Blizzard and NetEase Struck New Deal to Bring World of Warcraft Back to China After Microsoft Acquisition 

After the partnership fell apart in January of this year, reports suggest that Blizzard Entertainment has reached a new deal with NetEase to bring World of Warcraft back to China.

According to a report by the South China Morning Post, Activision Blizzard and NetEase have come to an agreement after Microsoft closed its deal with the former, bringing World of Warcraft back to the country.

The report noted that it would take at least half a year before World of Warcraft to be available again in China, as companies would need to rebuild operation teams and servers.

After the initial disagreement between the two companies, Blizzard sought to work with other Chinese publishers but ultimately renewed its partnership with NetEase.

Before the partnership ended in January, Blizzard revealed that NetEase had rejected its proposal for a six-month extension resulting in the latter filing lawsuits against the former.

This includes one in April that demanded $45 million USD as compensation for refunds it paid to affected gamers.

Due to China’s strict video game regulations, Blizzard requires a partnership with a Chinese distributor to have a license to publish titles in the country.

Without a Chinese partnership, Blizzard had to cease support for many titles in China, including Overwatch, Hearthstone, StarCraft, and Diablo.

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