Blizzard is rumored to make a public announcement soon about its reconvene with NetEase, which could mean the return of its games in China after more than a year.
Buzz is that Blizzard and NetEase plan to declare their renewed bond in the coming weeks. If this speculation turns out to be accurate, Blizzard could regain its footing in the Chinese gaming market through its access with NetEase by this year, possibly as soon as April.
Because of China’s media regulations, games developed outside its borders must be routed through domestic tech firms such as NetEase. NetEase is responsible for localizing many gaming franchises for its associates and Blizzard was a key client until their alliance ended in January 2023. This termination blocked access to Blizzard’s assortment of games, including popular ones like World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, Overwatch 2, and others in China.
However, current whisperings suggest a reconciliation between the two firms is looming. As per Chinese news outlet Core Esports, Blizzard and NetEase are contemplating broadcasting their agreement by late March or early April. This report shares that Blizzard’s games will be managed in China under the main NetEase cooperative product sector – the same unit operating Diablo Immortal, as opposed to a specialized team that was a part of their past partnership.
In other news, Core Esports mooted that former Activision Blizzard CEO, Bobby Kotick, played a substantial part in the discontinuation of the Blizzard and NetEase collaboration. However, all active legal proceedings between them have reportedly been withdrawn since Kotick’s departure from the company in January 2024. This may have potentially reopened negotiations between the two firms. Microsoft’s acquisition of Blizzard may have also contributed to this reconciliation, as NetEase is already in business with Microsoft to churn out games such as Minecraft for the Chinese market.
Interestingly, there is another recent rumor stating that an anonymous company in Korea is preparing to bring Blizzard’s games to China through a leasing deal, according to Nico_oq, a trusted source for Blizzard news in Asia. It remains uncertain whether these rumors are unfounded, the leasing agreement was unsuccessful, or another factor attributed to the rumored restoration between Blizzard and NetEase.
It’s important to remember that none of these rumors has been officially confirmed yet. Though they come from trusted sources, nothing is concrete until Blizzard or NetEase formally verifies the existence of this deal. Nevertheless, should this speculation prove true, fans from China could be playing Blizzard games as early as April, with the full restoration of all services potentially taking a few months. This is likely to occur latest by the launch of World of Warcraft: The War Within. Either way, players are hopeful they won’t have to wait too long for an official update from either of the parties involved.
