Remember the overly sexual pose for Overwatch character Tracer which created quite a furor? Blizzard Entertainment has announced that it would be replacing the "butt pose" with a new victory pose.
Barely a week after the controversy, true to its word, Blizzard Entertainment has given Tracer — the first character from the game — a new Victory Pose.
On April 5, the new animated image of Tracer in the victory pose was posted on NeoGaf. In a departure from the past, this image focuses less on Tracer's rear.
In March, we reported how Blizzard was prompted to remove the overly sexual pose of a character from its multi-player shooter. The character — Tracer or Lena Oxton — was depicted in an "over the shoulder" pose which highlighted her backside. Forum user "Fipps" said that Tracer's stance reduced the female character to a mere sex symbol.
"What about this pose has anything to do with the character you're building in Tracer? It's not fun, it's not silly, and it has nothing to do with being a fast elite killer. It just reduces Tracer to another bland female sex symbol," said Fipps at the time.
The game's director Jeff Kaplan apologized and said that Blizzard would be replacing the pose to create a more comfortable environment for gamers.
Kaplan also disclosed that Blizzard was not "entirely happy" with the original pose and the fact that its appropriateness had come under scrutiny from a player's viewpoint, helped influence the developer's decision to create a new pose.
While the decision to revise the pose was not seen as a good decision by many people as it was an indication that the developer was giving into the demands of the community. However, Blizzard differs on this ground and Kaplan said that the company did not sacrifice its creative vision.
Overwatch is posed to launch for Xbox One, PC and PlayStation 4 on May 24.The all-access open beta for the team-based shooter begins on May 5 and will be available until May 9. However, those who preordered the title will gain access on May 3. Those eyeing early access needs to preorder the title before April 29. Interestingly, Blizzard is also set to bring Tracer to Heroes of The Storm.
Check out the old and new poses of Tracer below.
