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Blizzard Cancels Overwatch Event

450 points by dmitrygr 7y ago

Waterluvian 7y ago
I hope this emboldens people as they see that their protesting actually works. I'm often super pessimistic that large corporations are immune to protest because people have short attention spans and get bored of being outraged.
- rolltiide 7y ago
  One east coast hurricane or larger west coast earthquake will drown this issue out
  - michaelmrose 7y ago
    I will never buy another product by blizzard regardless of future behavior. I will be reminding people of their feckless behavior in one star reviews a decade from now. I doubt I'm the only one. I support the corporate death penalty.
    - thrower123 7y ago
      This would be more of a big deal if Blizzard was still making products that appealed to a Western market. They really don't, anymore. They've reached the point that they are just remastering their greatest hits. Otherwise it is all e-sports.
      - npo9 7y ago
        I’m pretty sure a new Call of Duty game still comes out every year and is a huge seller in the west.
      - deleted 7y ago
        [deleted]
    - vkou 7y ago
      Just a litmus test: Do you also boycott Chick-Fil-A, for their, far worse stance against basic human rights (Giving money to charities that are actively working on promoting anti-gay hate crimes)? And the NFL, for their unwillingness to have the playing field be a soapbox for political statements about the treatment of African Americans, by police? You must surely note that many people who have recently jumped on the anti-Blizzard bandwagon are totally OK to continue patronizing those two organizations...
      - RandomTisk 7y ago
        Religious freedom != hate crimes, at least not yet. When those are equal though, trust me Chick Fil A will be the least of your problems.
        codezero 7y ago
        I’m the US the two are getting very close to being the same. Maybe not hate crimes per se. but discrimination supported by faith. Not providing employees coverage for contraceptives, or firing someone for a low cut blouse, refusing to serve a gay couple, trying to make sexual orientation not a protected class from discrimination entirely is currently on the plate, all of these are pushed by faith based organizations.
      - michaelmrose 7y ago
        The Chinese mow down protestors with tanks. They are well on their way to developing an Orwellian surveillance state where people are afraid to dissent. They are building modern day concentration camps for minorities. They are using political prisoners as living organ banks to be murdered and disassembled as soon as their parts are needed for a more desirable patient. I don't think Chick-Fil-A is on the same level because some of their money goes to republicans but I don't give them my money either. Furthermore sharing all of my morals isn't an apt requirement for concluding someone has morals. I and a republican can disagree on gay marriage while sharing contempt and horror or organleggers building concentration camps.
        7y ago
    - belltaco 7y ago
      While still happily buying Chinese products. Boycotting Blizzard will not make a difference to China, well actually it helps by not transferring money from Chinese gamers to American companies and employees.
      - michaelmrose 7y ago
        Most of my money goes to health care, food, and housing none of which is made in China. Many other things I buy second hand. I can't say that none of my money ends up enriching China given how pervasive Chinese made goods are especially on the low end of the market but it would be inaccurate to say I am still "happily buying Chinese products". That is you imposing a preconceived narrative on me without bothering to find out or care if its accurate.
- gtirloni 7y ago
  I wish protesting against Blizzard would have an impact on Chinese policy but there's zero chance of that happening. I understand it's a long game (no pun intended), getting more and more companies to take a stand for free speech, but the impact on the lives of the people really affected by it is too small. The US government has much greater means to make a really powerful impact but I don't see that ever happening.
  - MrStonedOne 7y ago
    The goal is not to change chinese policy, it's to change the policy of how american business interact with chinese policy. I don't care nearly as much about how china is a draconian hellhole as I do about that hellhole infecting how american business do shit.
    - Waterluvian 7y ago
      That's exactly it. China is trying, and succeeding, to chill our speech.
    - Dan_JiuJitsu 7y ago
      ^^ This! Fuck China. We can do nothing about evil Winnie the Poo. We CAN do something about domestic companies kowtowing to evil Winnie the Poo. Voting with our wallet. #BoycottBlizzard
    - gtirloni 7y ago
      Thanks for clarifying. I guess my brain is wired to fix root causes (China) and not symptoms, but I completely understand what you're saying. It's a more pragmatic perspective (influence what is within reach). It just depresses me that, in the name of trade and the perspective of China being some #1 global power, governments everywhere will turn a blind eye to the human rights violations.
  - dx87 7y ago
    Protesting against Blizzard may not do enough to have an impact, but it certainly helps. Here's a short article where they claim that the way China dealt with the NBA was doing them more harm than good, so the government started trying to suppress chinese nationalism since it was making them look bad to the rest of the world. I agree that it'd be better if the government did something, but company and consumer protests can be effective as well. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/10/business/china-blows-whistle-on-nationalist-protests-against-the-nba.html https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/10/business/china-blows-whis...
