According to Neowin, Microsoft and NetEase have officially signed a new cooperation agreement, marking the return of Blizzard Entertainment titles to the Chinese market after a hiatus. The announcement states that this "new release agreement" will include Blizzard games previously released in China, along with recently launched titles such as World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, StarCraft, Overwatch 2, Diablo IV , and many others.
Representatives from Microsoft and NetEase expressed their delight at the return of Blizzard games.
Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase began collaborating in 2008; however, this partnership broke down in 2022 due to disagreements in licensing agreement negotiations. This left Blizzard fans in China disappointed, as they could no longer experience their favorite games.
However, with Microsoft's emergence as the primary investor in Activision Blizzard following its $69 billion acquisition in 2023, the landscape completely changed. The two giants of the gaming industry quickly resumed negotiations and reached a new cooperation agreement, marking Blizzard's return to the massive Chinese market.
"After more than a year of discussions, both Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase are pleased to agree to collaborate again to support players in mainland China. We are proud to reaffirm our commitment to delivering great gaming experiences to the gaming community," representatives from both companies shared.
"Blizzard is delighted to re-establish its partnership with NetEase and work together to bring legendary gaming experiences to Chinese players," emphasized Johanna Faries, president of Blizzard Entertainment.
The new partnership also opens up new opportunities for the gaming industry in the Asian region. According to Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, this collaboration demonstrates Microsoft's commitment to bringing more games to more players worldwide .
Besides bringing Blizzard titles back to China, Microsoft and NetEase are also discussing the future release of NetEase games on the Xbox platform. This promises to be great news for Xbox gamers, giving them more entertainment options.
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