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Blizzard Entertainment, video game giant world of warcraft, has resumed its partnership with NetEase under new owner Microsoft, marking the return of one of the longest-lasting U.S.-China video game partnerships that suffered an acrimonious breakup more than a year ago.
Confirming a previous South China Morning Post report, the two companies have renewed their publishing agreement to cover the following games based on previous agreements: World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, and other titles Warcraft, Overwatch, Diablo, Starcraft Space, according to a joint statement Wednesday. These titles are scheduled to begin returning to mainland China this summer.
“After ongoing discussions over the past year, Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase are excited to once again align on supporting players in mainland China, and are committed to providing a superior gaming experience,” the statement said. We are proud to reaffirm our efforts.”
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In January last year, both companies suspended service for all Blizzard titles in the mainland. diablo immortal, a mobile title co-developed by NetEase and Blizzard that marks the end of a 14-year partnership. Both sides accused each other of mistreating Chinese players after they failed to agree on new terms for a contract extension.
The announcement comes five months after US tech giant Microsoft signed a $68.7 billion deal to acquire Activision Blizzard, the parent company of Blizzard Entertainment.
Separately, the new agreement also deepens the collaboration between Microsoft and NetEase, with the aim of bringing new NetEase titles to Xbox consoles and other platforms, according to the statement.
“We are looking for ways to bring more new titles to Xbox while bringing Blizzard’s legendary games back to players in China,” said Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming. “It shows our commitment to reach more players in the world.”
World of Warcraft is published by American video game giant Blizzard Entertainment. Photo: Handout alt=World of Warcraft is published by American video game giant Blizzard Entertainment. Photo: Handout >
The news caused excitement among Chinese players on social media. Immediately after the announcement, Blizzard’s return became a top trending topic on China’s microblogging platform Weibo, gaining over 100 million views within two hours.
One Weibo user commented, “After wandering around overseas servers for over a year, I was finally able to return to my hometown.”
However, there is still work to be done before the game is available to Chinese players. NetEase is hiring for positions such as game operations planners, engineers, and project managers. world of warcraft, hearthstone and overwatch According to new job postings on Wednesday, the company is affiliated with the company’s game studio Leihuo.
The Post first reported that NetEase disbanded the local team responsible for operating Blizzard titles in Shanghai after the previous partnership ended in January last year.
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This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative news organization on China and Asia for more than a century. For more stories from SCMP, explore the SCMP app or visit SCMP on Facebook. twitter page. Copyright © 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
Copyright (c) 2024. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
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