Blizzard stumbled into controversy last month when Hearthstone player Ng 'Blitzchung' Wai Chung was punished for expressing his support for Hong Kong protesters, and the studio looked to turn things around by opening this year's BlizzCon with a statement that addressed the situation directly.
"We moved too quickly in our decision and then, to make matters worse, we were too slow to talk with all of you. We didn't live up to the high standards we set for ourselves. We failed in our purpose. I'm sorry and I accept accountability," J. Allen Brack told the attendees at BlizzCon.
"What exactly is our purpose? BlizzCon is demonstrating it as we speak. We aspire to bring the world together in epic entertainment. I truly believe in the positive power of video games. When we get it right, we create a common ground where the community comes together to compete, connect, and play, irrespective of the things that divide us.
"BlizzCon has people from 59 countries all around the world at the show today. That is amazing. That's the positive power of video games: to transcend divisions around us.
"We will do better going forward. But our actions are going to matter more than any of these words. As you walk around this weekend, I hope it's clear how committed we are to people expressing themselves. We've seen many of you expressing yourselves this morning.
"Today you're going to see a lot of the hard work of the Blizzard team. I am personally so proud of what we are building and I hope you love it too. Thank you for joining us."
Then they announced Diablo IV. More on that shortly.