- esoterica 7y ago
  I would wait to see if an actual drop in game sales occurs before claiming this as a victory. The gaming internet is an perpetual motion outrage machine but very few of their cause celebres actually translate into any kind of economic impact for developers and publishers. Also take a look at Blizzard’s stock price to see what Wall Street actually thinks of the current mess (spoiler: it’s still within touching distance of the the YTD high).
hartator 7y ago
The worst part they made the player gave up $10,000 of tournament prize he already won. It's a lot of money in China.
- matthuggins 7y ago
  They went back on that decision.
- cjbprime 7y ago
  They reversed that decision already, and halved the amount of time of the suspensions. It's not good enough when combined with denying any wrongdoing in the original decision, though, and when Blizzard's own Chinese version of its apology for Blitzchung's speech included a phrase that translates something like "We will protect the national dignity [of China]". -- https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/10/10/verified-chinese-blizzard-account-doubles-down-on-political-policy https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/10/10/verified-chinese-bli...
  - dtn 7y ago
    NetEase, their regional publisher, made that statement. It was also posted before the controversy started.
    - nightcracker 7y ago
      Blizzard has not chosen to condemn, distance itself from or otherwise comment on that statement, despite it being made in their name. They are obviously aware it exists and how many people are outraged at it. Therefore the only logical conclusion is that they endorse it.
    - cjbprime 7y ago
      Thanks, didn't know that, I'd thought it was Blizzard China.
      - alasdair_ 7y ago
RcouF1uZ4gsC 7y ago
This is a crisis point for everyone who supports political free speech. Every corporation and business person is watching this to see which hurts their bottom line less, suppressing free speech globally, or angering China. As consumers, we must make sure that they get the message loud and clear that suppressing free speech globally on behalf of China is going to hurt their bottom line far more than China will. Otherwise, we will live in a world where China controls what discourse goes on in the world by controlling the corporations.
- vkou 7y ago
  No, it's not. It's a crisis for speech by entities that are seeking to make millions of dollars in China. Those corporations were never in the business of defending free speech in the first place. If you were expecting them to, I would suggest finding better role models. This is not a problem for anyone who does not care about selling out to the Chinese market.
  - azernik 7y ago
    > anyone who does not care about selling out to the Chinese market It's a crisis for speech by customers of those companies, who must make clear that they are just as capable of punishing those companies as the Chinese government.
    - vkou 7y ago
      When you're a tournament winner, you're not a customer of the company, you're a partner that's using the tournament as a soapbox for your politics.
      - Dan_JiuJitsu 7y ago
        Coincidentally this is something an employee of a dictatorship would say. You must work with Winnie the Poo.
    - belltaco 7y ago
cjbprime 7y ago
The huge question here is what's going to happen at BlizzCon in two weeks. There'll be 40,000+ attendees, cameras everywhere, there are usually Q&A panels, homemade signs for player support, cosplay, everything. How can you host BlizzCon when you're terrified of political speech?
- Fellshard 7y ago
  There's no way they'll be able to prevent the amount of pro-HK messaging attendees will almost certainly bring, now.
- musicale 7y ago
  It's going to be pretty interesting.
- paulddraper 7y ago
  They are between a rock and hard place. It's a total no-win for them now. (Queue morbid curiosity.)
  - microcolonel 7y ago
    Well, let's hope the kowtow to genocidal fascist dictatorship option is clearly the more painful of two painful paths.
    - vkou 7y ago
      How did this sort of thing work out for the NFL, in terms of kneeling players? Pretty well, all things considered.
      - SolaceQuantum 7y ago
        The NFL never took Colin's entire NFL earnings away from him on top of firing anyone commenting on the initial sitting. I'm pretty sure if they did this, there would be much more uproar than letting him do it and quietly not signing him onto any more teams.
williesleg 7y ago
Blizzard is toast. Wtf is it with people loving China, especially if they haven't been there. It's a place that has zero interest in the individual and crushes all political opponents in spite of all the corruption and graft. Think of California or New York.
lscotte 7y ago
Paywall, can't read the article.
caseymarquis 7y ago
Anyone know if they'll see it when I uninstall Overwatch?
- bojo 7y ago
  Through lower daily average user statics I imagine.
- judge2020 7y ago
  If anything, playing Overwatch more without purchasing anything else cuts more into their ROI since you use up their servers.
  - enragedcacti 7y ago
    In a vacuum sure, but you are the product that Blizzard is selling to new players and to players who want to show off the cool skins they got from loot boxes. If there is no one to play with no one will buy.
  - bhouston 7y ago
    You are still engaged and eventually you will buy something. A hard boycott is best if you want results.
- Pfhreak 7y ago
  Having worked in game analytics (not Blizzard), I 100% believe that yes, they track the number of installs, uninstalls, launches, daily/weekly/monthly active users, etc.
humble_engineer 7y ago
