Conor McGregor scrubbed from Hitman video game after sexual assault ruling
UFC star Conor McGregor has been removed from a popular video game series in the wake of an Irish jury’s decision he was liable in a sexual assault lawsuit.
McGregor was Friday found civilly liable after a near-two-week long trial in Dublin. The lawsuit was filed by an Irish woman named Nikita Hand, who accused McGregor and his friend James Lawrence of having sex with her against her will in a Dublin hotel in December 2018.
The jury deemed McGregor liable and ruled he pay approximately $260,000 to Hand, but said Lawrence was not liable.
Monday, the popular video game series “Hitman,” through its parent company IO Interactive, announced McGregor’s character will be scrubbed from the game as a result of the jury’s decision.
McGregor was added to the game as part of a downloadable content add-on earlier this year. While the add-on will no longer be available, users who already purchased the content will still be able to play it.
“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,” a statement posted on IO Interactive’s social media reads. “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.”
As of publication, IO Interactive is the only brand McGregor-associated brand to separate themselves from the Irish UFC star after the incident.
McGregor has maintained he did not wrong and the sexual relations were consensual. He recently indicated through social media that he plans to appeal the court’s decision. However, the posts have been taken down.
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…
— HITMAN (@Hitman) November 25, 2024
On Sunday, Rape Crisis Network Ireland (RCNI) publicly urged retailers to stop selling McGregor’s Forge Irish Stout and Proper Twelve alcohol brands, according to Irish Independent.
The UFC has not publicly commented on the jury’s ruling.