Blizzard Releases Poorly Received Apology at BlizzCon
Blizzard has struggled to deal with the backlash resulting from their ban of Hong Kong Hearthstone player Blitzchung for six months, and their apology at BlizzCon this weekend didn’t fare much better.
In a statement at the start of the annual convention opening ceremony, Blizzard President J. Allen Brack again apologized to the community for how Blizzard had handled the situation.
He stated, “We moved too quickly in our decision, and then, to make matters worse, we were too slow to talk with all of you. I am sorry, and I accept accountability.”
A Community Unforgiving
If he and Blizzard expected that apology to pacify those outraged in the community, they were sorely mistaken, unfortunately.
Many online and across social media commented on how the apology felt hollow, while others thought it didn’t go far enough to address their concerns.
One of the casters in the now infamous clip posted a response to the apology on Facebook which was translated by Redditor Ethan85515 as,
Blizzard president J. Allen Brack spoke about the Blitzchung incident again: “I hope it’s clear how committed we are to everyone’s right to express themselves in all kinds of ways in all kinds of places.”
Reynad, the CEO of Tempo Storm and ex-Hearthstone pro, also stated:
“We believe first and foremost in supporting players and encouraging them to engage and to speak out on the things about which they are most passionate. Amazing, this is precisely what I did as a caster on that day. And then? I got fired.”
Another problem countless people also spoke out about was how the company didn’t do anything beyond the apology: Blitzchung was still banned, the casters were still fired, and the collegiate players who also protested are also still banned.
While the plethora of sequels and expansions announced at BlizzCon will surely appease a good number of people, Blizzard’s image in the broader gaming community is likely to remain tarnished for the foreseeable future.
Given the number of protesters both outside and in BlizzCon, along with the continued calls to boycott the company’s products, Blizzard is really going to need to step up if they want to shake the bad image they’ve gotten from this. Protests in Hong Kong have taken to using Overwatch character Mei as a symbol for their movement.
Only time will tell if Blizzard does anything beyond apologize, but as always, we’ll keep you all updated as the situation develops.
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