LATEST BLIZZARD NEWS

Blizzard Games Reduces Penalty For Pro-Hong Kong Outburst, But Says Players Need To Stick To Game Talk Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI) acknowledged Friday that it acted too quickly and harshly in sanctioning an esports competitor who used a livestreamed post-match interview to express solidarity with Hong Kong protesters, but defended the need to regulate player behavior. read more....

benzinga.com
Arnold Schwarzenegger's Terminator has joined the cast of 'Mortal Kombat 11,' and it's just as wild as you'd imagine "Mortal Kombat 11"/NetherRealm Studios The T-800 Terminator is the latest downloadable character to join the cast of "Mortal Kombat 11." Arnold Schwarzenegger approved the use of his likeness for the game and selected the Terminator's voice actor himself. The Terminator's guest appearance inclu....

BusinessInsider
Blizzard broke its silence to say China didn't influence its decision to ban a professional gamer from Hong Kong, but fans aren't buying it Blizzard Blizzard Entertainment President J. Allen Brack said the company's relationships in China were not a factor in the decision to punish Blitzchung, a professional gamer who spoke out in support of the Hong Kong protests during a Blizzard-sponsored event. Fans accused Blizzard of attemptin....

BusinessInsider

3 reasons why Activision Blizzard punished an esports star for backing Hong Kong protesters Antoine Antoniol/Getty Images Activision Blizzard stripped a "Hearthstone" champion of his prize money and slapped him with a yearlong ban from competitions after he voiced support for anti-government protests in Hong Kong. The video game giant quickly scaled back the punishment following fierce....

BusinessInsider
Snapchat is down, and the company says it's working on a fix Down Detector Snapchat is currently down for tens of thousands globally. Snapchat confirmed Monday morning that users are experiencing issues with sending photos and chats to users. The company says it's working on a fix.See the rest of the story at Business InsiderNOW WATCH: How Area 51 became th....

BusinessInsider
National Dessert Day 2019: All the best freebies and deals New fake holidays pop up pretty much every week at this point, and most of them are just silly. If there's one fake holiday we can definitely get behind, however, it's National Dessert Day. We don't know what the origin of this annual day of celebration is and to be perfectly honest, we don't care. ....

bgr.com

The family of a missing 33-year-old tech CEO called off its search after police found a body inside a parked car in the San Francisco Bay Area Harrison Weinstein A body that may be Erin Valenti, the CEO of a Utah-based app development company, was found this weekend near San Francisco, her family said. Valenti's family reported the 33-year-old missing last week after she missed her flight back to Utah after a business trip and her phon....

BusinessInsider
Vietnam Pulls DreamWorks' 'Abominable' Over Contested Territorial Claims Vietnam has banned DreamWorks Animation’s new co-produced feature "Abominable" from its cinemas due to a scene involving a map that depicts China's contested territorial claims in the South China Sea. The move comes as U.S. entertainment firms like the NBA, Disney and gaming firm Activision Bl....

Variety.com
The banned 'Hearthstone' gamer at the centre of a China censorship furore spoke out for the first time after Blizzard reduced his ban https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=344&v=bHiXZ3r63LM The pro 'Hearthstone' player banned by US game giant Blizzard has spoken out after his ban from the 'Hearthstone' pro circuit was reduced from one year to six months, and his prize money was reinstated. Chung 'Blitzchung' Ng Wai was h....

BusinessInsider

Blizzard Reinstates Hong Kong Gamer's Prize But Reaffirms Censure Of His Speech Major U.S. gaming firm Blizzard Entertainment has reduced its punishment for a professional gamer who shouted a slogan in support of Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests. But the company doubled down on its verdict about the inappropriateness of his conduct. In a Chinese language-only message on its o....

Variety.com
Blizzard said it will return prize money to Hong Kong esports player Video game company Blizzard Entertainment walked back some penalties on an esports player who aired support for the Hong Kong protests after gamers around the world called for a boycott of the company.....

CNN
What's going on with Blizzard esports, Blitzchung, and China? Blizzard finally spoke up on Friday after nearly a week of upheaval on the professional Hearthstone circuit. But before we can get into that, it's important to understand what let to Friday's statement. It all started on Monday when pro player Chung "Blitzchung" Ng Wai used an appearance on an offi....