I'm so sick and tired of seeing a company silence free speech, but then as soon as someone doesn't agree with what is being said, the answer is, "but they are a private business." Have some god damn principles, either you support free speech, or you don't, it doesn't matter what is being said, imbeciles.
- stordoff 7y ago
  They are a private business means there is not legal impediment to what they are doing. They are free to do this all day long. That doesn't mean as an individual I have to support them. There's no contradiction between saying there are free to do this, but I don't support it, or being against this but allowing some other actions to that shut down some categories of free speech. Not everyone believes in a blanket right to all speech in all situations.
rabite 7y ago
On this issue, I support China and Xi. This makes me like Blizzard for once in a long while. China has every right to put down arrogant, entitled brats committing acts of violence and property destruction on its streets. I have no desire to see my country entangled in more foreign conflicts, and the disgusting support of hawks and media entities for the petulant Cantonese brats in Hong Kong is yet another reason to support Blizzard. Just reinstalled Overwatch, and bought a few friends copies.
- teslafanboi 7y ago
  eat ass commie bitch
- microcolonel 7y ago
  The hawk in this situation is the fascist dictatorship which seeks to stamp out the growing bastion of civilization that Hong Kong represents and substitute its superiour system of justice for the mere whims and fetishes of Jinping Xi.
Copyrighted 7y ago
Mark Kern (ex-lead WoW dev, and dev for Starcraft/Warcraft/Diablo 2) posted a good analysis of Blizzard's statement on Blitzchung. https://twitter.com/Grummz/status/1183215204525412352?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet https://twitter.com/Grummz/status/1183215204525412352?ref_sr...
- Pfhreak 7y ago
  FYI, for folks who aren't familiar, Mark Kern's history also includes full throated support of GamerGate and being removed from a CEO role at Red 5 by the board of directors. (Allegedly for erratic and disruptive behavior.) It's been a really, really wild ride seeing lefty twitter and righty twitter hold hands and agree that Blizzard did the wrong thing. (Though for different reasons.)
  - nyolfen 7y ago
    > FYI, for folks who aren't familiar, Mark Kern's history also includes full throated support of GamerGate and being removed from a CEO role at Red 5 by the board of directors. (Allegedly for erratic and disruptive behavior.) how are these relevant to the subject at hand, particularly the second issue? it comes across like fnords
    - sterileopinions 7y ago
      Because almost everything he said reads like a really generic right-wing narrative shaping about media manipulation, complete with conspiracy theory accessories. Like the most egregious one he included in that thread involves a total misunderstanding of publication dates and general time zones. Don't read that thread and expect to learn much or gain insight, save for the fact that Blizzard really messed up here.
    - Pfhreak 7y ago
      Because it's fairly common to signal boost someone who you may or may not agree with, and having the information can be useful for someone who previously was unaware?
Dan_JiuJitsu 7y ago
I will never purchase another game from Activision or Blizzard unless they recant this backwards position. American art and media should not be subject to Chinese influence. I've been a loyal customer over the years, but I have a long memory. Refuse to delete my account if you will, it will never be used again.
- ReptileMan 7y ago
  And I will never purchase another game until they start making good ones again. That is far bigger sin than refusing to be political about Hong Kong.
  - threeseed 7y ago
    People have died and many are missing due to the Hong Kong situation. That's more important than a game.
    - belltaco 7y ago
      Boycotting Blizzard will do exactly nothing to change that. Maybe put financial pressure on China by not buying things made in China? Nah that's too inconvenient for the keyboard(Made in China) warriors.
    - ReptileMan 7y ago
      I don't live in China or Hong Kong so I insist on being able to live my life without having a position about all remote kerfuffles.
      - d0100 7y ago
        Ah yes, the traditional "as long as it's not me"
- uwuhn 7y ago
  First they came for the skeletons, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a skeleton.
sod 7y ago
deleted
- falcolas 7y ago
  This isn't an article about the situation in Hong Kong, it's an article about Blizzard canceling a marketing junket. To be relevant to the article, discussion will naturally center around the company at question. The connection of this particular article to HK is just too tenuous to have serious discussions about HK sprout up organically.
- flukus 7y ago
  It's probably too late to help Hong Kong, but it's become abundantly clear that actively collaborating with a totalitarian regime the way Blizzard (amongst many, many others) is not viable.
falcolas 7y ago
There are four primary effects of this cancelation: 1) It's given Nintendo a platform on which to distance themselves from Blizzard. The announcement from Nintendo explicitly notes that it's Blizzard who canceled the event. 2) It's reminded everyone that the Switch port of Overwatch is a thing, meaning that everyone from investors to people on both side of the HK issue will be watching its performance. 3) It's a lost opportunity for marketing for Blizzard. It's now pure cost, with the voice actors still needing to get paid for their time. 4) Attendance was limited, so this cancellation will create ill-will for Blizzard among those players who had obtained slots to attend.
vasili111 7y ago
I think what happens now will be called in future as Blizzard effect.
ican1 7y ago
