At least one organized protest is being planned for BlizzCon 2019, reports indicate. The non-profit organization Fight for the Future is making arrangements to hold a BlizzCon 2019 protest in opposition to Blizzard's "censorship on behalf of an authoritarian government." Specifically, the protest is tied to Blizzard's decision to suspend pro-Hearthstone player Blitzchung for stating pro-Hong Kong sentiment on an official broadcast, as well as the two casters who were interviewing him.
The Fight for the Future protest is planned to take place at noon on the first day of BlizzCon 2019, November 1, in front of Anaheim Convention Center. The organization is asking protesters to bring an umbrella, which has become a symbolic object in Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests. Fight for the Future's goals are to have Blizzard remove the suspension on Blitzchung and the two involved casters, as well as make a pledge to never ban or punish players for speaking about politics or human rights.
In addition to its planned protest, Fight for the Future has launched a website titled GamersForFreedom intended to encourage all major developers and publishers to support free speech. The site features a list of companies who have pledged to do so, as well as those who haven't. The site also lists all of Blizzard's major game franchises next to alternative games in the same genre for those joining the ongoing boycott of the publisher.
Deputy director of Fight for the Future Evan Greer provided a statement alongside the organization's protest announcement. She says bluntly that "Blizzard, and other companies who are engaging in censorship on behalf of an authoritarian government, are not going to get away with it." Product director Dayton Young echoed the statement, adding, "We call on all game developers and publishers to make a public commitment to support the rights of their customers, employees, and fans to freely express their beliefs in America, in Hong Kong, in China, and around the globe."
Since the announcement of Fight for the Future's protest, Blizzard issued a statement on the matter reducing his suspension to a still severe 6 months. The company did, however, reinstate Blitzchung's tournament winnings of over $10,000. Blizzard denied that the Chinese government played a role in its decision to punish Blitzchung or the two casters, despite the unprecedented severity of the punishments.
Fight for the Future's protest is not the only BlizzCon 2019 protest being organized. The newly started ProtestBlizzCon subreddit is gathering funds in order to purchase Hong Kong flags and flyers to distribute at the convention to further protest Blizzard's actions.
Source: Fight for the Future, Reddit (via Kotaku)