Nothing to do with Tencent and everything to do with toxic chuckleheads who kept bashing the Chosen at every opportunity. Not only was it popular to bash on the Chosen, it was also – in some people’s minds – the gravest “insult” to call someone a “wannabe Chosen of Asura”.
Funcom’s gesture was well-meant and it’s not their fault at all, but it ended up painting a target on certain people’s heads. It drove most of them to either post much less frequently or become much more bitter in their replies. 
Internet is full of people who exemplify the phrase “This is why we can’t have nice things.”
See also: