HONG KONG, CHINA(?) - Activision Blizzard is in hot water again just weeks after facing backlash for censoring players who support the protests here in Hong Kong. The e-sport giant’s relationship with the Chinese Communist Party’s is under more scrutiny this week after a new campaign added to the World of Warcraft MMORPG bears many similarities to recent uprising in Hong Kong.
“The ‘One Azeroth, One Rule’ quest has been in no way influenced by mainland officials,” says Blizzard President J. Allen Brack, “the Orcs of Draenor simply want the Blood Elves to understand that expanding Orc administrative rule across all races of Azeroth is in everyone’s interests.” The campaign in question invites all players in the WoW realms to fight alongside the noble Orc peacekeeping forces to supress the evil coalition of Elven students and previously autonomous human Magi, which, according to in-game lore, aims to dismantle the Orc authorities that came to power through the Dark Portal half a century ago.
“The new campaign clearly has a pro-mainland bent,” says Level 80 Paladin Ironhammer Rall (known in his high school as Herbert Wiggins), “and it’s frankly unnerving that Blizzard would use the proud history of Azeroth to justify making billions of dollars in the Chinese market. It’ll be a cold day in the fires of Blackrock Mountain before I help the Horde beat up unarmed Elflings; that’s just not right.”