Blizzard removes blitzchung from Grandmasters after his China protest

Following his Asia-Pacific Grandmasters match, Hong Kong Hearthstone player Ng "blitzchung" Wai Chung appeared in an official Hearthstone Taiwan stream. Wearing a gas mask, he proceeded to shout "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our age!" in protest against China's actions in Hong Kong.    

Blizzard has since released a statement regarding the issue, in which they disapprove of his actions. As a result, he has been removed from the league, will receive no prize money for Grandmasters Season 2 and has been banned from competitive Hearthstone for one year. Blizzard's displeasure also spills onto the two casters that held the interview with blitzchung as they seem to have encouraged his act. 

The interview puts blitzchung and the casters in violation of the 2019 Hearthstone Grandmasters Official Competition Rules v1.4, section 6.1, which states: 

"Engaging in any act that, in Blizzard’s sole discretion, brings you into public disrepute, offends a portion or group of the public, or otherwise damages Blizzard image will result in removal from Grandmasters and reduction of the player’s prize total to $0 USD, in addition to other remedies which may be provided for under the Handbook and Blizzard’s Website Terms." 

Due to the political nature of the whole incident, fans have been curious to see what Blizzard's stance would be. Especially since the company is partly owned by Chinese investors. Many fans are not happy with the outcome, claiming that Blizzard has "caved" to China's politics. Expecting backlash, Blizzard disabled comments on their official post regarding the matter. 

More American companies with Chinese investors are being forced to pick a side regarding the situation between China and Hong Kong, which has led to many debates online. As for blitzchung, his ban will end on October 5, 2020.