World of Warcraft is returning to China as Microsoft strikes a new deal with NetEase
Microsoft has struck up a new deal with NetEase to end a long running feud that had kept Blizzard games out of China
🤝 Microsoft has struck up a new deal with NetEase to bring Blizzard’s games back to China
👋 Blizzard pulled its titles from the Chinese market in early 2023
👍 The deal will also bring more NetEase titles to Xbox consoles and PC
💰 Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard for $69bn last year
World of Warcraft, the world’s most popular MMORPG, is returning to China thanks to a new deal between Microsoft and Hangzhou-based NetEase.
Microsoft, which recently acquired Activision Blizzard for $69bn, announced that other popular titles will also be coming back to China after they were pulled in 2023.
The companies posted a joint statement on NetEase Games’ official Weibo account which said: “After a year of negotiations, Blizzard and NetEase are pleased to align on a path forward to once again serve players in mainland China.”
The games will “return to mainland China beginning summer 2024”, according to a blog post on Blizzard’s website. Chinese players will be able to access titles from the Warcraft, Overwatch, Diablo and Starcraft universes.
Separately, Microsoft and NetEase have also entered into an agreement to explore bringing new NetEase titles to Xbox consoles and other platforms.
Microsoft’s CEO of Gaming Phil Spencer also posted a statement on X. “Thanks to the incredible work done by Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase to renew our commitment to players, we will soon welcome back millions of community members in China to our Blizzard universes. This is exciting for everyone at Xbox, Blizzard, and for players everywhere.”
World of Warcraft and other Blizzard titles were pulled from China in January 2023, much to the dismay of millions of Chinese players. The suspension came after a bitter dispute between Blizzard and NetEase, where the Chinese company said Blizzard’s last proposal to extend the previous deal was “outrageous, inappropriate, and not in line with business logic.”
It appears Microsoft has been able to smooth things over between the two parties, which will please the Redmond-based company’s shareholders now that the Chinese market is available once again as well as millions of Chinese gamers.