President of Blizzard Entertainment J. Allen Brack took the stage at Blizzcon 2019 today to give a sober apology to the crowd about how the company handled recent expressions by Hearthstone players over Hong Kong – however, he somehow managed not to mention Hong Kong during his entire speech.
Early in October, Blizzard banned Ng ‘blitzchung’ Wai Chung from esports tournaments for the company’s digital collectible card game Hearthstone after he spoke in support of Hong Kong’s liberation from the Chinese government. The company also banned two streamers who were interviewing Blitzchung at the time.
The ban was initially set for one year and stripped Blitzchung of his winnings as a Hearthstone Grand Master.
After a massive popular backlash, Blizzard eventually allowed Blitzchung his winnings and reduced the time of the bans down to six months.
“We moved too quickly in our decision-making and then, to make matters worse, we were too slow to talk with all of you,” said Brack. “We didn’t live up to the high standards that we really set for ourselves.”
Brack also added, “I’m sorry and I accept accountability.”
However, during the entire speech, Brack did not mention Blitzchung or Hong Kong. Much of the speech spoke to Blizzard’s stance and the meaning of positive gaming and community. Although Brack mentioned “accountability,” the speech did not mention anything about how that accountability might take shape or what responsibility means to Blizzard as a corporation and a culture.
Brack finished his statement with an offer that Blizzard “will do better going forward, but our actions are going to matter more than these words.”
As of this writing, Blitzchung and the two streamers who interviewed him are still banned.
Outside the venue, protestors supporting a free Hong Kong gathered to speak out against Blizzard’s actions over the past month and how it has handled these incidents.
The protestors have been handing out free “Mei With Hong Kong” t-shirts that appropriate the Chinese character Mei from Blizzard’s Overwatch game as a symbol of freedom for Hong Kong.
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