IO cuts Conor McGregor cameo out of Hitman after court ruling

thesixthaxis.com:

IO Interactive has ended a collaboration with MMA fighter Conor McGregor, after a court ruling in the Irish High Court found that he assaulted and raped a women in 2018.

Releasing a statement on social media, IO said that they will remove content featuring McGregor from Hitman: World of Assassination from today:

“In light of the recent court ruling regarding Conor McGregor, IO Interactive has made the decision to cease its collaboration with the athlete, effective immediately. We take this matter very seriously and cannot ignore its implications. Consequently, we will begin removing all content featuring Mr. McGregor from our storefronts starting today.”

McGregor’s voice and likeness was used for a character named The Disruptor, one of the Elusive Targets in the recent Hitman games. These time limited missions and scenarios rotate in and out of the game to provide shifting challenges to players, giving you just one attempt at a target during its availability. The Disruptor mssion debuted in July of this year,  had recently been brought back as the current Elusive Target and was meant to be available until 8th December, but is being pulled early.

In addition to this mission, a Disruptor DLC pack was sold giving permanent access to The Ostentatious, an arcade contract featuring the character, as well as offering outfits, items, and cosmetics for the Freelancer mode HQ.

McGregor was found guilty by the jury in the civil case last week, who found that he had sexually assaulted a woman, Ms Hand, in a Dublin hotel six years ago. As a civil case, McGregor won’t face a jail sentence, but has been ordered to pay €248,000 in damages.

McGregor has stated that he will appeal the verdict.

Source: IO Interactive, BBC