Hi all, I wrote a letter to Blizzard President Allen Brack and wanted to share my sentiments here as well. Thanks.
Dear Mr. Brack,
I write to express my deep sadness and frustration over Blizzard’s draconian punishment of Chung “Blitzchung” Ng Wai for his statement of support for the protests in Hong Kong during a recent Grandmasters Hearthstone broadcast. This decision is a profound betrayal of everything that made Blizzard a great company. I hope you will reconsider.
I have played and loved Blizzard games for more than 25 years. Since Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, I have played every Blizzard game – many for years. My wife and I started dating because we both loved Starcraft. Most recently, I have started sharing my love of Blizzard games with my oldest son. Perhaps nothing gives me greater joy than seeing him experience the same sense of excitement and adventure that Blizzard games have brought me for decades. Having spent a lifetime enjoying Blizzard games, it was beyond devastating to see Blizzard’s punishment of Blitzchung.
Blizzard claims to hold as its core values “Think Globally,” “Every Voice Matters,” and “Lead Responsibly.” I cannot think of a deeper betrayal of those values than imposing such an unbridled punishment on someone because they expressed support for fundamental democratic values. Does every voice actually matter? Or can someone be silenced because they had the audacity – I see it as courage – to express an opinion that might negatively impact Blizzard’s bottom line? Is Blizzard really “committed to making ethical decisions, always keeping our players in mind”? Or will it kowtow to a totalitarian regime anytime it means more profit?
A Blizzard game is more than a piece of software. It is an invitation to a community of passionate and avid gamers. Ostracizing someone from that community – someone fighting for basic rights that most of us take for granted – is antithetical to the sense of community underpinning every Blizzard game.
I understand and am sympathetic to the desire to keep Blizzard games apolitical. But your extreme punishment of Blitzchung is a political statement. It says that you would rather stand with a totalitarian regime than those fighting for freedom and democracy. It says that Blizzard’s only “core” value is money. It is an affront to the Blizzard fans across the globe – myself among them – that believed Blizzard’s core values made it different from other companies.
I never could have imagined losing my passion for Blizzard games. But it is gone. I hope that Blizzard will reignite that passion by doing the right thing and reconsidering its punishment of Blitzchung. After all, the world could always use more heroes.
Sincerely,
quartang#1502