In case you haven’t been on the internet for a few weeks, Chung “Blitzchung” Ng Wai, a Grandmaster Hearthstone player, was banned for voicing his political opinion on the Hong Kong riots during a Hearthstone Grandmasters tournament stream, which then led to the “Boycott Blizzard” movement and even Blizzard employees walking out. Blizzard then responded to the situation and so did Blitzchung, as the ban was reduced to six months and the player’s prize money returned. Now, a Hearthstone team is banned for holding up a sign that said “Free Hong Kong, Boycott Blizzard” during a tournament.
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The Hearthstone team has also been banned for six months. A player from American University’s collegiate Hearthstone team held up the sign during the Hearthstone Collegiate Championships in protest, and also opted to forfeit the tournament and withdraw from future tournaments.
They did, in fact, break the tournament rules and now, Blizzard has taken action, banning the Hearthstone team for holding up a sign saying “Free Hong Kong, Boycott Blizzard”. One of the players, Casey Chambers, announced the news accompanied by the ruling from Blizzard, saying that it is appreciated that all players are treated equally…
Happy to announce the AU Hearthstone team received a six month ban from competition. While delayed I appreciate all players being treated equally and no one being above the rules. pic.twitter.com/mZStoF0e0t
— Casey Chambers (@Xcelsior_hs) October 16, 2019
These players obviously did this on purpose and expected to be punished for their actions. Casey Chambers said as much in a follow-up tweet, stating that:
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”#16EBD0″ class=”” size=”20″]This one was pretty cut and dry. We knew what we were doing and expected the punishment. The problem was Blizzard ignoring our protest for PR reasons but going after Blitzchung.[/perfectpullquote]
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What do you think about this Hearthstone team being banned holding up the “Free Hong Kong, Boycott Blizzard” sign at an official tournament and Blizzard’s decision on the matter? Let us know in the comment section below.
