The repercussions of Blizzard's decision to ban Hearthstone player Blitzchung over his pro-Hong Kong comments in a post-match interview continue to be felt. Caught up in the incident were two professional game casters who were interviewing Blitzchung when he made his political statement. Blizzard fired both casters. In an emotional and tear-filled stream, caster Mr. Yee explained how heartbroken he is over the situation and what it means for his career.
A rough translation of Mr. Yee's comments indicates that the professional caster from Taiwan has not only been fired from Hearthstone broadcasts, but has also apparently been removed from Overwatch casting too. Mr Yee is a veteran Overwatch caster going all the way back to 2017's Overwatch Pacific Championship in the game's first season. They've cast the entirety of the pacific region's Overwatch Contender's league in both 2018 and 2019 and were scheduled for Overwatch Pacific Championship 2019, but no longer.
Mr. Yee explains how he's invested so much of himself in his work and career, how he prepared so much for both the Hearthstone Grandmasters tournament and Overwatch Pacific Championship, but that it's all for nothing. He describes the situation as making him very sad, and that his passionate effort may have all been for naught. Mr. Yee's earnestness is there for everyone to see during his stream.
Blizzard's decision has clearly left him distraught in the extreme, all for an action he had no part in and no control over. Mr. Yee's casting partner who was also fired by Blizzard, confirmed that the two still don't know exactly why they were let go. "I just want to know all of the details of this judgement." Four days later, details regarding the two casters' firing have yet to be publicized.
The controversy surrounding Blizzard's actions seems only to continue to grow as the company remains silent in the days since. The day following Blitzchung being banned saw over 30 Blizzard employees at the studio's Californian headquarters do a walkout. Two western tournament casters for Hearthstone have since resigned in protest. And a collegiate team that showed a pro-Hong Kong banner on-stream has quit Hearthstone after Blizzard deigned not to punish the team. Expect the issue of Blizzard's pro-China retaliation to further progress in the days and weeks ahead.
Source: PC Gamer