When conservatives were banned en masse the liberals cheered. Their argument was that censoring by private companies was totally acceptable. Now that their preferred positions are being censored they've suddenly rediscovered the value of free speech. I hope they learn the lesson from this - free speech is too precious a right to be given up just to shut down your opponent. If your opponents are censored today, you'll surely be tomorrow.
- ekc 7y ago
  This isn't relevant to the article.
ican1 7y ago
When conservatives were banned by internet companies the leftists cheered by saying "Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from consequences." I hope they realize their folly now.
echelon 7y ago
We need to impose an 80% repatriation tax on any profits earned in China in order to offset the damages done to our domestic freedom of speech. China should not be able to control society outside of its own walls, yet they have blatantly influenced the behavior of our biggest mass media companies for years. To be fair, they've done an outstanding job of it. They fund a huge number of film productions. They've bought out our cinema chains and gaming companies. All the while we never once see China portrayed as an enemy. Games are not permitted to promote LGBT acceptance. Films sometimes bend backwards to include China as a strong and moral ally. These aren't just one-sided impacts of the Great Firewall - China is directly altering the media we create domestically. They're changing the world narrative to enhance their reputation and take power from their enemies. They'll happily fund films that are critical of American history (and even if that's justified, it's terribly one-sided). And now what was once simply a chilling effect on what types of media could be created has now manifested as proactive enforcement of China's will. How long will it be before China can force westerners it disagrees with out of their jobs? We never imagined something like Blizzard's treatment of Blitzchung would be possible, yet now we're beginning to see how deep China's political tentacles reach. We have to stop this. Tax companies doing business in China. Disincentivize this blatant attack on of our freedom of speech. Don't let China change our cultural zeitgeist. Tax any and all domestic profits coming from China. Heavily.
- sumedh 7y ago
  > Tax any and all domestic profits coming from China. What would you do if there are no actual profits? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_accounting https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_accounting
  - stale2002 7y ago
    Just tax their revenue instead.
- esoterica 7y ago
  It’s funny that you’re complaining about freedom of speech violations while demanding that companies be forced to produce anti-Chinese media against their economic interest. The first amendment protects people’s rights to shill for China in exchange for $$$. That’s what freedom of speech actually means.
gthtjtkt 7y ago
Why did the HN mods feel the need to censor the title?
mensetmanusman 7y ago
The love of money is the root of all evil.
mustaflex 7y ago
Video games are made by creators and there is an artistic side to it. People get emotionally attached to them and it's hard to remove this positive emotion associated with it, but when developers and editors treat it only as a money machine and disregard everything else it is like breaking up with your s.o. and the love is replaced with an irreversible hatred. I think Blizzard has definitely lost their special place in most of their hardcore fans. The market has become global but so have the conflicts and whether they like it or not, sometimes they will be forced to pick a side.
darklajid 7y ago
Apart from the global crisis this is also quite a big subject here, locally, in Singapore and among friends in HK: Honestly I don't see how Blizzard should've reacted instead and feel bad for them. That's not related to "bending over for China" or "selling out to China" and has nothing to do with the political situation in HK. The way I see it, someone did a really, really shitty (a gas mask and chanting?) publicity stunt on a Blizzard event (Blizzard stream, Blizzard paid casters, Blizzard branding all over the place). Good riddance. If this is okay (because BAD CHINA), then you open the door to more of these .. actions and offer people a platform for their personal agenda. I think Blizzard did the Right Thing™ (as in, they communicated quite clearly that you cannot hijack their events for your own stuff). The problem of "Can you say anything you want on a Blizzard stream" turned now into "You either support HK or are supporting China" for weird reasons?
- ra1n85 7y ago
  And seize his prize money and fire the casters? Would they have done the same had he voiced support for BLM or Julian Assange? Your line of thinking is predicated on the fallacy that Blizzard acted in a principled manner. It’s also extremely suspicious to see how quickly you were upvoted. Subtly is not your forte.
  - darklajid 7y ago
    > And seize his prize money and fire the casters? I don't know. Personally I'd say "yes and no", but .. > Would they have done the same had he voiced support for BLM or Julian Assange? No idea. > Your line of thinking is predicated on the fallacy that Blizzard acted in a principled manner. Nope, I very much believe that Blizzard wanted to appease China. I just think they had a good reason to ban the guy and don't support what he did. > It’s also extremely suspicious to see how quickly you were upvoted. Subtly is not your forte. Wat. The comment you replied to is below 0. Maybe put down your tinfoil hat and explain what this is supposed to mean? IF my comment gets upvoted it's .. because China is hijacking HN? Whereas if it's downvoted that is The Obviously Right Thing™?
leowoo91 7y ago
I like the way how I'm hit to paywall with intention to read Blizzard news.

