Blizzard Entertainment announced that due to the expiration of the current licensing agreement with NetEase, it will suspend most of the Blizzard game services in mainland China.
January 23, World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, Warcraft III: Reforged, Overwatch, StarCraft, Diablo III, and Heroes of the Storm.
Blizzard and NetEase have had a licensing agreement since 2008 that covers the distribution of Blizzard games in China.
The two companies parted ways because the two companies were able to reach an agreement to renew the agreement, “which is consistent with Blizzard’s operating principles and commitment to players and employees.”
Blizzard said it would pause new sales of its games in the coming days, and Chinese players will soon receive details on how that will work.
“We have been bringing our games to China through NetEase and other partners for nearly 20 years, and we are grateful for the enthusiasm shown by the Chinese community,” Blizzard President Mike Ybarra said in a public statement. Creativity drives us, and we’re looking at alternatives to bring our games back to players in the future.”
For its part, NetEase said in a statement that it was “deeply disappointed” that the respective organizations could not reach a “renewal agreement”.
“We have been negotiating with Blizzard to the best of our ability to maintain this relationship and be able to continue to provide these games to our community of gamers,” the company said in a PR email.
“Unfortunately, we were unable to reach an agreement with Blizzard on some key cooperation terms. We regret that Blizzard announced today that it will cease cooperation, and we will have to accept this decision.”
NetEase president Simon Zhu also expressed disappointment in a LinkedIn post, even suggesting that some “jerks” might be to blame.
“As a player who has spent 10,000 hours in the worlds of Azeroth, StarCraft, and Overwatch, I am heartbroken that next year I will no longer be able to access my account and memories,” Zhu said (thanks to RPS ).
“One day, when what’s going on behind the scenes can be told, developers and gamers will have a whole new appreciation for how much damage a jerk can do. I feel sorry for the players who live in those worlds.”
While the two companies are still at odds over the publishing deal, Blizzard did say that since Diablo Immortal’s co-development and publishing takes place under a separate agreement between the two companies, it will still be available in the region.
It also said the upcoming releases of World of Warcraft: Dragon Legion, Hearthstone: March of the Lich King, and Overwatch 2 Season 2 “will take place later this year.”