Blizzard has suddenly canceled a launch event for the Switch version of Overwatch. Does the current situation surrounding Hearthstone pro player “Blitzchung” have anything to do with it?
What was planned? Actually, a launch event for the Switch version of the online shooter Overwatch was supposed to take place on October 16 at the Nintendo Store in New York City. Blizzard and Nintendo announced the event just a few days ago, on October 8.
What happened now? Out of nowhere, Blizzard has now canceled the event. Nintendo announced this on Twitter and apologized to all fans who were looking forward to it.
Blizzard angers Overwatch fans
What justification was there? Blizzard did not provide a reason for why the event had to be canceled. It happened suddenly, much to everyone’s surprise.
What was planned for the event? At the store, the launch of Overwatch on the Switch was to be celebrated with Blizzard. The original voice actors of the heroes would have been present to meet the first 150 fans who had registered in advance.
How are the players reacting? Discussions about the situation are already underway on Reddit. There is the opinion that Blizzard likely canceled the event due to the incident surrounding the punishment of Hearthstone pro player Chung “Blitzchung” Ng Wai. Presumably, to avoid protests and uncomfortable questions that would have overshadowed the event.
Overwatch fans are expressing disappointment. On the one hand, because the event was canceled, and on the other hand, due to Blizzard’s reaction. It is seen as “cowardly” and some suspect that this could negatively impact the reputation of Overwatch and its development team, even though the team and the game have nothing to do with it.
The BlizzCon is likely to be exciting
What does this mean for the BlizzCon? In just over two weeks, BlizzCon, the big event where Blizzard will likely present some news about the games, starts. Blizzard probably hopes that the tides will have calmed by then and that protests will be limited.
However, the situation keeps boiling over due to matters like the recently canceled launch event of the Switch version of Overwatch. The topic is simply constantly present, and such cancellations without explanation do not help the players suddenly forget the situation.
Therefore, it will likely be very exciting to see how BlizzCon unfolds, which takes place on November 1 and 2. Blizzard is currently stepping from one pitfall to another…
