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Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft

Blizzard staff walkout to protest Blitzchung ban for Hong Kong comments

The Hearthstone player was recently banned for showing support for Hong Kong protesters, and Blizzard is facing a backlash.

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Earlier this week we reported that Hearthstone player Ng 'Blitzchung' Wai Chung had been banned from competing for 12 months, being removed from Grandmasters and stripped of prizing, and the backlash against Blizzard's decision continues, with employees even staging a walkout in protest.

As reported by The Daily Beast, protesters gathered at the Orc warrior statue on the company's Irvine campus in California, ranging from 12 to 30 individuals, and the two employees cited say that they were visible to executive offices.

"The action Blizzard took against the player was pretty appalling but not surprising," one Blizzard employee told The Daily Beast. "Blizzard makes a lot of money in China, but now the company is in this awkward position where we can't abide by our values."

"I'm disappointed," another staff member said. "We want people all over the world to play our games, but no action like this can be made with political neutrality."

In the protest those involved cited the sign that reads "every voice matters," and they're preparing signatures for a petition criticising Blizzard's handling of the matter as a whole.

US senator for Florida Marco Rubio has even waded into the debate on Twitter, saying that "implications of this will be felt long after everyone in US politics today is gone."

In fact, the hashtag #BoycottBlizzard has been trending on the site too, with many unhappy about their decision, and the Blizzard subreddit has been flooded with posts about the issue.

Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft

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