Bipartisan group condemns Blizzard and Apple for bowing to China

A group of Republican and Democratic party congress members have come together to condemn Hearthstone publisher Activision Blizzard for punishing a player that criticized China. In a separate letter, the same group lambasted Apple for removing an app from its store at the request of China. The group includes Senators Ron Wyden and Marco Rubio as well as House members Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Mike Gallagher, and Tom Malinowski.

Earlier this month, Blizzard banned Hearthstone pro Ng Wai “Blitzchung” Chung for saying “liberate Hong Kong — revolution of our age” during a post-match interview. The publisher also banned the two broadcasters who interviewed Blitzchung. Blizzard originally banned all three for a year and rescinded Blitzchung’s cash prize for the Grandmasters tournament. The company has since reduced those punishments to six months and restored Blitzchung’s winnings.