Today, Blizzard Entertainment unleashed a bombshell: due to a new deal with former scorned partner NetEase, they will be bringing their game catalogue back to China as early as Summer 2024.
After a very public and very disastrous fallout way back in January 2023, it appears Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase have finally reconciled their differences. On top of that, both companies have come to an agreement to bring Blizzard’s catalogue of games — World of Warcraft, Diablo IV, etc — back to China, and fans will not have to wait long. The deal is expected to return Blizzard titles to China by Summer 2024 as soon as possible (unfortunately, Gorehowl will likely not return). BusinessWire reports this reinvigorated partnership may even bring NetEase titles to the Xbox platform, considering the $67 Billion merger has gone through.
President of Blizzard Entertainment, Johanna Faries, said that the company is pleased with the new deal, saying, “We are immensely grateful for the passion the Chinese community has shown for Blizzard games throughout the years, and we are focused on bringing our universes back to players with excellence and dedication” on the agreement.
NetEase appears to be just as excited over the new agreement as CEO of NetEase, William Ding said: “Our commitment to providing more exhilarating and creative entertainment experience remains unwavering, and we are excited to see positive synergies fostered to encourage and empower collaborations to bring the joy of gaming to a broad community.” Xbox Head Phil Spencer also chimed in, “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.”
Both parties seem thrilled to re-establish Blizzard Entertainment’s foothold in China while returning beloved games and franchises to the region. While timeframes haven’t been released to the general public yet, we will keep fans posted on what happens next regarding Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase.
