#HEARTHSTONE ESPORTS PROFESSIONAL#

Blitzchung, in an interview afterwards, stated that he had done the act of protest because his effort towards the social movement over the preceding months sometimes interfered with his preparation for the tournament. Blizzard later said that while they respect its players' freedom of speech, they are still bound by competition rules. The company cited a rule that prohibits Grandmasters players from offending the public, making political speech or impugning Blizzard's image. The following day, on October 7, Blizzard announced that Blitzchung had been banned from the current tournament, would forfeit any prize money (approximately US$4,000 by that point), and would be banned from other Grandmaster tournaments for one year.

#HEARTHSTONE ESPORTS PROFESSIONAL#

On October 6, 2019, during the Hearthstone Grandmasters streaming event in Taiwan, Ng Wai Chung, a professional Hearthstone player and resident of Hong Kong known as 'Blitzchung', was being interviewed following his match, during which he donned a mask similar to those worn by protesters in the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests and said ' Liberate Hong Kong, the revolution of our times'.

The public's response, which included a boycott and a letter from United States Congress representatives to Activision Blizzard, prompted Blizzard to reduce the punishment, but not to eliminate it.Įvents Blizzard Entertainment logo Banning of Ng Wai Chung Blizzard also terminated their contract with the two livestream presenters who were interviewing Blitzchung. In October 2019, American video game developer Blizzard Entertainment punished Ng Wai Chung (吳偉聰) (known as Blitzchung), a Hong Kong esports player of the online video game Hearthstone, for voicing his support of the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests during an official streaming event. This photo predates the Blitzchung controversy by about ten months. In this photo, Blitzchung's opponent appears to be requesting assistance from a Blizzard employee during the match. Hearthstone is available now for Mobile and PC.Blitzchung, a pro-democracy player representing Hong Kong, in a tournament against another player, at the Google Play Booth B211, World Trade Center One, USA, January 28, 2019. As it stands, if this reduction could be a bad sign for Hearthstone's future. Others think it would be better for Hearthstone to reduce the World Championship pool and to add prizes to the Masters Tours. In the past, Hearthstone sold special cosmetics and card bundles to help contribute to esports prize pools, and many would love Blizzard to bring these back so they can support competitive play.

Some players hope Hearthstone is able to breathe life back into its esports program. The FAQ Hearthstone included in the announcement did little to assuage player fears, and many believe the TCG may be on its way to retirement like Heroes of the Storm. Others noted the breakdown of NetEase and Blizzard's partnership also likely played a role in this reduction. Many competitive players are angry they won’t have the chance to earn a prize unless they make it to the World Championships, and believe dropping money to keep up with Standard Hearthstone is no longer worth it. The remaining $150,000 will be split among three Hearthstone Battlegrounds: Lobby Legends tournaments, each coordinating with one of the card sets coming to Hearthstone this year.įans are devastated over Hearthstone’s recent announcement, and fear for the game's future. The World Championship will have a prize pool of $500,000, but the Masters Tours themselves will not have any prizes for the victors beyond qualifications for the final contest. This Hearthstone esports cycle will consist of three Masters Tour Seasonal Championships leading into the 2023 World Championship. RELATED: Hearthstone Players are Not Happy with the Heroic Tavern Brawl This year, Hearthstone only has seven events with a total prize pool of $650,000 dollars–nearly five times less than last year. In 2022, Hearthstone esports featured a total prize pool of $3 million spread across more than a dozen events. Hearthstonedrastically scaling back its esports program has given many players concerns over the longevity of the game.Įsports in Hearthstone has historically been one of the most exciting and competitive parts of Blizzard’s digital TCG. Hearthstone just revealed its esports structure for 2023, and significant reductions to the program has players worried.