Mashable

Blizzard Entertainment Responds To Backlash Over Alleged China Support Blizzard Entertainment, known as the creator of Diablo, World or Warcraft, and Overwatch, recently punished professional Hearthstone player Ng “Blitzchung” Wai Chung for expressing his support for the protestors in Hong Kong during a post-game interview. The decision sparked a backlash ....

inquisitr.com
The 2019 Hong Kong protests, explained in 30 seconds Chris McGrath/Getty Images Protests erupted in Hong Kong in June over a proposed extradition bill by which Hong Kong residents would be brought to mainland China to be tried. US companies, executives, and even cartoons have gotten involved in the protests. Visit Business Insider's homepage for ....

BusinessInsider
Riot's message to esports pros: We want no part of Hong Kong controversy Earlier this week the bottom fell out at Blizzard when it banned an esports pro from competing after he spoke out in support of the Hong Kong protests. It seems half the gaming industry (to say nothing of the wider tech industry) has gotten caught up in the ensuing fallout — and now Riot Games is....

TheNextWeb.com

More Fallout From The Hong Kong Protests Hitting eSports We were just discussing how the NBA and Blizzard each responded to the thin-skinned Chinese government's pressure on each in the wake of statements made supporting the Hong Kong protests that have raged for months now. The Blizzard half of that conversation involved the company yanking prize money....

Techdirt.com
Activision Blizzard Stock Recovers From Hong Kong Fallout Activision Blizzard saw its stock recover Friday despite continued backlash over its decision to punish a "Hearthstone" player for publicly siding with Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protesters. The company’s share price was up more than 2% Friday, closing at $54.82. Activision had been in th....

Variety.com
Furious fans are firing back at Blizzard by using one of its characters in anti-China memes after the gaming company punished a pro-gamer for defending the Hong Kong protests Blizzard Entertainment Activision Blizzard has been dealing with a wave of criticism after punishing a professional gamer for supporting the protests in Hong Kong. Fans have now taken steps to boycott Blizzard games, accusing the California-based studio of prioritizing its relationship with Chin....

BusinessInsider

US media and tech businesses are struggling with their positions on the Hong Kong protests This story was delivered to Business Insider Intelligence Digital Media Briefing subscribers earlier this morning. To check to see if you already have access to Business Insider Intelligence through your company, click here. Over the past week, the relationship between some American businesse....

BusinessInsider
A Chinese engineer says he was fired from Facebook after discussing a colleague's death and it's caused outrage in China Getty The firing of a Chinese Facebook engineer who accused the social media giant of mistreating him has provoked anger in China. As first reported by Bloomberg, Yi Yin said he received an email warning on the same day he attended the memorial of a Facebook colleague who killed himself by jumpi....

BusinessInsider
Google banned a game about the Hong Kong protests Tech companies' involvement with the Hong Kong protests just keeps getting more and more tangled. Now Google has banned a game about the protests, joining Apple and Blizzard in allegedly suppressing anything that might offend the Chinese government. The game is called The Revolution of Our Times an....

TheNextWeb.com

Despite reports, Blizzard is not blocking anyone from deleting their account Hearthstone developer Blizzard is under fire this week after banning Hong Kong-based pro player Chung "blitzchung" Ng Wai from the competitive scene after he expressed his support for protestors in a post-game interview following a tournament win on October 6th. Unsurprisingly, punishing the pro pla....

bgr.com
Tim Cook defends removing controversial Hong Kong map app from the App Store Apple kicked up a firestorm on Wednesday when it decided to boot a mapping app called HKmap.live that protestors in Hong Kong have been using to keep tabs on police from the App Store. The decision came a day after the main newspaper of the Communist Party in China (People's Daily) published a sc....

bgr.com
Google said it wasn't responding to a request by the Chinese government or police when it pulled a game about the Hong Kong protests from its app store (GOOG, GOOGL) Anthony Kwan/Getty Images Google recently removed a mobile game about the Hong Kong protests from its Google Play app store. The Wall Street Journal reports the company removed the app after Hong Kong police asked that it be pulled. Google denies this and says the game's developers were trying ....

BusinessInsider

Blizzard, NBA find China's most powerful weapon is consumer potential Blizzard is one of several companies to fall into the trap that is state-run media in the nation of China in the year 2019. Blizzard hosts gaming tournaments in China – it’s big business, and has the potential for big growth. China and Hong Kong are in the midst of political upheaval via....

slashgear.com
NBA Events Go Ahead in China, Despite a Political Controversy That Has Spread to Gaming The NBA silenced players and shut out the press Thursday at a pre-season game between the L.A. Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets in Shanghai that has become a flash point in the debate over the costs and compromises of doing business with China. Separately, a controversy over U.S. game publisher Activisi....

