Activision Blizzard Steps Into Hong Kong Protest Controversy
Although Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI) has modified its position since first banning esports player Ng Wai Chung, known on the circuit as Blitzchung, after he expressed support for the pro-democracy protestors in Hong Kong during an interview following one of his matches, the gaming giant is still facing a backlash for its actions.
Originally Activision banned the gamer from competition for a year, rescinded the $3,000 in prize winnings he won during tournament play, and severed ties with the two broadcasters who were online with Blitzchung at the time. After the blowback, though, it cut the suspension to six months; restored his winnings, saying they were won fairly during the match; and the "shoutcasters" were also suspended for six months.
While the video game company says its response is only about gaming and not any larger geopolitical issue, to many it appears Blizzard is trying to forestall any fallout hitting it as occurred when the NBA Houston Rockets general manager tweeted out support for the protestors and virtually all of the league's Chinese partners suspended their partnerships with it.
Source Fool.com
