It seems Blizzard can't stop causing a stir in the media. This time, however, it is for all the wrong reasons. Following homophobic comments made by George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher, the lead-singer for the US Death-Metal band Cannibal Corpse, at this year's Blizzcon in Las Vegas, Blizzard faces uproar from their community.
Although the interview with Fisher was censored and bleeped accordingly, an uncensored version of the interview has found its way onto GayGamer. The homophobic insults were directed at Alliance players and immediately "taken out of context", as one community member suggested in an attempt to defend both Fisher and Blizzard.
Blizzard's online community was quick to jump onto the anti-homophobia bandwagon and three separate threads have opened on Blizzard's official community forums, where they have vented their anger and frustration at both Blizzard and "Corpsegrinder".
At the time of submission, the community still eagerly awaits some kind of comment or statement from George Fisher, although some community members now feel that this was a cruel attempt at free publicity by both parties.
Community manager Bashlok said that Blizzard has issued a statement in which they apologise for the comments made during the interview. The statement is as follows:
"Hey guys, we read and heard all the feedback from Blizzcon this year. The Corpsegringer bit was never intended to be taken seriously. We are sorry that we offended anyone; everything at our shows is just meant in fun. Thank you all for speaking up. We'll definitely keep this in mind for future shows."
It seems that Blizzard's community has been somewhat riled by the publisher's actions as of late. The recent announcement that Blizzard will monetise their online community has equally caused a stir, some users even calling to boycott Blizzard Marketplace.
Article comments
1 - Madness
Ah, come on. 'Alliance are gay' jibes are nothing more than common within WoW. They were simply looking for a reason to kick off about something. I'm not insensitive to homosexuals' plight, but when they're just looking to make a fuss like this...
2 - Ridiculous
People are being a little close minded and stupid about this. People are looking for anything they can latch on to to start drama and make themselves feel better about themselves. Some weak crusade. George Fisher has openly stated years ago that he is pro gay marriage, and his language in a four year old video is just how he speaks. The world needs to stop trying to find offense in everything and stop with the misunderstanding. Nobody wants to be misunderstood. And my heart goes out to George, and the guys at blizz for the flack they are taking. Way to take the fun out over everything. Totally lame and weak. There is no justification for this.
3 - Luigi Bastardo
It would probably help readers to know what these so-called "slurs" were, not to mention how they were used.
And besides, why would anyone take a metalhead who goes by the handle of "Corpsegrinder" seriously?