Blizzard has responded to the controversy regarding Ng Wai "blitzchung" Chung, stating that it will give blitzchung his prize money and will lower his ban from professional Hearthstone play from one year to six months. However, it does not offer an apology or remove all punishments against blitzchung following his support of Hong Kong's liberation movement.

The Blizzard China Controversy Explained 12 IMAGES

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J. Allen Brack, president of Blizzard Entertainment, wrote a letter to Blizzard's community to address the event that occurred at last week's Hearthstone Grandmasters tournament, saying that even though Blizzard will reduce the punishment, "there is a consequence for taking the conversation away from the purpose of the event and disrupting or derailing the broadcast."Brack reiterated that blitzchung "used his segment to make a statement about the situation in Hong Kong—in violation of rules he acknowledged and understood, and this is why we took action." He continues by saying that even though "Every Voice Matters," the "official broadcast needs to be about the tournament and to be a place where all are welcome. In support of that, we want to keep the official channels focused on the game."Brack says that the views expressed by blitzchung were not the issue here, and that "our relationships in China had no influence on our decision."In regards to the shoutcasters that Blizzard announced it would "immediately cease working with," Blizzard has reduced their suspension to six months as well.Also discussed was how Blizzard could have done better, and how it moves forward from this. Brack starts by mentioning that "our process wasn’t adequate, and we reacted too quickly."He wants to ensure that Blizzard maintains a "safe and inclusive environment for all our players, and that our rules and processes are clear," with all of this adhering to one of Blizzard's values of "Play Nice; Play Fair."He acknowledges that blitzchung did play fair in the tournament, which is why Blizzard will give him his prize money of $10,000 USD. However, playing fair "also includes pre-and post-match conduct, especially when a player accepts recognition for winning in a broadcast." The inciting incident occurred on October 6 following blitzchung's victory in a Hearthstone Grandmasters match. He was interviewed on the official Taiwanese Hearthstone stream by caster Virtual and Mr. Yee, all while wearing a facemask that was worn in rebellion to China's recent anti-mask law for protestors. He then proceeded to shout "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our age!" The stream then cut to commercial, and all on-demand footage had been removed.Blizzard issued the ban on October 8, saying blitzchung violated the 2019 Hearthstone Grandmasters Official Competition rules and banning him from Hearthstone esports for 12 months and rescinding the $10,000 USD prize money he was set to receive.Speaking to IGN, blitzchung said "I expected the decision by Blizzard, I think it's unfair, but I do respect their decision. I'm not [regretful] of what I said. I shouldn't be afraid of these kinds of white terror," which Chung describes as "anonymous acts that create a climate of fear."Following blitzchung's punishment, Blizzard began to receive a ton of backlash from its fans, pro players, game industry professionals, and more, with some boycotting its games. To keep up to date and to understand everything going on with this situation, be sure to check our feature that goes through each and every important detail in this Blizzard China Controversy. You can read Blizzard's full statement by clicking here.

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