450 points by dmitrygr 7y ago

I hope this emboldens people as they see that their protesting actually works. I'm often super pessimistic that large corporations are immune to protest because people have short attention spans and get bored of being outraged.

rolltiide 7y ago
One east coast hurricane or larger west coast earthquake will drown this issue out
- michaelmrose 7y ago
  I will never buy another product by blizzard regardless of future behavior. I will be reminding people of their feckless behavior in one star reviews a decade from now. I doubt I'm the only one. I support the corporate death penalty.
  - thrower123 7y ago
    This would be more of a big deal if Blizzard was still making products that appealed to a Western market. They really don't, anymore. They've reached the point that they are just remastering their greatest hits. Otherwise it is all e-sports.
    - npo9 7y ago
      I’m pretty sure a new Call of Duty game still comes out every year and is a huge seller in the west.
    - deleted 7y ago
      [deleted]
  - vkou 7y ago
    Just a litmus test: Do you also boycott Chick-Fil-A, for their, far worse stance against basic human rights (Giving money to charities that are actively working on promoting anti-gay hate crimes)? And the NFL, for their unwillingness to have the playing field be a soapbox for political statements about the treatment of African Americans, by police? You must surely note that many people who have recently jumped on the anti-Blizzard bandwagon are totally OK to continue patronizing those two organizations...
    - RandomTisk 7y ago
      Religious freedom != hate crimes, at least not yet. When those are equal though, trust me Chick Fil A will be the least of your problems.
      - codezero 7y ago
        I’m the US the two are getting very close to being the same. Maybe not hate crimes per se. but discrimination supported by faith. Not providing employees coverage for contraceptives, or firing someone for a low cut blouse, refusing to serve a gay couple, trying to make sexual orientation not a protected class from discrimination entirely is currently on the plate, all of these are pushed by faith based organizations.
    - michaelmrose 7y ago
      The Chinese mow down protestors with tanks. They are well on their way to developing an Orwellian surveillance state where people are afraid to dissent. They are building modern day concentration camps for minorities. They are using political prisoners as living organ banks to be murdered and disassembled as soon as their parts are needed for a more desirable patient. I don't think Chick-Fil-A is on the same level because some of their money goes to republicans but I don't give them my money either. Furthermore sharing all of my morals isn't an apt requirement for concluding someone has morals. I and a republican can disagree on gay marriage while sharing contempt and horror or organleggers building concentration camps.
      - 7y ago
  - belltaco 7y ago
    While still happily buying Chinese products. Boycotting Blizzard will not make a difference to China, well actually it helps by not transferring money from Chinese gamers to American companies and employees.
    - michaelmrose 7y ago
      Most of my money goes to health care, food, and housing none of which is made in China. Many other things I buy second hand. I can't say that none of my money ends up enriching China given how pervasive Chinese made goods are especially on the low end of the market but it would be inaccurate to say I am still "happily buying Chinese products". That is you imposing a preconceived narrative on me without bothering to find out or care if its accurate.
gtirloni 7y ago
I wish protesting against Blizzard would have an impact on Chinese policy but there's zero chance of that happening. I understand it's a long game (no pun intended), getting more and more companies to take a stand for free speech, but the impact on the lives of the people really affected by it is too small. The US government has much greater means to make a really powerful impact but I don't see that ever happening.
- MrStonedOne 7y ago
  The goal is not to change chinese policy, it's to change the policy of how american business interact with chinese policy. I don't care nearly as much about how china is a draconian hellhole as I do about that hellhole infecting how american business do shit.
  - Waterluvian 7y ago
    That's exactly it. China is trying, and succeeding, to chill our speech.
  - Dan_JiuJitsu 7y ago
    ^^ This! Fuck China. We can do nothing about evil Winnie the Poo. We CAN do something about domestic companies kowtowing to evil Winnie the Poo. Voting with our wallet. #BoycottBlizzard
  - gtirloni 7y ago
    Thanks for clarifying. I guess my brain is wired to fix root causes (China) and not symptoms, but I completely understand what you're saying. It's a more pragmatic perspective (influence what is within reach). It just depresses me that, in the name of trade and the perspective of China being some #1 global power, governments everywhere will turn a blind eye to the human rights violations.
- dx87 7y ago
  Protesting against Blizzard may not do enough to have an impact, but it certainly helps. Here's a short article where they claim that the way China dealt with the NBA was doing them more harm than good, so the government started trying to suppress chinese nationalism since it was making them look bad to the rest of the world. I agree that it'd be better if the government did something, but company and consumer protests can be effective as well. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/10/business/china-blows-whistle-on-nationalist-protests-against-the-nba.html https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/10/business/china-blows-whis...
esoterica 7y ago
I would wait to see if an actual drop in game sales occurs before claiming this as a victory. The gaming internet is an perpetual motion outrage machine but very few of their cause celebres actually translate into any kind of economic impact for developers and publishers. Also take a look at Blizzard’s stock price to see what Wall Street actually thinks of the current mess (spoiler: it’s still within touching distance of the the YTD high).

