Microsoft's Blizzard Renews Deal With NetEase To Bring Back Video Games To China

(RTTNews) - Millions of video game players of China will soon be able to play Blizzard's hit video games, following the company's renewed publishing deal with Hangzhou-based NetEase (NTES).

The subsidiary of Microsoft (MSFT) announced that the video games, including World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, and other titles in the Warcraft, Overwatch, Diablo, and StarCraft universes, will return to China in the summer of this year.

"After continuing discussions over the past year, both Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase are thrilled to align on a path forward to once again support players in mainland China and are proud to reaffirm their commitment to delivering exceptional gaming experiences," the company said in a statement.

The revival of the video game partnership comes after a fallout between the two companies in 2023 due to disagreements over key terms of the licensing deal, blaming each other for the mistreatment of Chinese players.

Following the spat, all the games under the Blizzard titles were suspended in China, except Diablo Immortal, a mobile game co-developed by Blizzard and NetEase.

"We at Blizzard are thrilled to reestablish our partnership with NetEase and to work together, with deep appreciation for the collaboration between our teams, to deliver legendary gaming experiences to players in China," said Johanna Faries, President of Blizzard Entertainment. "We are immensely grateful for the passion the Chinese community has shown for Blizzard games throughout the years, and we are focused on bringing our universes back to players with excellence and dedication."

Separately, Microsoft has also struck a deal with NetEase to bring new titles of the Chinese company to Xbox consoles, the company stated.

"Returning Blizzard's legendary games to players in China while exploring ways to bring more new titles to Xbox demonstrates our commitment to bringing more games to more players around the world," said Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming.

Activision Blizzard was acquired by Microsoft in 2023 for $68.7 billion.