Blizzard’s games are coming back to China as part of a new deal with its previous partner in the region, NetEase. NetEase was Blizzard’s publishing partner in China going all the way back to 2008, but the longstanding agreement between the two companies ended in January 2023 due to a failure to agree to renewal terms.
The two companies publicly blamed each other for the failure to find a path forward, leaving Blizzard’s games absent in China for over a year. That changes this summer, according to an announcement of a new publishing agreement with NetEase made by Blizzard late last night. The deal will see the return of games including World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, as well as “other titles in the Warcraft, Overwatch, Diablo, and StarCraft universes.”
Our legendary worlds are for all to share & that includes our passionate Chinese community.We are pleased to announce a new agreement with NetEase to bring Blizzard games back to mainland China. Thank you for your patience & support.?? https://t.co/zE5XkmE84K pic.twitter.com/W4kxz1XcPF
— Blizzard Entertainment (@Blizzard_Ent) April 10, 2024
Blizzard president Johanna Faries had the following to say on the announcement:
“We at Blizzard are thrilled to reestablish our partnership with NetEase and to work together, with deep appreciation for the collaboration between our teams, to deliver legendary gaming experiences to players in China.”
For those paying close attention, this announcement might not be the most surprising. Rumors of the deal began a couple of days ago when Twitter user CN Wire shared photos of NetEase CEO Ding Lei meeting with Blizzard president Johanna Faries, leading to the a jump in the share price of NetEase’s stock in Hong Kong.
In addition to the news regarding Blizzard’s games, Microsoft Gaming and NetEase have agreed to explore bringing new NetEase games to Xbox and “other platforms.”
