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Anyone that boycotted Acti/Blizz due to Chinese censorship: will MS' acquisition make you reconsider?

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jigglet

jigglet

Banned
Before you say "boycotts are stupid", I want to say I never boycotted them to try to affect them financially - I know I am too small to make a difference. I'm only one man and even if I spent $1m with them I would still be a drop in the ocean. I never sign petitions because, again, I'm not delusional enough to think I can make a difference. I did it cause I didn't feel right supporting them anymore after the Blitzchung incident and especially after censoring the Tiananmen Square footage from the Cold War trailer at Beijing's request. I have family that's affected by this so it's especially personal for me.

But, haters be damned, I LOVE COD, so it was hard for me to give up but I did it.

I don't necessarily think they will behave any differently under MS, but I would like to give them another chance.

Thoughts?
 
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Hong Kong belongs to China, to think its British land is insane. And no, nobody seriously boycotted the company in the first place, they might have due to other reasons but not because of censorship.
 
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Beyond Activision, King and specially Blizzard are very popular in China or Korea. Countries where MS basically didn't exist in terms of gaming and that MS super likely wanted to approach because are top in terms of gaming revenue and number of players.

Very likely one of the main reasons behind the acquisition was MS wanting to reach China, not the opposite.

Boycotts are dumb.
 
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Lt.Calley said:
Hong Kong belongs to China, to think its British land is insane. And no, nobody seriously boycotted the company in the first place, they might have due to other reasons but not because of censorship.
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I think the people of Hong Kong might disagree with you there mate but you do you.
 
Banjo64 said:
I think the people of Hong Kong might disagree with you there mate but you do you.
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HK permanent resident here. There does seem to be a lot of confusion about the subject, but on a purely factual level there is no doubt at all that the whole of Hong Kong has been sovereign Chinese territory since 1997, when the lease on NT and the outlying islands expired and the former British colony on HK island and the southern part of the Kowloon peninsula was returned to the PRC.

Same situation as Macau - that used to be a Portuguese colony but was also returned to the PRC in 1997 - the main difference is that the Portuguese actually did the right thing and offered full Portuguese citizenship to all Macau residents while the UK fucked over the HK Chinese by inventing a special nearly worthless "British National Overseas" status that didn't give you the right of abode anywhere. Having originally come from the UK myself, I have to admit that this level of pettiness on the part of the UK government is pretty much exactly what I would expect.
 
Lt.Calley said:
sure a 100years of occupation and brainwashing will do that
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Or the 24 years of independant free speech since and the one country two system clause that the CCP agreed to during the hand over which they are now trampling all over. You sound like an angsty teenager who needs attention. Go travel a bit and learn something. Why is it always neo members that come out with this ass gravy, migrants from the other place I assume.
 
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NikuNashi said:
Or the 24 years of independant free speech since and the one country two system clause that the CCP agreed to during the hand over which they are now trampling all over. You sound like an angsty teenager who needs attention. Go travel a bit and learn something. Why is it always neo members that come out with this ass gravy, migrants from the other place I assume.
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the deal was 50 years of autonomy and then it would go back to Chinese rule, you don't even know your facts. point is that the Brits colonized china with their military might and now china took back what is rightfully theirs, cry some more.
 
Lt.Calley said:
sure a 100years of occupation and brainwashing will do that
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Ah yes because of course given a choice between "U WOT M8?" And Tiananmen Square revisionists, the UK is the "brain washers" in this story, how quaint.

On the topic at hand, it depends really. New guy in charge upstairs does that mean anything culturally will shift? Perhaps not, as far as I am aware Microsoft do alot of business in China, they just don't normally broadcast there alliegencies by having a huge PR disaster publically.

It will take some time for Microsoft to get a title out under their leadership so I will wait and see until then.
 
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Not a single person that actually wants to play their games actually boycotted them. They might say they do, but they're sure as hell just playing them in their little computer room.
 
Coolwhhip said:
Not a single person that actually wants to play their games actually boycotted them. They might say they do, but they're sure as hell just playing them in their little computer room.
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What the hell are you talking about, i boycotted them, get your damn facts straight horse lady.

Anyways back to diablo 2. "lollipop_disappointed:
 
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Lt.Calley said:
And no, nobody seriously boycotted the company in the first place, they might have due to other reasons but not because of censorship.
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This is true.
Lt.Calley said:
Hong Kong belongs to China, to think its British land is insane.
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You are insane if you think that there is a significant amount of people out there who are protesting Hongkong because they think it's British.

That being said, a sizeable number people who live there did not like how dissent is dealth with since the regime change, and refusing torture and political assassination for dissidents is fair... This is why they may want out or back to how things were before.
 
My Activision Blizzard gaming history over the last 30 years, literally:
  • THPS 1, 2, 3, 4
  • X-Men Origins Wolverine
  • Diablo 3
I think that's it. I'll play Diablo and THPS Remaster on Gamepass if it hits.

I guess I would break my non-existent boycott if they put X-Men Origins back up on the story for BC, and I would purchase it for $5 on sale.
 
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Chinese censorship.

Oh right! I had forgotten that hahaha.
Also the toxic environment and culture
And the fact that they thought that the name of a character in overwatch was the only problem the game had ...

What a way to fall, blizz.
 
GymWolf said:
Dude this is not reeeee, i doubt that people in here boycotted blizzard...
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No dude I actually did and this is coming from a huge Starcraft and Diablo fan.

jZCiraF_d.webp



After the whole Hong Kong incident (which hits a little close to home being British) cancelled my WoW sub (used it for classic) and refunded Warcraft 3 reforged (turned out I dodged a bullet) and uninstalled battlenet along with Starcraft II, I haven't even bought or played the Diablo II remaster.

