We appreciate when a developer is willing to admit they made a mistake, especially when said mistake has the potential to alienate an entire country of people. That's exactly what happened recently with Overwatch, as Director Jeff Kaplan offered an apology to Australia for the misuse of the phrase "take-out."
Okay, we'll drop the melodrama here and work through this pretty fun exchange that recently popped up on the Overwatch reddit. If you've been following the most recent Overwatch news, then you're likely up-to-date on all things eSports, Summer Games and Olympics related. You also probably read a thing or two about the latest map coming to the game, Junkertown.
Since Overwatch takes place in our world, the Junkertown map is set in the country of Australia. However, folks started digging through screenshots of the map and, as reddit user RagingWinston pointed out, there's a sign attached to one of the level's shops saying "Take-out." As Mr. Winston points out, that's more of an American term, whereas Australians use the (incorrect) phrase "take-away."
Kaplan decided to have a little fun with the comment, stating that the team at Blizzard is taking the matter very seriously.
I'd like to offer a direct apology to the entire country of Australia. Please forgive our cultural insensitivity. We will fix this in an upcoming patch (the sign travesty will most likely go live for some period before being fixed). I've also been told by Muselk that our coffees are too large as well. We're learning...trying, over here...
Other users jumped in with some helpful suggestions as well. One threw out the idea that Australia itself just be patched out of the game, thus getting rid of any discrepancies. Another offered that the map simply be relocated to Iowa...that famous U.S. desert state? Another suggestion was that Austrailia in Overwatch has converted to "America Down Under," where places like Junkertown boast an aesthetic that could be described as "50s America memorabilia."
Things could have just ended there with everyone having a good laugh and moving on with their day, but the post and response eventually garnered a whopping 1,432 comments. So, yeah, you've got a bit to read through if you want to fully educate yourself on the matter (though we're not sure "educate" is the correct word to use here).
We honestly wouldn't be surprised if the team at Blizzard does eventually change out the sign. Since the map is basically ready to roll though, Kaplan points out that the offending sign will appear in Junkertown at first and then potentially be altered in a later patch.
It's been a rough few weeks in the national and world news departments, so we're glad something like this came along to perk everyone up a bit.
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