Some big news dropped last night. It looks like Blizzard games will be brought back to China this summer, after 1.5 years of not being available there. This, of course, includes Hearthstone, but also other games like World of Warcraft, Diablo, or Overwatch.
To give you some context, back in November 2022, Blizzard published a statement saying that they hadn’t renewed the licensing agreement with NetEase. NetEase was the company distributing and providing services for their game in China. Some people hoped that they would sort it out behind the scenes, but it didn’t happen, and servers for Blizzard games shut down in China last January.
Even without any kind of data transfers offered, many Chinese players started playing their favorite games on other servers. In Hearthstone, we saw a big surge of Chinese players first on Asia-Pacific and then also on NA and EU servers.
However, between closing down the servers and now, Microsoft finalized their purchase of Activision-Blizzard and the previous CEO Botty Kotick left the company. I think that’s a big reason why the companies decided to renew the contract and start working again. The new agreement with NetEase was negotiated by the recently appointed Blizzard President Johanna Faries and CEO of Microsoft Gaming Phil Spencer.
This is good news overall, because China was a big source of revenue for Activision-Blizzard, and while some people moved to other servers, it’s clear that they also lost tons of potential players. In the case of Hearthstone, it might be doubly good news, because the surge of Chinese players I mentioned earlier also coincided with a big uptick in bot activity. I’m not saying that’s all there is to it, but those two had a clear correlation. So we might hope that with Chinese players going back to play on their own server, the number of bots might also go down.
It could also be good news for Hearthstone esports, because China still had an active tournament scene when the game closed there. Assuming it gets revived, it MIGHT bring some budget back to the western esports too (although that’s pretty wishful thinking).
Anyway, you can read the full statement below:
Blizzard titles to return to mainland China beginning summer 2024
Microsoft Gaming and NetEase deepen their relationship, with a strategic partnership based on their shared desire to bring new gaming experiences to players across platforms and markets
IRVINE, Calif., REDMOND, Wash., AND HANGZHOU, Zhejiang [April 9 PT, April 10 CT] / — Beloved video game titles from Blizzard Entertainment that captivated millions of players in China will return to the market sequentially, beginning this summer, under a renewed publishing deal Blizzard Entertainment, Microsoft Gaming, and NetEase (NASDAQ: NTES and HKEX: 9999) announced today.
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 renewed publishing agreement will encompass games Chinese players had access to under the previous agreement: World of Warcraft®, Hearthstone®, and other titles in the Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Diablo®, and StarCraft® universes. Building upon more than 15 years of past collaboration, Blizzard and NetEase are working diligently on relaunch plans, with further details to be shared at a later date.
Separately, Microsoft Gaming and NetEase have also entered into an agreement to explore bringing new NetEase titles to Xbox consoles and other platforms.
“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.”
“Celebrating our collaborations, we are thrilled to embark on the next chapter, built on trust and mutual respect, to serve our users in this unique community that we’ve built together.” said William Ding, Chief Executive Officer and Director, NetEase. “Our commitment to providing more exhilarating and creative entertainment experience remains unwavering, and we are excited to see positive synergies fostered to encourage and empower collaborations to bring the joy of gaming to a broad community.”
“Blizzard and NetEase have done incredible work to renew our commitment to players – Blizzard’s universes have been part of players’ lives in the region for many years. 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.
you out ,no robots anymall,don’t blame chinese,areyou ok f u c k.