It was a free speech issue, but alongside that I am quite frankly fucking done with China on a gaming standpoint. There strict rules about what is right and proper means games have to be changed drastically to be released in those markets. However this means that developers will just make games that adhere to china's policy's as a standard, why release two versions of a game if you just bow to China and make one?

That's the issue

thediplomat.com

Taiwanese Horror Game ‘Devotion’ Gets Pulled Again Over Chinese Objections

Online game store GOG canceled a plan to re-release the game, which drew controversy last year over an Easter egg comparing Xi Jinping to Winnie the Pooh.
thediplomat.com

Stuff like this literally happens so when people verbally support China in the gaming space I say fuck them. Sell to China or sell to me, I have no pretences on whos more important but its surpsingly easy to just not play any Activision or Blizzard games, honestly it really is, and it costs me nothing.
 
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I don't know if I'd say I boycotted them, as I haven't really bought a new activision game since like 2012 (Black ops 2 on the WiiU because I was desperate for anything to play on it). I almost got the Spyro trilogy, but got turned off by the fact the disc only contained one of the three games, and never cared enough to buy it cheap digitally.

After the Hong Kong thing though I did stop myself from buying Sekiro day 1, which wasn't too hard since DMC5 came out around the same time. I bought it later used which is the only Souls game besides Demons I didn't buy new (sorry From).
 
alabtrosMyster said:
This is true.

You are insane if you think that there is a significant amount of people out there who are protesting Hongkong because they think it's British.

That being said, a sizeable number people who live there did not like how dissent is dealth with since the regime change, and refusing torture and political assassination for dissidents is fair... This is why they may want out or back to how things were before.
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Just shows how little you know. Oh and 60years ago the chinese were eating grass to survive today they are the worlds biggest economy, so ya I think the CCP knows what its doing. How about British society? Ya a complete failed state with rape gangs, failed assimilation, and a failing economy. Thanks for playing.

WgrTvJ6.jpg
 
Watching a CCP bot posting on GAF about how great is China's totalitarian communist genocidal dictatorship must be the strangest thing I saw in 2022.
And yesterday was the day Microsoft announced they plan to buy Activision Blizzard for $70B, so that says a lot.
 
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Lt.Calley said:
Hong Kong belongs to China, to think its British land is insane. And no, nobody seriously boycotted the company in the first place, they might have due to other reasons but not because of censorship.
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All my friends boycotted it. They have not played a single game on that platform, don't even have Bnet installed.
 
ToTTenTranz said:
Watching a CCP bot posting on GAF about how great is China's totalitarian communist genocidal dictatorship must be the strangest thing I saw in 2022.
And yesterday was the day Microsoft announced they plan to buy Activision Blizzard for $70B, so that says a lot.
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Ahh yes while the west drops freedom bombs all over the world, but you guys are the good guys right?
edition.cnn.com

Ten family members, including children, dead after US strike in Kabul | CNN

Ten members of one family – including seven children – are dead after a US drone strike targeting a vehicle in a residential neighborhood of Kabul, a relative of the dead told CNN.
edition.cnn.com edition.cnn.com
 
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From all indications MS is a great place to work at so I doubt any of the shit Activision was up to will be tolerated.
 
Lt.Calley said:
Just shows how little you know. Oh and 60years ago the chinese were eating grass to survive today they are the worlds biggest economy, so ya I think the CCP knows what its doing. How about British society? Ya a complete failed state with rape gangs, failed assimilation, and a failing economy. Thanks for playing.

WgrTvJ6.jpg
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Lol what?

Confused Always Sunny GIF by It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
 
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China is engaged in literal genocide, some posts here are not going to age well. I boycotted them, not sure MS is any better but we'll see what happens.
 
Never really boycotted them. I just don't play their games anymore, because they simply suck ass and/or don't work properly.

This coming from primarily a WoW player for 16 years or whatever the age of that game is today. Quit in BfA and tried some Classic(tbc). Didn't do it anymore for me.
 
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I guess I boycotted without knowing. Stopped WOW few years back, got tired of COD.. so... Sure I did! Hopefully MS changes the culture in A/B.
Donald Trump GIF by fularious
 
iHaunter said:
Because they don't censor every single fucking thing that offends them? Unlike China. In fact, most of US Censorship is BECAUSE of China.
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The same reason really. They censor things that would impact profits. China wants control, big tech wants control.
 
I nuked my account in part because of the China bullshit, but the final nail in the coffin was deleting the original Warcraft 3 and all the custom mods from the internet for a low effort port job that they quickly abandoned.
Literally killed one of the giants of gaming by forcing everyone to use the new Jank version of the game which then killed the competitive scene.

I'm still in wait and see mode.
Maybe in a few years if they start releasing quality titles I like, cut out the 'modern gaming' bullshit, and stop being disgusting, reprehensible, soulless corporate hacks and their games find their way to Steam then I may give them a look.
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I went the extra steps to full on delete my battle.net account after hearing them bend the knee. I was currently subscribed to WoW for WoW classic and was having a good time. No coming back from that, but then with the way they handled WoW classic with the boosts and the rampant bots, I wouldn't resub even if I could now. They ruined it in record time, regardless of the CN stuff.
 
No. Politics.
iHaunter said:
Because they don't censor every single fucking thing that offends them? Unlike China. In fact, most of US Censorship is BECAUSE of China.
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Oh yea because the mainstream media tells the truth right? The west only had 1 honest journalist and his name is Julian Assange and they put him in prison.
 
On topic: nope, still waiting for D4, so I kinda have no choice.

Unfortunately Overwatch 2 looks like trash regardless of MS, China or Activision involvement.
 
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