Overwatch victory pose cut after fan complains that it's over-sexualized

Update: Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan has responded to the inevitable outcry following his announcement that Tracer's victory pose will change. "We understand that not everyone will agree with our decision, and that’s okay," he wrote in a new update. "That’s what these kinds of public tests are for. This wasn’t pandering or caving, though. This was the right call from our perspective, and we think the game will be just as fun the next time you play it."

His full statement can be read here.

“I have a young daughter that everyday when I wake up wants to watch the Recall trailer again. She knows who Tracer is, and as she grows up, she can grow up alongside these characters. What I'm asking is that as you continue to add to the Overwatch cast and investment elements, you double down on your commitment to create strong female characters. You've been doing a good job so far, but shipping with a tracer pose like this undermines so much of the good you've already done.”

Believe it or not, the thread actually doesn't go immediately and completely sideways. Not everyone agrees with the point, obviously, but the conversation stays largely civil. Fipps clarifies in a couple of follow-ups that the intent isn't to be “sex-negative” but to highlight an incongruous portrayal of the character, adding that more overtly sexual poses from heroes like Widowmaker and D.va are “by all means fine” because they're a more natural fit with those characters.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.