Supporting anti-racism protests, Blizzard was accused of hypocrisy by netizens

The US is going through a very difficult period when it has to deal with the epidemic and political instability due to the people’s anti-racism protest movement. The death of George Floyd has sparked outrage across the country and of course such a sensitive situation has a significant impact on the gaming industry. In fact, many game studios have voiced their support for the protests, even delaying the launch of new games to avoid dispersing public opinion. Activision Blizzard is also one of them, but due to its controversial past, many people think that this act of the company is just hypocritical, all just a PR stunt for money.
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“Today and forever, we support all those who dare to stand up against racism and inequality. There is no place for such things in our society. People of color deserve it. living.”​

Back in October of last year, Blizzard Entertainment, a subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, has issued a controversial punishment against the pro player Hearthstone “Blitzchung” because he spoke out in support Hong Kong protests on live broadcast. Not only that, but those who also mentioned this issue on its Twitch chat channel were also banned from their accounts.

After facing a wave of protests and violent boycotts, Blizzard had to apologize to the player community. However, all the game studio did was reduce Blitzchung’s ban from 1 year to 6 months. Many people suspect that Blizzard is so tense because they do not dare to be aggressive with China because this is a huge game market, once being boycotted by this country, it will mean a serious drop in game revenue.
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And now, as protests in the US have erupted after Floyd’s death, Activision Blizzard has taken to Twitter to express its support for racial justice and human rights. Furthermore, Activision has also announced the postponement of the release schedule of new seasons and new content for Call of Duty Modern Warfare and Warzone because “this is the time to talk about equal human rights”.

When Blitzchung was banned, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick even loudly stated that the game industry would not have anything to do with politics. So for many people, this is clearly Blizzard’s “hypocritical”, “double-sided” behavior.
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“We understand your suffering.
During this difficult time, our company just wants to make sure that we will always be with you and find ways to continue to hook your wallet.
We will tell the world that we always support all of your ideas as long as you are satisfied. Because all we care about is money, money, and money.” – Blizzard’s words of support in the eyes of a netizen​

“Now that the protests are happening in the US, we will see all these big corporations show up to support, but try it in another country, does anyone dare to speak out. But the truth is basically none of them donated any money to support.”

“In Hong Kong, if they support the protest, they will lose money. Here, if they support the protest, they will make money.”​