…nytimes…com/2019/10/09/world/asia/blizzard-hearthstone-hong-kong.html
My son, my significant other, and I came back from a near year hiatus from WoW to play Classic and we have been having a good time. Still marching on to level 60 and loving it.
However, after learning of this, especially after reading this New York Times article, I am very disappointed in you, both as a player and an ATVI stockholder.
So, please lock this thread, ban me from this forum, delete all my characters and lock my accounts. I have over 4,000 games played in HOTS, a game which I love. I have played Blizzard games since I first downloaded my 28meg Starcraft free trial game in 1998. WC3FT, SC, SC2, HOTS, WoW… I have loved them all and I have loved you as a game company.
But you are on the wrong side of history and what you are doing is part of the problem and jeopardize the future of my children when you side with China.
So, like I said, lock this thread, lock my accounts. I dare you. I will proudly take that ban. Let me know what kind of company you really are.
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On edit, for the many below who really are ignorant of what is actually happening and just for the record it’s not just Blizzard, but here you go:
"One of America’s biggest gaming companies is acting as China’s censor
Activision Blizzard punished a pro player for speaking out on behalf of Hong Kong. This should be unacceptable."
"Blizzard Sets Off Backlash for Penalizing Hearthstone Gamer in Hong Kong
The gaming company suspended the player and made him forfeit his prize money after he expressed support for the protest movement in Hong Kong."
“Gamers Call for Boycott of Blizzard After Hong Kong Protest Ban”
"Blizzard pulls Blitzchung from Hearthstone esports tournament over support for Hong Kong protests
Blizzard also canceled the pro gamer’s prize winnings and banned him from Hearthstone esports for 12 months."
^ These are but a few headlines. You can search the internet for yourself. This is not some benign thing. This is not just “a dude broke the rules”. This is China exporting its censorship internationally and using its market as a hostage. For those minimizing this, you are also part of the problem.
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On edit, to those who are minimizing what all this means and not realizing how it’s part of something deeper, darker, and more insidious, these are Blizzard’s own words, literally enshrined on their campus:
“Think Globally” and “Every Voice Matters”.
They are violating their very own principles. Even their own employees are taking to protest by covering up the above statement under their campus focal point statue.
…kotaku…com/blizzards-company-values-dont-mean-much-today-1838891183
“Blizzard’s Company Values Don’t Mean Much Today.”
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The whole BfA expansion has been at least in part about “honor” and doing what’s right. But when given the chance to take a stand, they capitulate and kowtow to a dictatorial and totalitarian state. How hard is it to say “we support freedom and freedom of speech”?