Activision Blizzard takes another massive hit after their actions against Chung Nh “Blitzchung” Wai. Today, Erica Rasch, a spokesperson for Mitsubishi Taiwan has confirmed they have ended their support of Blizzard Entertainment.
It seems that Blizzard Entertainment can’t catch a break as of late. They’ve been getting hit from every side after their – now rescinded – actions against both Blitzchung and the live casters after the pro gamers stance against China’s actions against the people of Hong Kong.
However, according to a report from The Daily Beast, things haven’t gotten any better after Mitsubishi Motors Taiwan withdrew their support of Blizzard Entertainment’s pro league circuits. The news only comes shortly after Blizzard hit an Australian collegiate team with bans much like that of Blitzchung.
So what exactly led up to this? Well, a simple statement from Blitzchung himself stating, “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,” during a live broadcast during the Hearthstone Asia-Pacific Grandmasters tournament, which was held in Taiwan earlier this year.
After his statement, Blizzard Entertainment had barred Blitzchung from pro play for a year, withheld his prize winnings, only to retract their statement shortly after, allowing him to have his earnings back, but still facing a six-month ban, down from the initial penalties.
Blizzard’s president, J. Allen Brack, later stated that Blitzchung could not go unpunished for what he stated and “taking the conversation away from the purpose of the event and disrupting or derailing the broadcast.”
Unfortunately for Blizzard Entertainment, things haven’t gotten much better every since. Many Blizzard fans have seen this approach as the company trying to appease its Chinese investors, which make up around half of their user base, and even has seen more than 12% of its quarterly revenue having come from the Asia Pacific market, 5% of which is owned by Chinese tech giant Tencent.
Even with official statements from Brack, fans still remain irritated, feeling that Blizzard’s actions are only to cover their own tails, and “save their hides” after Brack’s latest statement where he wanted to “be clear: our relationships in China had no influence on our decision.”
However, fans feel that isn’t the case, it has even led to Blizzard employees leaving their teams due to the current turn of events. There are even planned protests by fans that will take place during Blizzcon 2019, which is scheduled for Friday and Saturday this weekend (Nov. 1st through Nov. 2nd).
Even with rumors of Overwatch 2 and Diablo IV announcements expected to be on the way, it looks like their announcements could very well be overshadowed by upset fans and their recent controversies.
About the Writer(s):
Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the borders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, Anime, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. You can find him over on Twitter or Facebook.