Game developer Blizzard Entertainment has suspended a Hearthstone esports player after he called for the liberation of Hong Kong during a livestream.
The player, known as Blitzchung, was featured in an official broadcast of a Hearthstone tournament this past weekend in Asia, where he showed support for the ongoing pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
[BREAKING] Hong Kong Hearthstone player @blitzchungHS calls for liberation of his country in post-game interview:https://t.co/3AgQAaPioj
@Matthieist #Hearthstone pic.twitter.com/DnaMSEaM4g — ?? Inven Global ?? (@InvenGlobal) October 6, 2019
"Liberate Hong Kong, revolution in our age," Blitzchung says during the stream, repeating a slogan used by the protestors. He can also be seen wearing a gas mask, which protest supporters have been wearing in defiance of a new Hong Kong law that bans face masks at public demonstrations.
In response, Blizzard removed a replay of the official broadcast. Then on Tuesday, the company announced it had suspended Blitzchung for violating Heartstone's official esports rules, which can penalize a player for offending a "portion or group of the public" or causing damages to Blizzard's image.
As a result, Blizzard is rescinding all prize money Blitzchung would have earned from the "Grandmasters Season 2" tournament. The company has also banned him from all Hearthstone esports events for one year.
"While we stand by one's right to express individual thoughts and opinions, players and other participants that elect to participate in our esports competitions must abide by the official competition rules," the company said in the statement.
The suspension also puts Blizzard in line with the Chinese government, which has censored and condemned the protests in Hong Kong. For years now, the gaming company has been building up a business in China through its hit series WarCraft, Diablo, and StarCraft. But doing so has meant securing approval from Chinese authorities, who have the power to ban a gaming product from the country.
Blizzard's statement today adds: "After an investigation, we are taking the necessary actions to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future." However, the company's suspension of Blitzchung is also sparking a backlash among gamers, who claim Blizzard is prioritizing money from the Chinese market over supporting free speech rights.
BLIZZARD - "Play our games! Fight against bad guys as a diverse cast of characters! Be the hero!"
ALSO BLIZZARD - "If you speak out against China we will fucking cut you." — Cassandra, Pudgy Nobody (@ChrisWarcraft) October 8, 2019
In a message on Twitter, Blitzchung told PCMag he was for now declining to comment on his suspension, saying "too many media reaching out to me now."