Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4 fan reaction shows how little bite there is to consumer outrage

GR: "Recent #BoycottBlizard protests saw people on Twitter swearing up and down that they were uninstalling every Activision Blizzard title from their gaming systems. However, the Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4 fan reaction was as positive as can be."

[Fist4achin]

Selfish zombies...

[Thunder_G0d_Bane]

Not all of us give a fuck about China.

Just cause you’re outraged don’t assume that we all should be.

I cannot wait for Diablo 4 the Druid looks fantastic and it’s a definite day one.

[Fist4achin]

Not pissed at China or at least not much because China's going to do what China wants. Pissed more at Blizzard for siding with China and not supporting freedom of speech. At least pay some attention or one day something meaningful could be taken away from you.

[abstractel]

Ignorant people don't give a shit about the freedom in countries around the world, particularly countries like China given their authoritarian leadership and potential threat. Don't feel so naive in your bubble.

[esherwood]

probably because a lot of this country is spoiled and have no idea how good we have it. Look at all the people praising socialism now.

[InklingGirl]

I totally buy that it was a coincidence these two titles were announced right after the controversy, it's like they knew they could get away with what they did. Hmm...

Anyway, like Gillette and other companies they will not be getting another penny from me again.

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

Already threw away the Gillette razors and products away (safety razors actually work better for me), I've never been a big Blizzard fan, so these games are easy to skip for me.

[brrdat]

gamers are weak. most of them depressed, privileged babies that will throw a tantrum over something as small as the main character of their favorite franchise not being the main character anymore. who really expected them to take a serious stand on something like human rights?

[meka2611]

I agree but I'd go further to say that people themselves are weak nowadays. Everyone whines about everything little and stupid but something big that has to do with freedom and no one cares, it's typical unfortunately.

[tehpees3]

Not weak at all. The people complaining are not the same people reacting positively. Its 2 different groups of people being generalised as the same group by the author of this article.

[annoyedgamer]

Thats most of the world's population.

[CorndogBurglar]

Gamers aren't even strong enough to make a stand on something that directly effects them, like microtransactions.

No way in hell they make a stand for something happening on the other side of the planet that has no effect on them.

That's assuming, of course, that people even believe all this controversy in the first place.

The way I see it, buying a Blizzard game does not mean someone is okay with what is going on in China. They are two different things. It doesn't mean you are against freedom, as I've seen so many ignorant people comment on.

I can understand not being okay with Blizzard bowing to China's demands when they say they want someone banned for saying something like "Free Hong Kong". But do we even know for sure that's what happened? And even if it is, wasn't it their Chinese partners that made the decision? Could Blizzard have even done anything about it? These are legitimate questions I have that we'll probably never know the real answer to.

But all I can say, is that supporting Blizzard has nothing to do with what is happening in China. That would be happening regardless of any of this.

[rainslacker]

Kind of disingenous to cite an entire community as speaking with one voice, calling them weak, while also citing a sub group of the community who may react strongly to something that happens, while then going on to generalize the community as weak and depressed.

There is no singular voice within the community, which is what this article is talking about...albeit in a shallow and dismissive way. There are those who are standing on a principal they believe in, or at least support those wronged in this situation. That isnt' throwing a tantrum, that's doing something positive. Some of them are now boycotting Blizzard, and keeping the criticisms up. Then you have others who don't care, or forget as soon as some new shiny comes along.

Yet, you call the tantrum throwing ones as somehow weak and depressed? That seems kind of backwards to me.

Don't get me wrong, I'll be the first one to say that gamers, whether as a whole, or individually, are a very fickle bunch. And I'll also be the first to say that anything that is controversial now, or illicits strong reactions, will be quickly forgotten in a week or so. But, some things are more vitriolic, and what Blizzard did still has plenty of criticism going with it. This isn't some random person at a company making a stupid comment that can illicit a console war reaction, but a topic that some people feel strongly about.

