From one blunder to the next. Blizzard aims to advocate for trans people while branding itself a “liar.”
In recent years, the “Pride Month” has gained increasing significance. While many use this time to raise awareness of diversity and fight for the rights and equal treatment of all people who identify as “LGBTQ+,” some companies also try to position themselves during this period and represent these values or polish their own image.
Blizzard has also attempted this – and made a bitter yet humorous mistake.
What is this action about? Between mid-May and the end of June, Blizzard sells a new collection in its shop. The “Blizzard Pride Collection” consists of clothing featuring various logos related to Blizzard, either in the colors of the rainbow flag or those of the transgender flag (light blue, pink, white).
The sale was promoted on Twitter with a somewhat “amusing” post. A shirt in the transgender colors with the lettering “Blizzard” is visible. However, the color choice is unfortunate because the letters “LI” and “AR” prominently appear in bright pink, forming the word “Liar.”
This was also noted by Twitter user @SouljaBoymoder, who pointed it out:
The response from the community is reflected in the likes on the posts.
- The original Blizzard post has just over 1,400 likes.
- The post by SouljaBoymoder has over 46,000 likes.
Why is the “Liar” so funny? Blizzard has had several significant scandals in recent years. Much of it revolved around sexism, bullying, or insults directed at trans people. These scandals resulted in many layoffs and numerous changes within the company. Since then, Blizzard has made increased efforts to champion diversity and represents these values more strongly in its games – especially noticeable in Overwatch.
However, many former fans do not believe that real change has occurred at Blizzard so quickly and criticize that the current actions are just about “cleaning up” its name. They accuse Blizzard of lying – and therefore find it particularly ironic that Blizzard, through the colors on the T-shirt, brands itself a “Liar.”
The shirt displayed in the advertisement can no longer be found in the shop, by the way.
Ultimately, this is probably just a mishap – but one that probably won’t occur again.
It is actually unfortunate that the whole action is cast in such a mocking light. Because the profits from the sales until the end of June will be donated to the “National Center for Transgender Equality,” which advocates for the equality of trans people.
