NetEase
NetEase is a Chinese company known for porting PC and mobile games. They partnered with Blizzard Entertainment in 2008 to bring some games to the Chinese market, including Diablo II, Warcraft III, and World of Warcraft. On 16 April 2009, Blizzard partnered and licensed NetEase for World of Warcraft in mainland China.[1][2]
The license agreement expired on 24 January 2023, with services such as World of Warcraft and the Warcraft III Battle Platform shutting down in China until a new licensing agreement can be made with another company.[3][4] Diablo Immortal was the only game unaffected by this partnership ending, making it the only game by Blizzard available in the Chinese market.[5]
After more than a year of silence, the partnership was renewed on 9 April 2024 to bring back World of Warcraft and other games back to China.[6]
Works
Aside from partnering with Blizzard to bring some games to the Chinese market, they also co-developed Diablo Immortal with Blizzard Entertainment[7] and made the Warcraft III Battle Platform.
References
- ^ BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT® TO PARTNER WITH NETEASE IN MAINLAND CHINA ON WORLD OF WARCRAFT®. NetEase (2009-04-16).
- ^ World of Warcraft in Mainland China. Blizard Entertainment (2009-04-16). Archived from the original on 2009-04-19.
- ^ Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase Suspending Game Services in China. Activision Blizzard (2022-11-16).
- ^ Cameron Koch 2023-01-24. Chinese WoW Servers Shut Down After 14 Years Following Expiration Of NetEase Agreement. GameSpot.
- ^ Kenneth Shepard. NetEase Dissolves Team That Maintained Blizzard Games In China. Kotaku.
- ^ Archimtiros 2024-04-09. NetEase Announces Partnership Renewal with Blizzard Entertainment - World of Warcraft Returning to China. Wowhead.
- ^ BlizzCon 2018: Diablo Immortal. Blizzplanet (2018-11-03).