It’s been a few months since we’ve heard from Ng Wai “Blitzchung” Chung, the banned Hearthstone player who ultimately received a 6-month suspension for protesting in favor of Hong Kong. Now, he’s come out in an interview saying that Blizzard Entertainment never apologized to him for the ban from competitive Hearthstone.
Let’s kick things off with a quick recap: Hong Kong is currently in the midst of a months-long protest against the perception of increasing Chinese rule. Many people are protesting in the streets and online, and a Hong Kong-based played named Blitzchung decided to state a key supportive slogan in a post-match interview during a tournament.
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Blizzard Entertainment quickly banned him for a year and stated that they would be withholding his prize money, although they later reinstated his prize money and reduced the ban to six months. Still, the move angered many and caused backlash all over the Internet — and in person. Protestors made a heck of a lot of noise at Blizzcon 2019, and the company’s President apologized on stage at the convention’s opening.
The interview was conducted by People Make Games, a YouTube channel that creates interesting documentary content surrounding video games. The People Makes Games folks traveled all the way to Hong Kong to speak with the banned Hearthstone player in person and hear what his thoughts on the subject were. Here’s the key moment:
Chris Bratt: “How do you feel about the response from Blizzard — the way in which you were punished, how did it make you feel?”
Ng Wai “Blitzchung” Chung: “Um… a bit disappointed.”
Bratt: “In Blizzard?”
Blitzchung: “Yeah, a bit disappointed in Blizzard. But I mean, it’s something I can… I can understand. [To me], Blizzard is like what Hong Kong’s like to me right now. Maybe it’s getting worse, but do I hate it? No, I don’t hate it.”
Bratt: “Have they apologized to you at all?”
Blitzchung: “You mean personally?”
Bratt: “Yeah.”
Blitzchung: “No, not really. Just from the public.”
Bratt: “Would you have appreciated someone getting in touch to say like, ‘Hey, we’re sorry.’ [laughs] ‘We messed up here.’?”
Blitzchung: “I mean, I don’t need that kind of stuff. Just, you know, actions speak louder than [words].”
The whole interview is genuinely a fantastic watch. You can see People Make Games’ full interview with the banned Hearthstone player Blitzchung below.