[KingOfArcadia]

I thought everyone knew that the rabid, howling online masses only represent at best 5-10% of a company's consumers.

[specialguest]

A large majority of consumers don't follow gaming news, especially the more controversial stuff. They are oblivious to it. That's going to change in the future though. With social media and Youtube being the main source of news and info for today's younger generation, more people will be aware of gaming issues. Whether they take a stand and take action with their wallet remains to be seen

[spicelicka]

And not to mention that gaming is a pastime hobby. As serious as people act online, no one is going to actively withhold themselves from experiencing something that's supposed to be an ESCAPE from every day life, just to make some sociopolitical stance.

Also at the end of the day, there are honest hardworking people that are actually creating these games. Lashing out at corporate shrills by boycotting their hard work doesn't help as much as people think.

[rainslacker]

5-10% is being generous. Also, have you ever been to Blizzards forums and seen their fans? They are probably the most devout and rabid fans around. not all bad, just they will criticize Blizzard faster than we would over what they did over stuff much more trivial than something like human rights in China. They'll still buy the games and content though.

[xTonyMontana]

Well realistically what do you expect? Has there ever been a time where something as popular as Blizzard IPs lose the majority of it's popularity almost over night due to controversy?

[yomfweeee]

It isn't that simple. Yes, there was outrage by people. But there was multitudes more people who weren't outraged.

The only ones who are hypocrits would be those who called for a boycott, but will still buy it.

[bluefox755]

There is impact, it's just not immediately obvious. The culture war affects every facet of media, maybe not immediately, but inevitably.

[TechnoGoat]

I like how people keep saying the reason these games were announced was because of the situation, not like Blizzcon happens every year...

[CorndogBurglar]

Right? Blizzard has a history of announcing their games extremely early.

StarCraft 2 was announced in May, 2007 and didn't release until July, 2010.
Diablo 3 was announced in June, 2008, and didn't release until May, 2012.

Its not like its out of the ordinary for Blizzard to announce games at a Blizzcon years early.

Especially after people were pissed and chanting "Diablo 4" a year ago when they announced that garbage Diablo mobile game.

[rainslacker]

Like last year, where they announced a mobile game?

Blizzcon does have announcement.s..but two announcements of two popular games, that are years away....at one conference?

That is very much out of the ordinary for Blizzcon.

[senorfartcushion]

True, but it shows the laziness of those who are mad and located in a place i.e. a major city, that can help themselves by going to where it counts. Not Blizzard HQ, but the embassies of whatever country is involved in the controversy.

[annoyedgamer]

Nice site logo. Very relevant...

[JokerBoy422]

Pathetic

[TechnoGoat]

what is?

[JokerBoy422]

Our gaming community.

Human rights < Blizzard games

This is a really depressing state of affairs that displays such a sad commentary on what we have become as a people.

[TechnoGoat]

@JokerBoy422 you do realize there is a bigger problem then a few actions of a gaming company right? Tell me how much time and effort you've personally put into the HK protest, have you been out there on the streets with those people protesting? If you have that's fantastic but thats where the important matters are. They aren't on an e-sport stage or some conference. This whole one issue in the grand scheme of things is highly unimportant. people who actually feel passionately about the situation are involved in it. Boycotts and protests online are only done to garner attention. What is pathetic is believing every thing you read on in the internet.

[mezati99]

i can't find any single fuck to give about china/HK at all, i have my own problems to deal with lol

[rainslacker]

Yeah, the blizzard mega fans are really the people who represent the whole. Not that Blizzard was ever in real trouble, but if one has ever participated in the Blizzard community, you know they have some of the most devout fans. Those same fans will rip Blizzard apart over a minor change to a spell rotation in WOW, but they'll still lap up anything that Blizzard puts out.

Blizzard's games are good, so they can get that kind of attention, but there is still a part of the community which isn't happy with Blizzard, and can go without their games. It may not be hugely significant in their bottom line, but it's still not winning them new fans, and a loss is a loss.