It’s 2026, and Jeff Kaplan, the former boss of Blizzard hero shooter Overwatch, is still being asked about a supposed “nerf” to Tracer’s butt.
Cast your minds back to the simpler times of 2016, when the world was quieter and greener, and Overwatch was still in beta. Amid a frenzy of excitement for Blizzard’s next big franchise, one big controversy stood out that soured some fans on the game’s promise: Blizzard’s decision to alter a pose focused on lead character Tracer’s bottom.
Blizzard made the call back in March 2016 to adjust the Tracer’s “Over the Shoulder” victory pose, after the character’s somewhat suggestive positioning drew fire from players. Their critique — one that Kaplan ultimately said he agreed with — was that it reduced Tracer “to another bland female sex symbol.”
After some debate, Kaplan confirmed the pose would be changed — and within a week it was done, replacing its initial look with a replacement “Over the Shoulder” pose that gave fans more of a side-on view.
Perhaps predictably, Blizzard’s decision to make the change also drew fire — this time from players who said the company had caved to “SJW” complaints. (Remember that acronym?) And now, 10 years on, with Kaplan long gone from Blizzard and busy promoting his next game, it seems this decision is still a bugbear for some.
“‘Why did you guys nerf Tracer’s butt?'” Kaplan says, reading out a viewer question while playing his in-development cowboy survival shooter The Legend of California. “Uh, we actually didn’t nerf Tracer’s butt. It stayed exactly the same.
“That was a good riposte I just had,” he then added.
As Kaplan seeks to generate interest in his new game, the former Blizzard icon has been making headlines, firstly with a tell-all interview in which he discussed why he left Blizzard after nearly 20 years — a decision he blamed on extreme financial pressures to deliver for Activision Blizzard, or be held personally responsible for 1,000 people losing their jobs.
Next, Kaplan issued some choice words of advice to video game fans who like to criticize titles they’re never going to play themselves. “If a game comes out, and you don’t want to play it, and you’ve never played it? Shut the f*** up. No one cares,” he stated, again while streaming The Legend of California.
As for Overwatch, the game continues to respond to fan feedback over the design and presentation of its characters. Just this week, Blizzard revealed the new look for its hero Anran, which it said “moved away from that baby face” design that players — and the character’s voice actress — had previously critiqued.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
