Yesterday we reported on how a Hearthstone player, Blitzchung, was banned by Blizzard for supporting protests in Hong Kong. Along with him the casters who interviewed Blitzchung. Well, the gaming community, and not just Blizzard fans, haven’t taken it lightly.
Blizzard is being viewed as to have succumbed to corporate greed and abandoned the ethics they stand for. A tweet went viral yesterday which showed that the employees at the company had covered up “Think Globally” and “Every Voice Matters” on the values compass outside of the HQ.
Not everyone at Blizzard agrees with what happened.
Both the "Think Globally" and "Every Voice Matters" values have been covered up by incensed employees this morning. pic.twitter.com/I7nAYUes6Q
— Kevin Hovdestad (@lackofrealism) October 8, 2019
Supporters of Blitzchung are also trending Boycott Blizzard hashtag on twitter. Many have posted pictures of them closing down their World of Warcraft subscription and uninstalling Battle.net, the developer's games launcher.
Gotta say I love this response though! #blizzard @Blizzard_Ent pic.twitter.com/eQBEiBPTrl
— Adam Musil (@AdamPMusil) October 8, 2019
For shame blizzard. Please support Hong Kong and Blitzchung. #BlitzChung #Hearthstone #Blizzard https://t.co/fcxHDGMcJB pic.twitter.com/vZ9ATXJ9j3
— siggy (@2DSiggy) October 8, 2019
Kotaku earlier reported that college Hearthstone players held up Boycott Blizzard and free Hong Kong sign during the stream of collegiate Hearthstone Championship, after which the camera hurriedly swung to the other side.
Also earlier yesterday, when the r/Blizzard had to face the fire and fury of angry fans, they had set the subreddit to private. It was later made public, however, with fans being more angry.
That is just from the fans. This incident has become international now, with US Senators Tweeting about it. Marco Rubio and Ron Wyden both condemned this incident. And keep in mind that they are both from different parties; Rubio from the Republican party and Ron Wyden from the Democrats.
Blizzard shows it is willing to humiliate itself to please the Chinese Communist Party. No American company should censor calls for freedom to make a quick buck. https://t.co/rJBeXUiwYS
— Ron Wyden (@RonWyden) October 8, 2019
Recognize what’s happening here. People who don’t live in #China must either self censor or face dismissal & suspensions. China using access to market as leverage to crush free speech globally. Implications of this will be felt long after everyone in U.S. politics today is gone. https://t.co/Cx3tkWc7r6
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) October 8, 2019
If I were working at Blizzard, I'd really be worried right now since BlizzCon is in a few weeks. There are already talks on forums about staging a protest during the event.