World of Warcraft developers Blizzard upset a few people with their decision to screen an expletive-filled rant from Cannibal Corpse frontman George 'Corpsegrinder' Fisher as Blizzcon 2011 came to a close. And for that, the company has apologised.
In a letter to website GayGamer, Blizzard president Mike Morhaime writes:
Dear members of the Blizzard community,
I have read your feedback and comments about this year's BlizzCon, and I have also read the feedback to the apology from Level 90 Elite Tauren Chieftain. I'd like to respond to some of your feedback here.
As president of Blizzard, I take full responsibility for everything that occurs at BlizzCon.
It was shortsighted and insensitive to use the video at all, even in censored form. The language used in the original version, including the slurs and use of sexual orientation as an insult, is not acceptable, period. We realize now that having even an edited version at the show was counter to the standards we try to maintain in our forums and in our games. Doing so was an error in judgment, and we regret it.
The bottom line is we deeply apologize for our mistakes and for hurting or offending anyone. We want you to have fun at our events, and we want everyone to feel welcome. We're proud to be part of a huge and diverse community, and I am proud that so many aspects of the community are represented within Blizzard itself.
As a leader of Blizzard, and a member of the band, I truly hope you will accept my humblest apology.
- Mike Morhaime President, Blizzard Entertainment
Nicely put! Sure, it wouldn't have been offensive to most people there (maybe just annoying and a little embarrassing given Fisher's conduct), but that's not the point. Morhaime nails it when he says "we want everyone to feel welcome" at an event like Blizzcon, so it's good to see the company recognise this.
Blizzard President Apologizes For BlizzCon Video Insult [GayGamer]
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