Corpsegrinder’s ‘World of Warcraft’ Character Name Changed Due to Past Homophobic Slurs
World of Warcraft has changed the alias of the non-playable character (NPC) Gorge the Corpsegrinder, named after the Cannibal Corpse frontman, due to homophobic slurs he's made in a 2007 interview about the game.
According to Dexerto, several World of Warcraft fans and players began rallying for the removal of Gorge the Corpsegrinder from the game in September of this year. "So when is Blizzard going to remove Gorge the Corpsegrinder, character named after prominent Horde player who threw homophobic ableist slurs and death threats to Alliance/Night Elf players on the BlizzCon stage?” one user wrote on Twitter.
The remarks were made by Corpsegrinder, whose real name is George Fisher, during a 2007 interview, which can be heard in the video below. The comments were originally aired during the 2011 BlizzCon event, which was hosted by World of Warcraft developer Blizzard Entertainment.
President and co-founder of the company at the time, Michael Morhaime, immediately issued an apology in response, but the company hasn't made any changes to the NPC until now.
The PRP reports that Blizzard Entertainment and Activision are currently facing harassment and discrimination claims, such as a lawsuit filed by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, which says that the company has a "frat boy culture" that is a "breeding ground for harassment and discrimination against women."
Therefore, Blizzard Entertainment and Activision are actively seeking ways to address characters within their games that have ties to individuals who've made offensive comments. Gorge the Corpsegrinder's name has been changed to Annihilator Grek’lor.
Although he's the vocalist behind songs such as "Sentenced to Burn" and "I Will Kill You," Fisher has an altruistic side to him as well. For instance, he donates the toys that he wins from claw machines and at carnivals to various children's organizations.
We've reached out to Fisher for comment.