Blizzard does not want to anger their audience in China and they have taken away the award and the interview, as well as banned from the game. Blizzard has a large market in China.
The current protests in Hong Kong to scrap an extradition treaty that would bring the entire country under the jurisdiction of China is one of the hottest topics today. and in an increasingly globalized world it is easier to use the internet to get the message across and there are those who want to censor it. In this case, Blizzard has placed a full-fledged censorship on a player who won their Hearthstone Grandmasters Asia Pacific Championship.
Censored for supporting Hong Kong protests
Blitzchung won said championship and was interviewed by two Blizzard-affiliated casters. In that interview he made it clear that he supported Hong Kong and its protests. For these statements, Blizzard has released the rule book and has appealed to its rule that allows them to take actions against a player who offends certain groups or damages the image of the company.
The result is that Blitzchung is unable to play in official Hearthstone competitions for a full year, his prize money has been declared void and his interview withdrawn. The two official casters have also been fired in retaliation for allowing them to delve into these issues.
Now, why would Blizzard censor an interview in support of Hong Kong and civil liberties while bragging about, for example, support for LGBT groups in games like Overwatch? The answer is very simple: Blizzard has a lot of impact in China and allied territories. Letting someone send a message against the government of one of their biggest markets is a full blown attack on their stability, so they have decided to cut to the chase and censor a player who has won one of their biggest tournaments.
Source: Hearthstone Official Website
