A High Court civil case has found Conor McGregor sexually assaulted Nikita Hand at a Dublin hotel in 2018. Now, the fall out for McGregor begins as the first brand he is associated with has severed ties with the former UFC fighter. McGregor had featured in Hitman World of Assassination as a billionaire The Disruptor.
In the game, both McGregor’s likeness and voice is used for the billionaire mixed martial artist character who is the focus of an assassination mission.
Today, the game’s developer IO stated they “made the decision to cease its collaboration with the athlete, effective immediately”.
In a statement on Twitter, IO said they “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”.
Calls to Boycott McGregor’s Brands
Since the verdict was announced, there has been a call to boycott McGregor’s own brands and the brands he is linked to. His own brands range from alcohol brands to clothing ranges, however he has serveral endorsements with other brands too.
We are particularly interested to know about the other gaming and tech brands he has been connected to and have reached out for comment from several of them.
The former mixed martial artist has featured in the EA Sports UFC Game, including the most recent UFC 5, Prime Video’s Roadhouse movie and, at least previously, had ties with Beats by Dre.
We’ll stay close to this and report on any further developments. However, it does seem that IO has taken the step which is increasingly expected from most brands right now. Irish retailer Musgraves, which is home to brands like SuperValu and Centra, has already issued a notice to “delist” McGregor’s brands and remove his products from shelves, as reported in The Currency. This most likely refers to his Proper Twelve whiskey and cans of Forged Stout. Carry Out off-licenses have also pulled these drinks from being on-sale.
Tonight, in Dublin City, a march took place protesting the decision by the Director of Public Prosecutions to not bring criminal charges against McGregor in the first place.
Updated 26/11/24: Added report that McGregor’s drinks brands were ordered to be pulled from shelves in Musgraves and Carry Out stores.