Variety.com
These 6 tech companies have made the controversial decision to try to operate in China, where the government can demand social media posts be removed or search results be censored Alexander Koerner/Getty Images China's "Great Firewall" of internet censorship blocks content that the government deems sensitive, including reports of political unrest and references to Taiwan as an independent country. US tech companies including Facebook, Twitter, and others are banned from t....

BusinessInsider

China's hot AI startup SenseTime says it is 'deeply disappointed' by US blacklisting Reuters Chinese AI startup SenseTime has said it is "deeply disappointed" that it was added to a US government blacklist that makes it harder for them to trade with US firms. SenseTime develops AI for use in a wide range of domains, including surveillance, image recognition, and medicine. On Mo....

BusinessInsider
Blizzard's former 'World of Warcraft' lead is boycotting the firm for punishing a 'Hearthstone' competitor who supported the Hong Kong protests Invent Global A prominent former employee at Blizzard has said he is boycotting the firm after it banned gamer Chung Ng Wai, a pro esports player who voiced support for the Hong Kong protesters in a post-game interview. Mark Kern is a video game developer who worked at Blizzard from 1997 to 2005....

BusinessInsider
US game maker Activision Blizzard's ban of pro-Hong Kong player draws criticism The U.S.-based gaming giant Activision Blizzard -- which made a player forfeit $10,000 in prize money and banned him from a game for one year after he voiced support for pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong -- was slammed by critics Tuesday who accused the company of prioritizing its pursuit of bu....

FoxNews.com

Blizzard under fire as Chinese-related censorship spreads to gaming Examples have been multiplying in recent days and months of American companies seeming to kowtow to pressure from China to censor content related to things like the ongoing protests in Hong Kong. Examples include a recent episode of South Park that skewered Hollywood seeming to go overboard in po....

bgr.com
Some Blizzard employees reportedly walked out to protest the punishment of a 'Hearthstone' competitor who spoke up in support of the Hong Kong protests (ATVI) Reuters About 30 Activision Blizzard employees staged a walkout to protest the company's punishment of a Hong Kong-based esports competitor who made a political statement during a Blizzard event in Taiwan, according to a report from The Daily Beast. Blizzard has faced harsh criticism from fans a....

BusinessInsider
Sen. Marco Rubio is asking the US government to investigate TikTok over claims it's censoring content that might upset China Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Marco Rubio, the US senator from Florida, has asked the US government to investigate TikTok, the globally popular short-form video app owned by a Chinese company. Rubio wrote on Twitter that there's "ample and growing evidence" that TikTok censors content "in line w....

BusinessInsider

Thin-Skinned Chinese Government Busy Making American Sports Orgs Look Silly On Free Speech Issues It's no secret that the Chinese government is no friend to free speech. While that statement must seem painfully obvious, the entire world is getting an education into just how thin-skinned Beijing is with the ongoing protests in Hong Kong. While those protesters are chiefly demonstrating for thei....

Techdirt.com
Blizzard banned a Hong Kong protest supporter and all hell broke loose Blizzard, perhaps ironically, has ignited a firestorm over the banning of an esports pro for his support of Hong Kong. While the initial response was flammable enough, the aftermath is swiftly growing beyond its original gaming context into a proper international incident. If you want the skinny on ....

TheNextWeb.com
'Fortnite' creator says it won't punish players for speaking out about politics, as Blizzard faces backlash and calls for a boycott after banning competitor for supporting Hong Kong protests Epic Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney says the company will not punish "Fortnite" players who choose to comment on politics or human rights. Sweeney's statement comes as Activision Blizzard faces a massive backlash for punishing an esports competitor from Hong Kong. Chung Ng Wai, the esports competi....

BusinessInsider

A single mom of three kids started streaming on Microsoft's Mixer service earlier this year. In nine months, she's gained the same number of followers that she had from four years on Twitch. (MSFT, AMZN) Desiree Wright Samantha Lee/Business Insider Desiree Wright, a 37-year-old single mom of three kids, plays piano for thousands of people on Microsoft's Mixer streaming service. For years, Wright streamed her music on Amazon-owned Twitch, but she made the jump to Mixer earlier this year. There, ....

BusinessInsider
10 things in tech you need to know today Invent Global Good morning! This is the tech news you need to know this Wednesday. WeWork cofounder Adam Neumann personally invested $30 million in a startup and loaned money to its CEO — who was then fired for alleged gross misconduct. Neumann personally loaned $110,000 to Andrew Scobie, ....

