After some disagreements, Blizzard and NetEase broke off relations in China in early 2023. This caused games such as World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, Warcraft III: Reforged, Overwatch, the StarCraft series, Diablo III and Heroes of the Storm to become unavailable in the Asian country.
This was a hard blow for all involved, as the companies recorded losses and suffered layoffs. Also, gamers in the region were left without access to some of their favorite titles.
Fortunately, things changed and the companies decided to resume their agreement thanks to Microsoft and Xbox, who are now the new owners of Activision Blizzard. Thanks to this, the aforementioned titles will once again be available in China.
Blizzard and NetEase resume relations in China; Phil Spencer celebrates
Some indications suggested this week that Blizzard and NetEase were on the verge of resuming their deal in China. A few hours ago, the companies and Phil Spencer, head of Microsoft Gaming, confirmed the news.
Through a statement, they revealed that Blizzard games will once again be available in mainland China starting summer 2024. The titles will be made available again in a staggered manner thanks to a new agreement signed between the studios and Microsoft Gaming.
Xbox will also benefit from the deal, as NetEase pledged to look for alternatives to bring more of its games to the brand's consoles and other platforms in the future.
“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,” said Johanna Faries, President of Blizzard Entertainment.
“Blizzard and NetEase have done incredible work to renew our commitment to players – Blizzard’s universes have been part of players’ lives in the region for many years. Returning Blizzard’s legendary games to players in China while exploring ways to bring more new titles to Xbox demonstrates our commitment to bringing more games to more players around the world,” said Spencer.
What happened between Blizzard and NetEase?
We know that the companies broke off relations months ago due to a misunderstanding between Bobby Kotick, former head of Activision Blizzard and Ding Lei, head of NetEase. During a talk to renew their agreement, the U.S. executive felt threatened about Microsoft's purchase of Activision Blizzard and the implications for China.
However, we know that this was not actually the case, as Ding only talked about the possible obstacles that the acquisition could face in the region. It all stemmed from a mistranslation.
This made Kotick unwilling to renew the deal on its stated terms, which annoyed NetEase executives. It was then that Blizzard's games were withdrawn from China and started a legal conflict between the companies. Fortunately, everything is now settled.
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