INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image copyrightActivision BlizzardGamers are complaining they are unable to delete their Activision Blizzard accounts, as they attempt to
show solidarity with an e-sports competitor.The US publisher caused controversy by placing a 12-month ban on a player who had voiced support
for pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong on Sunday
Users say they get error messages when they try to erase their accounts
Some suggest it could be deliberate.But the firm has indicated a technical problem is to blame."There's an issue affecting the site which
our engineers are currently addressing it's a priority for us to have this resolved," one of its North America accounts tweeted.The
TheIndianSubcontinent's request for a comment has not yet been answered.Some players in Europe have said they are able to cancel their
profiles but have raised concerns that they are being asked to first upload government-issued IDs.The firm has defended this on the grounds
that it needs to be sure of their identity as the process cannot be reversed.Activision Blizzard is behind some of the most popular console,
PC and mobile video games, including Call of Duty, Overwatch, World of Warcraft and Candy Crush.Now some players, who have been unable to
wipe their accounts, are threatening to tell their banks to block the company from deducting payments.Protests began after the firm banned
professional video game player, Ng Wai "Blitzchung" Chung.After playing its Hearthstone online card game at a tournament, Blitzchung had
called out in Mandarin, "Liberate Hong Kong" during a live-streamed interview.The organisers wrote in a statement that the 21-year-old had
broken competition rules and would not receive any prize money
On 8 October, he was told he would not be allowed to compete professionally at Hearthstone for one year
Image copyrightActivision BlizzardImage caption
Message from Activision Blizzard on its Hearthstone Site
The hashtag #Blizzardboycott subsequently trended on Twitter
And since then, the firm has faced a growing backlash from both customers and some employees.The Daily Beast news site reported that a small
group of workers at the company's Los Angeles office staged a walkout in protest.The matter has also drawn the attention of US politicians
The row threatens to overshadow one of the firm's biggest releases of the year - its latest Call of Duty console title - which is due to
go on sale on 25 October.