hartator 7y ago

The worst part they made the player gave up $10,000 of tournament prize he already won. It's a lot of money in China.

matthuggins 7y ago
They went back on that decision.
cjbprime 7y ago
They reversed that decision already, and halved the amount of time of the suspensions. It's not good enough when combined with denying any wrongdoing in the original decision, though, and when Blizzard's own Chinese version of its apology for Blitzchung's speech included a phrase that translates something like "We will protect the national dignity [of China]". -- https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/10/10/verified-chinese-blizzard-account-doubles-down-on-political-policy https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/10/10/verified-chinese-bli...
- dtn 7y ago
  NetEase, their regional publisher, made that statement. It was also posted before the controversy started.
  - nightcracker 7y ago
    Blizzard has not chosen to condemn, distance itself from or otherwise comment on that statement, despite it being made in their name. They are obviously aware it exists and how many people are outraged at it. Therefore the only logical conclusion is that they endorse it.
  - cjbprime 7y ago
    Thanks, didn't know that, I'd thought it was Blizzard China.
    - alasdair_ 7y ago

RcouF1uZ4gsC 7y ago

This is a crisis point for everyone who supports political free speech. Every corporation and business person is watching this to see which hurts their bottom line less, suppressing free speech globally, or angering China. As consumers, we must make sure that they get the message loud and clear that suppressing free speech globally on behalf of China is going to hurt their bottom line far more than China will. Otherwise, we will live in a world where China controls what discourse goes on in the world by controlling the corporations.

vkou 7y ago
No, it's not. It's a crisis for speech by entities that are seeking to make millions of dollars in China. Those corporations were never in the business of defending free speech in the first place. If you were expecting them to, I would suggest finding better role models. This is not a problem for anyone who does not care about selling out to the Chinese market.
- azernik 7y ago
  > anyone who does not care about selling out to the Chinese market It's a crisis for speech by customers of those companies, who must make clear that they are just as capable of punishing those companies as the Chinese government.
  - vkou 7y ago
    When you're a tournament winner, you're not a customer of the company, you're a partner that's using the tournament as a soapbox for your politics.
    - Dan_JiuJitsu 7y ago
      Coincidentally this is something an employee of a dictatorship would say. You must work with Winnie the Poo.
  - belltaco 7y ago

cjbprime 7y ago

The huge question here is what's going to happen at BlizzCon in two weeks. There'll be 40,000+ attendees, cameras everywhere, there are usually Q&A panels, homemade signs for player support, cosplay, everything. How can you host BlizzCon when you're terrified of political speech?

Fellshard 7y ago
There's no way they'll be able to prevent the amount of pro-HK messaging attendees will almost certainly bring, now.
musicale 7y ago
It's going to be pretty interesting.
paulddraper 7y ago
They are between a rock and hard place. It's a total no-win for them now. (Queue morbid curiosity.)
- microcolonel 7y ago
  Well, let's hope the kowtow to genocidal fascist dictatorship option is clearly the more painful of two painful paths.
  - vkou 7y ago
    How did this sort of thing work out for the NFL, in terms of kneeling players? Pretty well, all things considered.
    - SolaceQuantum 7y ago
      The NFL never took Colin's entire NFL earnings away from him on top of firing anyone commenting on the initial sitting. I'm pretty sure if they did this, there would be much more uproar than letting him do it and quietly not signing him onto any more teams.

williesleg 7y ago

Blizzard is toast. Wtf is it with people loving China, especially if they haven't been there. It's a place that has zero interest in the individual and crushes all political opponents in spite of all the corruption and graft. Think of California or New York.

lscotte 7y ago

Paywall, can't read the article.

caseymarquis 7y ago

Anyone know if they'll see it when I uninstall Overwatch?

bojo 7y ago
Through lower daily average user statics I imagine.
judge2020 7y ago
If anything, playing Overwatch more without purchasing anything else cuts more into their ROI since you use up their servers.
- enragedcacti 7y ago
  In a vacuum sure, but you are the product that Blizzard is selling to new players and to players who want to show off the cool skins they got from loot boxes. If there is no one to play with no one will buy.
- bhouston 7y ago
  You are still engaged and eventually you will buy something. A hard boycott is best if you want results.
Pfhreak 7y ago
Having worked in game analytics (not Blizzard), I 100% believe that yes, they track the number of installs, uninstalls, launches, daily/weekly/monthly active users, etc.

