While Capcom removed R. Mika's butt-slap in Street Fighter V before fans complained, Blizzard is removing a pose deemed unsuitable by the community. According to the forum goers, the 'over the shoulder' pose for Overwatch's Tracer reduces her to a sex symbol.
"We'll replace the pose. We want *everyone* to feel strong and heroic in our community. The last thing we want to do is make someone feel uncomfortable, under-appreciated or misrepresented.
Apologies and we'll continue to try to do better."
The moment that Kaplan agreed that the pose should be removed from the game, he was met with reproach instead of thanks. Apparently, by agreeing with the fan base that was complaining about the pose was simply giving in to a vocal bunch.
Kaplan again posted on the forum, offering further clarification on the removal. According to the game director, the team has another pose for the character that is better suited for them and that the 'vision' for Overwatch is not being sacrificed over the pose:
"While I stand by my previous comment, I realize I should have been more clear. As the game director, I have final creative say over what does or does not go into the game. With this particular decision, it was an easy one to make—not just for me, but for the art team as well. We actually already have an alternate pose that we love and we feel speaks more to the character of Tracer. We weren’t entirely happy with the original pose, it was always one that we wrestled with creatively. That the pose had been called into question from an appropriateness standpoint by players in our community did help influence our decision—getting that kind of feedback is part of the reason we’re holding a closed beta test—but it wasn’t the only factor. We made the decision to go with a different pose in part because we shared some of the same concerns, but also because we wanted to create something better.
We wouldn’t do anything to sacrifice our creative vision for Overwatch, and we’re not going to remove something solely because someone may take issue with it. Our goal isn’t to water down or homogenize the world, or the diverse cast of heroes we’ve built within it. We have poured so much of our heart and souls into this game that it would be a travesty for us to do so.
We understand that not everyone will agree with our decision, and that’s okay. That’s what these kinds of public tests are for. This wasn’t pandering or caving, though. This was the right call from our perspective, and we think the game will be just as fun the next time you play it.
If it isn’t, feel free to continue sharing your concerns, thoughts, and feedback about this and other issues you may have with the game, please just keep the discussion respectful."
It appears as though Kaplan was hit with the 'damned it you do, damned if you don't' theme from the announcement.
