Blizzard’s decision to demonstrate the exact point the free Hong Kong movement and their own Grandmaster Champion has been trying to make by showing exactly what tyranny is like to the gaming public, hasn’t gone over well for the company. Already numerous users have begun publicly abandoning Blizzard’s IPs with very colorful language all over social media. Additionally an activist campaign has arisen to challenge the encroaching Chinese tyranny over video games with #freegaming. Only time will tell how much traction the campaign will eventually garner, but even if it fizzles out in infancy it has awakened countless people to the growing incursion into gaming by the Chinese along with how willing the gaming companies are to sell out not just the gaming community, but the entire west for profit.
Immutable, the creators of Gods Unchained, have stepped into the fray not just denouncing Blizzard’s decision, but offering blitzchung a spot in their $500k tournament and to pay for all his lost winnings.
.@Blizzard_Ent just banned @blitzchungHS and stripped his Hearthstone winnings because they care about money more than freedom. We will pay for ALL his lost winnings and a ticket to our $500k tournament: no player should be punished for their beliefs. #freegaming https://t.co/ONvtkG4x9G
— Gods Unchained (@GodsUnchained) October 8, 2019
@Blizzard_Ent just banned @blitzchungHS and stripped his Hearthstone winnings because they care about money more than freedom. We will pay for ALL his lost winnings and a ticket to our $500k tournament: no player should be punished for their beliefs. #freegaming
As their thread continued they would go on to denounce censorship and the exploitation of a company’s players. Sage words for games and even outlets like ours owe it to their audience to make it possible to do what they do. Unless you are rich and it is just a hobby you cannot throw your audience under the bus and take them for granted.
At @GodsUnchained, we have built uncensorable items with an open economy and market: even if we disagree with your views, we can’t take away your cards.
— Gods Unchained (@GodsUnchained) October 8, 2019
A lot of AAA has entirely forgotten this as they’ve grown comfortable in their market dominance. This is why Blizzard capitulated to the Chinese and robbed their champion of his prize winnings, fired two casters for a political skirmish that shouldn’t concern them in the slightest. Trump in the Art of the Deal said it best, the idea of the soulless company is a myth. It’s all about the reputation of those on top.
Continuing, Gods Unchained would pitch their own competing title, highlighting how their items were uncensorable. Even if they found your ideology to be completely detestable because of how their system is set up they could never deplatform or remove your cards. In fact the company puts 10% of all card pack sales towards the first Gods Unchained World Championship with the goal of offering a whopping 1.6 million dollar prize for the first world championship.
Companies with the common sense to understand the harm the growing influence of the Chinese government over the gaming industry and the power they can and will assert over the market is good see. Watching as these next generations of companies begin to take advantage of the decline in consumer trust and participation in the legacy companies shows that the next collapse will be more of a molting than a scorched wasteland the previous one was.
You can join the Gods Unchained open beta by visiting the official website.
