Call of Cthulhu Renames Lovecraftian Deity
For years, the Cthulhu Mythos has served as a rich wellspring of inspiration for creators across various mediums. Born from the imagination of H.P. Lovecraft, this universe is filled with horrifying entities that often lurk just beyond human awareness. While Cthulhu is undoubtedly the most recognized figure, Lovecraft and subsequent writers in the “Lovecraftian horror” genre have crafted a vast array of incomprehensible, godlike beings. Yet, even the most ancient of these Great Old Ones are not immune to the tides of change.
Chaosium Inc. has recently launched a Gamefound project for Call of Cthulhu: Old Ones, a tabletop game designed for 2–4 players who embody one of the Great Old Ones and their respective factions. Players can choose from a selection of deities from the Cthulhu Mythos, including Cthulhu, Hastur, Yog-Sothoth, and Shub-Gorath. While Shub-Gorath may sound unfamiliar to some fans, it is actually a reimagined name for Shub-Niggurath, which has been altered by Chaosium.
In an update regarding the project, Chaosium explained the rationale behind this name change. The term Shub-Niggurath has potential associations with a racial slur directed at Black individuals. Although Chaosium noted that “Lovecraft scholars agree ‘Shub-Niggurath’ was not derived from the slur,” they acknowledged that it could inadvertently trigger content filters online, a phenomenon known as “the Scunthorpe problem,” named after a town in England that faced similar issues in the past.
While some might view this as merely a technical concern, Chaosium emphasized that the original name could be offensive to certain audiences, especially when considering Lovecraft’s own problematic views. His writings and personal correspondence reveal deeply racist and xenophobic beliefs.
From an in-universe perspective, the name change is also justified. Call of Cthulhu: Old Ones is set in a time before humanity, when these deities had yet to receive formal names from the cultures that would come later. The name “Shub-Gorath” was inspired by Shuma-Gorath, another Great Old One referenced by Robert E. Howard in his story “The Curse of the Golden Skull.” Interestingly, Shuma-Gorath was later developed into a character by Marvel Comics, where it became a foe for Doctor Strange.
Shub-Niggurath itself appeared only sporadically in Lovecraft’s works, often referenced in invocations and titles like “The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young” or “the All-Mother and wife of the Not-to-Be-Named-One,” which may refer to Yog-Sothoth.
Contamination and interconnectedness have always been central to the Cthulhu Mythos. Lovecraft and his contemporaries, including Howard and Clark Ashton Smith, inspired one another to weave stories featuring shared monsters and deities, creating an early form of a collaborative fictional universe. With Lovecraft’s original works entering the public domain outside the U.S. in 2007 and in 2024 within the U.S., Chaosium remarked that “bringing elements like these together feels very much in the spirit of how Lovecraft, Howard, and other writers built these interconnected worlds in the first place: borrowing ideas, adapting names, and combining elements from one another’s stories and mythologies. Shub-Gorath grew out of that same creative tradition.”
Fans of Cthulhu are accustomed to grappling with Lovecraft’s controversial legacy, and reactions to Chaosium’s announcement have varied. Many fans appear unbothered, arguing that the Great Old Ones are beyond definition by their names and that players can choose whatever name they prefer during gameplay. However, some have expressed strong disagreement. Sandy Petersen, the original creator of Call of Cthulhu, voiced his concerns, stating, “Man I defend Chaosium a lot online but I can’t defend this.”
Chaosium anticipated potential backlash from this decision, acknowledging that for some players, maintaining the original names is crucial to preserving the legacy of these characters. They emphasized the importance of transparency, stating, “We don’t have a simple answer that will satisfy everyone.”
Call of Cthulhu: Old Ones achieved its funding goal in under twenty minutes and is currently nearing $500,000 in contributions, with the campaign set to conclude on October 15.
