Didn’t even need to wait two weeks to prove my point lol
https:// news.blizzard. com/en-us/blizzard/23185888/regarding-last-weekend-s-hearthstone-grandmasters-tournament
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Working link for easier browsing.
<3 you, Elra.
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How do you do that link stuff, it never lets me.
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Have to be rank 3.
There are ranks?
Crap, I’m super low then, a lot of angry people don’t like me here.
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Lol yeah. There are trust levels based on how much you post/read/give likes/receive likes.
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Oh yeah, I’m definitely screwed lol
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A hefty penalty. Dudes lucky Blizzard gave back his winnings. I understand why they went so hard. Its the only way to keep people in check so it doesnt happen again… unless everyone in Blizzard esports starts going out of line.
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Oh then they’ll start with perma bans
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The nice thing is they reduced their suspensions to only six months and stated clearly they would have done the same thing if he had said it the other way around so this shows they are acting fair.
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Pretty much.
There was never any evidence supporting that this was all because of China
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Cool story, so they lightened the punishment for him since there was a massive outcry from players and employees. I like the part where he says ‘Play Nice, Play Fair’ is a value that they believe in. Blizzard is playing nice now, let’s see if they start playing fair and punish the AU team.
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To be fair, if I remember what their Grandmasters rules stated, the removal of winnings was part of the disciplinary action. I think Grandmasters is essentially supposed to be best of the best of the best in Hearthstone, so I can understand why it is so harsh. Sounds like they may revisit some of those rules though, which would probably be better for everyone involved in the events in the future.
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It doesnt matter if it was or wasnt. It will never be enough to please the selective outrage mob.
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This is the most important sentence in the whole thing:
“We have these rules to keep the focus on the game and on the tournament to the benefit of a global audience, and that was the only consideration in the actions we took.”
That’s it, and that’s all. It’s about the game, not the geo-politics and anyone’s opinion on the situation in that country (or anywhere else).
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They’ll forget next week when they are outraged against the newest thing to be outraged about.
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Weasel PR speak.
The specific views expressed by blitzchung were NOT a factor in the decision we made. I want to be clear: our relationships in China had no influence on our decision.
Every Voice Matters, and we strongly encourage everyone in our community to share their viewpoints in the many places available to express themselves. However, the official broadcast needs to be about the tournament and to be a place where all are welcome. In support of that, we want to keep the official channels focused on the game.
If a winner had said some message about global warming or children starving in Africa, there would have been no penalty whatsoever. This has everything to do with the views he expressed.
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Exactly.
People on social media and these forums took it and warped it into something it never was.
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On that part they did what they did to ensure the safety of their employees because if anyone speaks out openly against this regime they either go to prison for life or “disappear” Blizzard didn’t want to risk their employees lives.
Blizzard doesn’t really believe in the whole playing fair thing that they talk about. 
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