Blizzard has been under scrutiny from its community for the last several weeks now since the entire Hearthstone Blitzchung situation began surrounding professional Grandmasters player Chung “Blitzchung” Ng Wai who hails from Hong Kong.

Blizzard Makes a Formal Hearthstone Apology

Today, Friday, November 1, marks the start of the annual BlizzCon 2019 where fans gather in Anaheim, California to celebrate all things Blizzard. Diablo, World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, Overwatch, and so much more are the main events and games that are going to be present there.

As always, Blizzard began with an opening ceremony main event at the Anaheim Convention Center. This is typically where the company makes it major announcements regarding what new games are coming, updates on existing games, and so on.

However, Blizzard made an interesting choice regarding this year’s opening ceremony by immediately opening up surrounding the Blitzchung situation. Blizzard Entertainment president J. Allen Brack appeared on stage to greet fans and give a formal apology.

The Hearthstone apology was addressed specifically for the Blitzchung and Hong Kong situation that occurred recently but came off a little bit lacking for many fans and critics of Blizzard in the community. Brack was apologetic in his actions and tone, apologizing for what this situation has caused.

In addition, he noted that the protests that are happening right now in Anaheim this weekend will not be affected. Brack noted that there are “two things” that he is not happy about with the first one being how the company has not lived up to its “high standards” as it should have.

The second of these is the fact that, according to Brack, Blizzard has “failed” in its purpose as a company. For this, he apologized and accepted accountability for what happened recently. Brack continued by noting that Blizzard is committed to its already existing goal of bringing “the world together in epic entertainment” through making video games.

Apology Met With Criticism

What is unfortunate with the Hearthstone apology is the fact that the Blizzard president did not mention once the name of pro player Blitzchung who was banned from participating in esports events moving forward, the Hong Kong events, or anything else.

Instead, he simply centered his and the company’s Hearthstone apology around the card game itself. During the apology, it could be heard a fan yelling “Free Hong Kong!” from the crowd. While the apology did come at the right moment with the start of BlizzCon, it wasn’t enough for many.

The start of BlizzCon 2019 was met with controversy, protesting, and uncertainty from fans and the video game community as a whole. That is why it was key and necessary that the company start the entire presentation and weekend as a whole by making this Hearthstone apology.

The apology from J. Allen Brack

But the issue with all of this is the fact of the apology itself. The timing and tone were what was needed in this controversial situation but the wording of it and actions following the apology are lacking, according to many in the community.

Places like Twitter, Reddit, and other social media sites are filled with critics of the apology who note that it seemed “disingenuous” and how the president of Blizzard perhaps purposefully skirted around actually mentioning Blitzchung, Hong Kong, and China.

Others are criticizing the fact that Blizzard is quick to apologize about the situation in front of the world but is unwilling to actually take any action. After all, the pro player Blitzchung himself is still suspended from participating in official competitions at the time of writing this.

Beyond that, even some fans are disappointed that Blizzard didn’t at least make any promises to protect the rights and freedom of other players by making sure that a situation like this one never happens again. Blizzard followed up the apology by continuing the opening ceremony.

The apology was soon followed by the announcement of the long-awaited Diablo 4, which others in the community have seen as the company attempting to soften the blow of the whole situation. This was actually president J. Allen Brack’s second statement surrounding the issue.

Recap of Events Leading to the Apology

Brack was the one who posted a blog a few weeks ago on behalf of the company, addressing the outcry from gamers and lessening the punishment for Blitzchung. The former professional Grandmasters player won a match on October 6 and during his post-game interview, appeared with a face mask that is currently banned in Hong Kong due to protesters.

He voiced his support for Hong Kong during the stream, which caused Blizzard to cut the livestream immediately. Blitzchung was immediately banned for a year from participating in esports for the card game and all prize money he has earned from Grandmasters was taken away.

In addition, the two broadcasters who were involved in the interview had their positions terminated. This led to intense controversy and criticism from the gaming community, politicians, and many people around the world. This is in large part due to Blizzard being an American-based company.

However, it is worth noting that Tencent, another major tech company that is based in China, has a stake in Activision Blizzard. In addition, China is also a large part of the card game’s esports with the Global Finals featuring two Chinese players who won the chance to compete in Anaheim this weekend.

Though the punishment was lessened for Blitzchung to the point where he will receive his prize money now and this apology was given, he still has a six-month suspension that is active at this time. In a surprise twist of events, though, an announcement was made that Blitzchung has been signed on by esports organization Tempo Storm.