Blizzard Patches Masturbation Gag Out Of Overwatch

Blizzard Patches Masturbation Gag Out Of Overwatch

In major multiplayer games like Overwatch, what comes after a big patch is almost more interesting than what it’s in it. This is certainly a, um, standout instance of that.

As part of the latest big Overwatch beta patch, Blizzard added a new escort level, Route 66. The level is home to the notorious Deadlock Gang, of which playable character cowborg (that’s a cowboy plus a cyborg, not a robot cow) McCree used to be a part.

The whole area’s littered with hints as to what the Deadlock gang was up to, who they were involved with, and how much they really, really hate McCree now that he’s turned on them. The Deadlock Gang trafficked illicit weapons to basically everyone, which sets up some fun shades of grey in Overwatch‘s otherwise cheery, colourful universe.

Maniacal cowforts aren’t just about dastardly deeds, though. Even villains have lives and… needs. That brings us to the outhouse. After the recent Overwatch patch first dropped, gingerzap pointed out a bunch of easter eggs, including magazines scattered on the outhouse’s floor. They were open to images of leading Overwatch ladies Symmetra and Mercy:

Blizzard Patches Masturbation Gag Out Of Overwatch

You don’t really need to do much pondering to get what Blizzard was going for. To be clear, though: the Deadlock Gang appear to have been whacking it to pictures of Overwatch heroes. How’s that for a complicated relationship between good and evil?

A couple days after the update came out, however, FailCraft pointed out that the magazines had disappeared:

Blizzard Patches Masturbation Gag Out Of Overwatch

So that’s that, for now. I don’t know why exactly Blizzard chose to remove the joke, but I have a couple hunches. I mean, the joke is worth a chuckle, and I will contend that we don’t usually get this kind of revealing look into the lives of video game characters, but I’m not sure an implied masturbation gag fits Overwatch‘s generally PG/PG-13-rated vibe.

Also, let’s be real here: when you’re trying to empower your lady characters after years of ups and downs in that area, turning them into canonical masturbation fodder isn’t the best look.

To be frank, I don’t find the gag too distasteful in the grand scheme of things, but Overwatch is in beta, and silly as it might sound, this is the kind of thing betas are all about. Blizzard’s figuring out what works in their game and what doesn’t.

On the upside, some of Route 66’s other bonus bits land so hard that it’s like your funny bone is being pelted with easter eggs. For instance, there’s a check signed by Diablo character Deckard Cain, and it has a functional barcode.

If you scan it, it returns the message, “CAIN LIVES”. But does he live on in the Overwatch universe? The Diablo universe? Both? Somewhat fittingly, given the larger topic at hand in this post, the plot thickens.


The Cheapest NBN 1000 Plans

Looking to bump up your internet connection and save a few bucks? Here are the cheapest plans available.

At Kotaku, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.

Comments


17 responses to “Blizzard Patches Masturbation Gag Out Of Overwatch”