humble_engineer 7y ago

I'm so sick and tired of seeing a company silence free speech, but then as soon as someone doesn't agree with what is being said, the answer is, "but they are a private business." Have some god damn principles, either you support free speech, or you don't, it doesn't matter what is being said, imbeciles.

stordoff 7y ago
They are a private business means there is not legal impediment to what they are doing. They are free to do this all day long. That doesn't mean as an individual I have to support them. There's no contradiction between saying there are free to do this, but I don't support it, or being against this but allowing some other actions to that shut down some categories of free speech. Not everyone believes in a blanket right to all speech in all situations.

rabite 7y ago

On this issue, I support China and Xi. This makes me like Blizzard for once in a long while. China has every right to put down arrogant, entitled brats committing acts of violence and property destruction on its streets. I have no desire to see my country entangled in more foreign conflicts, and the disgusting support of hawks and media entities for the petulant Cantonese brats in Hong Kong is yet another reason to support Blizzard. Just reinstalled Overwatch, and bought a few friends copies.

teslafanboi 7y ago
eat ass commie bitch
microcolonel 7y ago
The hawk in this situation is the fascist dictatorship which seeks to stamp out the growing bastion of civilization that Hong Kong represents and substitute its superiour system of justice for the mere whims and fetishes of Jinping Xi.

Copyrighted 7y ago

Mark Kern (ex-lead WoW dev, and dev for Starcraft/Warcraft/Diablo 2) posted a good analysis of Blizzard's statement on Blitzchung. https://twitter.com/Grummz/status/1183215204525412352?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet https://twitter.com/Grummz/status/1183215204525412352?ref_sr...

Pfhreak 7y ago
FYI, for folks who aren't familiar, Mark Kern's history also includes full throated support of GamerGate and being removed from a CEO role at Red 5 by the board of directors. (Allegedly for erratic and disruptive behavior.) It's been a really, really wild ride seeing lefty twitter and righty twitter hold hands and agree that Blizzard did the wrong thing. (Though for different reasons.)
- nyolfen 7y ago
  > FYI, for folks who aren't familiar, Mark Kern's history also includes full throated support of GamerGate and being removed from a CEO role at Red 5 by the board of directors. (Allegedly for erratic and disruptive behavior.) how are these relevant to the subject at hand, particularly the second issue? it comes across like fnords
  - sterileopinions 7y ago
    Because almost everything he said reads like a really generic right-wing narrative shaping about media manipulation, complete with conspiracy theory accessories. Like the most egregious one he included in that thread involves a total misunderstanding of publication dates and general time zones. Don't read that thread and expect to learn much or gain insight, save for the fact that Blizzard really messed up here.
  - Pfhreak 7y ago
    Because it's fairly common to signal boost someone who you may or may not agree with, and having the information can be useful for someone who previously was unaware?

Dan_JiuJitsu 7y ago

I will never purchase another game from Activision or Blizzard unless they recant this backwards position. American art and media should not be subject to Chinese influence. I've been a loyal customer over the years, but I have a long memory. Refuse to delete my account if you will, it will never be used again.

ReptileMan 7y ago
And I will never purchase another game until they start making good ones again. That is far bigger sin than refusing to be political about Hong Kong.
- threeseed 7y ago
  People have died and many are missing due to the Hong Kong situation. That's more important than a game.
  - belltaco 7y ago
    Boycotting Blizzard will do exactly nothing to change that. Maybe put financial pressure on China by not buying things made in China? Nah that's too inconvenient for the keyboard(Made in China) warriors.
  - ReptileMan 7y ago
    I don't live in China or Hong Kong so I insist on being able to live my life without having a position about all remote kerfuffles.
    - d0100 7y ago
      Ah yes, the traditional "as long as it's not me"
uwuhn 7y ago
First they came for the skeletons, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a skeleton.

sod 7y ago

deleted

falcolas 7y ago
This isn't an article about the situation in Hong Kong, it's an article about Blizzard canceling a marketing junket. To be relevant to the article, discussion will naturally center around the company at question. The connection of this particular article to HK is just too tenuous to have serious discussions about HK sprout up organically.
flukus 7y ago
It's probably too late to help Hong Kong, but it's become abundantly clear that actively collaborating with a totalitarian regime the way Blizzard (amongst many, many others) is not viable.

falcolas 7y ago

There are four primary effects of this cancelation: 1) It's given Nintendo a platform on which to distance themselves from Blizzard. The announcement from Nintendo explicitly notes that it's Blizzard who canceled the event. 2) It's reminded everyone that the Switch port of Overwatch is a thing, meaning that everyone from investors to people on both side of the HK issue will be watching its performance. 3) It's a lost opportunity for marketing for Blizzard. It's now pure cost, with the voice actors still needing to get paid for their time. 4) Attendance was limited, so this cancellation will create ill-will for Blizzard among those players who had obtained slots to attend.

