Chaosium Renames Lovecraft Deity Shub-Niggurath in Call of Cthulhu: Old Ones
Chaosium changed the name to Shub-Gorath, citing its potential association with a racial slur and content filters, in the Gamefound project for Call of Cthulhu: Old Ones.
Chaosium Inc. has changed the name of the Lovecraftian deity Shub-Niggurath to Shub-Gorath in its game Call of Cthulhu: Old Ones. The company launched a Gamefound project for the game, according to Polygon.
Chaosium explained that the name change was made because the original name could be associated with a racial slur and trigger content filters.
The new name, Shub-Gorath, was inspired by Shuma-Gorath, a Great Old One mentioned by Robert E. Howard.
Background
In October 2025, Chaosium launched the Gamefound project for Call of Cthulhu: Old Ones. In 1996, inhabitants of an English town were prevented from creating AOL accounts because of a slur contained in the town's name.
Quick answers
Why did Chaosium change Shub-Niggurath's name?
Chaosium said the original name could be associated with a racial slur and trigger content filters.
What is the new name for Shub-Niggurath in Call of Cthulhu: Old Ones?
The new name is Shub-Gorath, inspired by Shuma-Gorath, a Great Old One mentioned by Robert E. Howard.
Where is the Call of Cthulhu: Old Ones project hosted?
Chaosium launched the project on Gamefound.