Blizzard president gives vague apology for Hong Kong protest response

Enlarge / Mei from Overwatch has become a grass roots symbol of the Hong Kong protests in the wake of Blizzard's decision. (credit: r/hongkong)

Before launching into the weekend-long celebration of Blizzard games that is Blizzcon, company President J. Allen Brack offered a vague on-stage apology for how the company failed to "bring the world together in a tough Hearthstone esports moment about a month ago."

Though Brack didn't delve into the details of that "tough... moment," it's an obvious reference to the company's initial one-year ban for pro Hearthstone player Ng "Blitzchung" Wai Chung after he shouted a statement of support for ongoing pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong on a post-match stream. While Blitzchung's ban was later reduced to a six-month suspension and his tournament winnings restored, the damage was done among a vocal segment of Blizzard's fan base.

In the wake of the Blitzchung decision, Blizzard was forced to cancel a public promotional event and belatedly punish a college Hearthstone team for a similar on-stream protest. The company faced both a brief employee walkout and admonishment from a bipartisan group of US legislators.

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