Please allow up to four weeks for processing."

Not sure why McCree is being changed to Cassidy? Well, the name change is part of Activision Blizzard's commitment to remove in-game references to people implicated in the lawsuit against Activision Blizzard by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing. Developer Jesse McCree – whom the cowboy was named after – was a Blizzard designer who, following allegations of hostile work conditions and discrimination at the company, left the studio in August along with several other high-profile employees.

If it's been some time since you last dusted off your Battle.net account, you might be surprised at what's waiting for you. At the beginning of the year, Blizzard released Battle.net 2.0, a substantially updated version of its longstanding PC game client.

The changes included a new filter that allows users to favorite the games on their account and arrange them however they want, which has been a long-requested feature since Activision merged with Blizzard and games like Call of Duty: Warzone joined the Battle.net roster, so now there's a neat divide between Blizzard and Activision games.

The social features of Battle.net also had a much-needed upgrade. The status and activities of your friends are now highlighted by game, and if you full-screen the client, you'll find a better layout for news and game updates rather than the stretched and largely empty arrangement we'd previously known. Also, messages and other notifications were neatly consolidated, and Battle.net 2.0 improved color contrast, improved screen reader support, and added keyboard navigation for "most of the app". 

Looking for something new to get stuck into? Here are the best PC games right now.

Vikki Blake
Weekend Reporter, 12DOVE

Vikki Blake is 12DOVE's Weekend Reporter. Vikki works tirelessly to ensure that you have something to read on the days of the week beginning with 'S', and can also be found contributing to outlets including the BBC, Eurogamer, and GameIndustry.biz. Vikki also runs a weekly games column at NME, and can be frequently found talking about Destiny 2 and Silent Hill on Twitter.