BusinessInsider
Blizzard is under fire from lawmakers, gamers, and maybe even its own employees after punishing a 'Hearthstone' competitor who voiced his support for protesters in Hong Kong Invent Global Blizzard Entertainment, the company behind video games like "World of Warcraft" and "Overwatch," is currently under fire for its decision to punish an esports player who voiced support for protesters in Hong Kong. Chung Ng Wai, the esports athlete better known as Blitzchung, shoute....

BusinessInsider

Blizzard bans esports player from Hearthstone tourney over Hong Kong support Blizzard is in the hot seat after penalizing a Hearthstone esports player for voicing an opinion about the protests in Hong Kong. While the player did violate the rules of the tournament he was competing in, it's Blizzard that's taking all the criticism for kicking him out. Ng Wai Chung, known b....

TheNextWeb.com
Blizzard Games Caught Up In Free Speech Question Over Hong Kong Protests, Bans Gamer Over Remarks Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI)'s Blizzard Entertainment banned a professional esports gamer and withheld his prize money after he expressed solidarity with anti-government protesters in Hong Kong during a Taiwanese live stream of a Hearthstone tournament. read more....

benzinga.com
California-based game company Blizzard bans pro esports player and confiscates his prize money after he voices support for Hong Kong protesters Blizzard Entertainment has sent a professional esports player home from a tournament and handed him a 12-month ban after he voiced support for Hong Kong protesters during a post-game interview. The esports player, known as Blitzchung – real name Chung Ng Wai – will also be fined th....

BusinessInsider

Blizzard Bans 'Hearthstone' Player From Esports Tournaments for Pro-Hong Kong Statement The controversy over China’s crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong has invaded the esports arena. Activision Blizzard’s Blizzard Entertainment unit has banned “Hearthstone” player Blitzchung from competing for one year — and the company rescinded prize mone....

Variety.com
Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen Slash Price of Brookline Mansion First put up for sale over the summer amid a blizzard of publicity with an in-the-rearview-mirror pie-in-the-sky price tag that pushed up hard against $40 million, Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen's sumptuous estate near Boston, Mass., has had the asking price slashed by an astonishing $5.6 million to....

Variety.com
Overwatch Halloween event surprise: 2019 Release date news latest for October THE Overwatch Halloween 2019 event has not been given a release date yet by Blizzard, pointing to changes for this year's Terror reveal.....

express.co.uk

Brooklyn federal judge tosses fraud suspect in jail on the eve of his trial after lawyer filed paperwork seeking delay A Brooklyn federal court judge abruptly revoked bail for an accused health care fraud defendant on the eve of his trial last month — allegedly peeved at a last-minute paperwork blizzard from a defense lawyer hoping to get a delay in the case. Alexander Pikus, 44, had been free on $800,000 bail... ....

NY Daily News
I'm obsessed with the 'Destiny 2' Twitter that just shares bonkers Steam names Destiny 2 changed in a big way on Oct. 1, starting with the game's long-discussed move to Steam. The particulars boil down to business moves: Bungie, the studio behind the Destiny games, regained full control over the series after parting ways with publisher Activision earlier in 2019. That left De....

Mashable
Snowpocalypse now: City dangerously unprepared for next blizzard, says mechanics' union leader When the next blizzard hits the city, there won't be enough mechanics to do the hard work of keeping the Sanitation Department's trucks and snow equipment up and running, according to union leaders. The city has make DSNY mechanics responsible for more and more snow equipment like salt spreaders.......

NY Daily News

Official Overwatch cookbook arrives with themed treats and drinks Overwatch is the latest Blizzard game to receive an official cookbook, giving fans more than ninety treats and beverages inspired by the game’s characters. Fans will find everything from an adorable ‘Orisa Sundae’ to Rikimaru-inspired ramen and ‘Valkyrie’s Flight.’....

slashgear.com
Blizzard gives OK to Overwatch characters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate There are a number of non-Nintendo characters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and considering that most of the DLC characters so far have come from properties that Nintendo doesn’t own, we’ll probably see even more by the time everything is said and done. One of those characters could be ....

slashgear.com
Overwatch League's Grand Finals Grows 16% in Average Viewers From Last Year Activision Blizzard released the viewership numbers on Overwatch League’s season capstone event, the 2019 Grand Finals, on Thursday, showing an increase on its inaugural season. The league uses average minute viewers (AMA) in its measurements, which counts viewers by how many minutes they watc....

Variety.com

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