Epic Games Won’t “Ban Or Punish” Anyone For Making Political Statements
Blizzard fans are not very happy right now, to say the least. Once having a reputation as one of the most beloved companies in the industry, the developer/publisher has been facing a massive amount of backlash in the aftermath of a Hearthstone tournament. Pro Player Chung “Blitzchung” Ng Wai, hailing from Hong Kong, competed in the Asia Pacific Hearthstone Grandmasters tournament. After winning a match he used his platform on a post-match livestream to voice his support for the pro-liberation protesters in Hong Kong. Blizzard responded by banning him from future tournaments and stripping him of all his winnings. Many industry figures are not happy with Blizzard’s decision and one of their biggest competitors, Epic Games, has released a statement revealing its company’s stance.
In an interview with The Verge, Epic Games released a statement of support for players voicing their opinions on human rights crises. The full statement reads: “Epic supports everyone’s right to express their views on politics and human rights. We wouldn’t ban or punish a Fortnite player or content creator for speaking on these topics.” While voicing political opinions certainly has its limits, it’s nice to see a prominent company be on the progressive side of a human rights issue such as this, especially given that Epic’s majority shareholders are Chinese company Tencent.
Do you think Blizzard was in the wrong for banning Blitzchung? Do you think this may just be the cost of doing business with a more controlled culture, or was the statement from Epic Games the kind of response the proper response? Let us know in the comments below! Be sure to also follow us on Twitter, Like us on Facebook, and check out all the latest news from Don’t Feed The Gamers:
Colin Regan239 Posts
Colin is a freelance writer for DFTG with previous bylines at other media outlets such as Twinfinite.
