According to Neowin, Microsoft and NetEase have just officially signed a new cooperation agreement, marking the return of Blizzard Entertainment games to the Chinese market after a period of hiatus. According to the announcement, this "new publishing agreement" will include Blizzard games that have been previously released in China, along with recently released titles such as World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, StarCraft, Overwatch 2, Diablo IV and many more.
Microsoft and NetEase representatives are excited about the return of Blizzard games.
Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase began their partnership in 2008, but the partnership fell apart in 2022 due to disagreements in licensing negotiations. This left Blizzard game fans in China feeling regretful that they could no longer experience their favorite games.
However, with the emergence of Microsoft as a major investor in Activision Blizzard after a $69 billion acquisition in 2023, the situation has completely changed. The two gaming giants quickly resumed negotiations and reached a new cooperation agreement, marking Blizzard's return to the billion-people market.
"After more than a year of discussions, both Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase are pleased to have agreed to work together again to support players in mainland China. We are proud to reaffirm our commitment to providing great gaming experiences to the gaming community," said representatives of the two companies.
“Blizzard is excited to renew our partnership with NetEase and work together to bring legendary gaming experiences to Chinese players,” said Blizzard Entertainment president Johanna Faries.
The new partnership also opens up new opportunities for the gaming industry in the Asia region. According to Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, this partnership demonstrates Microsoft's commitment to bringing more games to more players around the world .
In addition to bringing Blizzard titles back to China, Microsoft and NetEase are also discussing the release of NetEase games on the Xbox platform in the future. This promises to be great news for Xbox gamers, giving them more entertainment options.
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