Blizzard postpones 'World of Warcraft' event as #BoycottBlizzard gathers momentum

This week marks the highly anticipated release of Blizzard's award-winning team-based shooter for the Nintendo Switch. The developer's original plan was to host a big launch event at the Nintendo World Store in New York. However, due to the controversy that happened a little over a week ago, it was cancelled without an official explanation. Most people already have an inkling as to why it happened. Hence, it comes as no surprise that the company reportedly postponed another major celebration initially scheduled for this weekend in Taiwan.

According to reports, Blizzard posted the advisory on Facebook on Tuesday, which was also the launch date of "Overwatch" on Nintendo Switch. The festivity was intended to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the beloved "World of Warcraft" franchise. However, unlike the New York event, which was suddenly wiped off the calendar, the company is apparently moving it to a later date. It is yet to confirm the exact timing, but it seems fans are not even worried.

People are purportedly doing the opposite. Instead of cries of disappointment, it looks like the "World of Warcraft" Facebook page is being flooded by posts related to another issue entirely. Instead of complaints, sources are seeing messages supporting the ongoing pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. A representative from the game studio informed Polygon that it isn't releasing any official statement at the moment.

Another angle reporters are looking into, is the backlash from Taiwanese fans after the two Taiwanese casters involved with the Blitzchung incident were suspended for a year. Although the penalty was later reduced to six months, the damage has apparently been done by Blizzard's actions. Therefore, it is probably the main reason why it is rescheduling the "World of Warcraft" anniversary event.

Since last week, the outpouring of support for the political unrest in Hong Kong shows no signs of stopping. In fact, gamers have been calling for consumers to boycott all products and services from Blizzard. Another article indicated that the movement affected the company's stock prices. Furthermore, there are already plans underway to hold a massive protest during the 2019 BlizzCon expo in November.