Despite this, Blizzard's games remain monstrously popular elsewhere throughout the world. Microsoft has notably cited mobile gaming and China as a big reason for its attempt to merge with Activision Blizzard, and this whole ordeal is likely going to put a wrench in the works. Games like World of Warcraft are heavily censored in the country, but they remain popular despite the draconian laws around games and Western IP in general. Regardless, the end of Blizzard's services in China will be a major blow to the company's bottom line, and fans therein as well. Our sources within Blizzard have expressed their dismay over the implementation of Diablo Immortal's monetization systems in the past - with some laying blame on NetEase for their aggressiveness and likeness to real money gambling with real money. However, the end of Blizzard and NetEase's partnership does not extend to the oft-criticized Diablo Immortal, which is under a separate long-term licensing agreement. The company promised more details about the effect the suspension will have on Chinese players.īlizzard explained that the upcoming releases of World of Warcraft: Dragonflight, Hearthstone: March of the Lich King, and season 2 of Overwatch 2 will all go forward later this year in existing markets, although China will not be among them. Some, including The Verge's Tom Warren, suspect that Zhu referred to Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick in his post.īlizzard will suspend new sales in China over the next few days. It's not clear who Zhu believes is a "jerk" at Blizzard, as he did not specify. (Image credit: Simon Zhu of NetEase on LinkedIn)
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