vasili111 7y ago

I think what happens now will be called in future as Blizzard effect.

ican1 7y ago

When conservatives were banned en masse the liberals cheered. Their argument was that censoring by private companies was totally acceptable. Now that their preferred positions are being censored they've suddenly rediscovered the value of free speech. I hope they learn the lesson from this - free speech is too precious a right to be given up just to shut down your opponent. If your opponents are censored today, you'll surely be tomorrow.

ekc 7y ago
This isn't relevant to the article.

ican1 7y ago

When conservatives were banned by internet companies the leftists cheered by saying "Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from consequences." I hope they realize their folly now.

echelon 7y ago

We need to impose an 80% repatriation tax on any profits earned in China in order to offset the damages done to our domestic freedom of speech. China should not be able to control society outside of its own walls, yet they have blatantly influenced the behavior of our biggest mass media companies for years. To be fair, they've done an outstanding job of it. They fund a huge number of film productions. They've bought out our cinema chains and gaming companies. All the while we never once see China portrayed as an enemy. Games are not permitted to promote LGBT acceptance. Films sometimes bend backwards to include China as a strong and moral ally. These aren't just one-sided impacts of the Great Firewall - China is directly altering the media we create domestically. They're changing the world narrative to enhance their reputation and take power from their enemies. They'll happily fund films that are critical of American history (and even if that's justified, it's terribly one-sided). And now what was once simply a chilling effect on what types of media could be created has now manifested as proactive enforcement of China's will. How long will it be before China can force westerners it disagrees with out of their jobs? We never imagined something like Blizzard's treatment of Blitzchung would be possible, yet now we're beginning to see how deep China's political tentacles reach. We have to stop this. Tax companies doing business in China. Disincentivize this blatant attack on of our freedom of speech. Don't let China change our cultural zeitgeist. Tax any and all domestic profits coming from China. Heavily.

sumedh 7y ago
> Tax any and all domestic profits coming from China. What would you do if there are no actual profits? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_accounting https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_accounting
- stale2002 7y ago
  Just tax their revenue instead.
esoterica 7y ago
It’s funny that you’re complaining about freedom of speech violations while demanding that companies be forced to produce anti-Chinese media against their economic interest. The first amendment protects people’s rights to shill for China in exchange for $$$. That’s what freedom of speech actually means.

gthtjtkt 7y ago

Why did the HN mods feel the need to censor the title?

mensetmanusman 7y ago

The love of money is the root of all evil.

mustaflex 7y ago

Video games are made by creators and there is an artistic side to it. People get emotionally attached to them and it's hard to remove this positive emotion associated with it, but when developers and editors treat it only as a money machine and disregard everything else it is like breaking up with your s.o. and the love is replaced with an irreversible hatred. I think Blizzard has definitely lost their special place in most of their hardcore fans. The market has become global but so have the conflicts and whether they like it or not, sometimes they will be forced to pick a side.

darklajid 7y ago

Apart from the global crisis this is also quite a big subject here, locally, in Singapore and among friends in HK: Honestly I don't see how Blizzard should've reacted instead and feel bad for them. That's not related to "bending over for China" or "selling out to China" and has nothing to do with the political situation in HK. The way I see it, someone did a really, really shitty (a gas mask and chanting?) publicity stunt on a Blizzard event (Blizzard stream, Blizzard paid casters, Blizzard branding all over the place). Good riddance. If this is okay (because BAD CHINA), then you open the door to more of these .. actions and offer people a platform for their personal agenda. I think Blizzard did the Right Thing™ (as in, they communicated quite clearly that you cannot hijack their events for your own stuff). The problem of "Can you say anything you want on a Blizzard stream" turned now into "You either support HK or are supporting China" for weird reasons?

ra1n85 7y ago
And seize his prize money and fire the casters? Would they have done the same had he voiced support for BLM or Julian Assange? Your line of thinking is predicated on the fallacy that Blizzard acted in a principled manner. It’s also extremely suspicious to see how quickly you were upvoted. Subtly is not your forte.
- darklajid 7y ago
  > And seize his prize money and fire the casters? I don't know. Personally I'd say "yes and no", but .. > Would they have done the same had he voiced support for BLM or Julian Assange? No idea. > Your line of thinking is predicated on the fallacy that Blizzard acted in a principled manner. Nope, I very much believe that Blizzard wanted to appease China. I just think they had a good reason to ban the guy and don't support what he did. > It’s also extremely suspicious to see how quickly you were upvoted. Subtly is not your forte. Wat. The comment you replied to is below 0. Maybe put down your tinfoil hat and explain what this is supposed to mean? IF my comment gets upvoted it's .. because China is hijacking HN? Whereas if it's downvoted that is The Obviously Right Thing™?

leowoo91 7y ago

I like the way how I'm hit to paywall with intention to read Blizzard news.