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The company has clearly defined its priorities. Sweet Chinese $$$ over supporting human rights. This is shameful. To so easily cave in under Chinese influence... This is one more proof that the Western audiences mean jack shit to Blizzard in the great scope of things.

Come on man, it's only one year, not forever.

Money talks, my man, everywhere, all the time.

However, that guy should have done that outside of Esports. It's not the place for it. Imagine if football players during matches would start screaming or wearing political related issues. That would be a sort of propaganda.
Since the Esport and its cast were under rules that forbade any sort of political or at least non-Esport related discussions, then who is at fault here?

The way those rules are phrased means that Blizzard can invoke them on virtually anything. It literally says, "at Blizzard's sole discretion".

I just find it ironic that a company in America, a country which is so up their arse with freedom of speech, a country which itself has had history with liberation and independence, took this stance. The goal of the Hong Kong protests isnt exactly a controversial thing in the West - it's a basic demand for basic human rights.

Of course money talks. It's just a shame that it means that companies choose money over freedom of speech and support of human rights.

I agree, they should phrase them properly.
But it's not the country we're talking about, and even more, it's not in their country that the issue is about.

Sure, but Blizzard, as a non-Chinese company has no right to comment on the Hong Kong issue through their media means. They are not a politically affiliated company.

I understand what you're saying but it's not that simple. This sort of thing would "ruin" their image in the whole world in that other countries might think twice about letting ActiBlizz stay or do anything in those countries.

Hopefully, it at some point, will work backwards, ActiBlizz actually being boycotted by the liberal countries.

Yes, that's true. It's unfortunately not as simple, and I fully understand the implications of the situation they find themselves in. If I was a Blizzard executive I'd have done the same, when my job and my money is on the line.

That doesn't mean it's not fair to call out their actions anyway.

The mere fact itself that an American company would prefer to satisfy the Chinese government rather than keep the image in their home country and speak out for free speech and human rights, speaks volumes about how perverted the world economic situation has become. China is exerting ever greater and greater influence on America as a whole, and to a lesser extent, the rest of the world, and that's scary.

Economy has never been a saint and this from ancient times.

Don't worry. The USA is, or should I say are, currently the leading force and they're quite stubborn at keeping it that way. Don't forget the Huawei incidents https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Huawei

Of course it's all about money. After all why do you think so many games developed in Europe, in Asia, still have Americans as main heroes. Selling games in USA is most profitable, people buy games there the most, so no wonder most of them are amerocentric. For example, a russocentric game won't do as nearly that well, as many would pirate it, some not having money to play or just not being gamers. Now Chinese buy games, so they need to make sinocentric too.