Blizzard and NetEase Team Up Again After Destruction of Orc Statue Last Year

10.04.2024 - 18:24 / gamerant.com / James Ratcliff

Over a year after its exit from China, Blizzard announced its return to the country thanks to a new partnership agreement with NetEase. Starting in the summer of 2024, fans of Blizzard and Microsoft games in China can expect to see the return of titles such as World of Warcraft and Hearthstone that were part of the previous NetEase agreement.

In late 2022, Blizzard announced that it failed to renew its agreement with NetEase to continue its game services in China. For over a year, Blizzard players in mainland China could not access any titles from Blizzard's catalog, with the lone exception being Diablo Immortal thanks to a separate agreement. While Blizzard announced plans for World of Warcraft's Chinese players to preserve their account data, it was done without NetEase's knowledge. In the aftermath of Blizzard's departure from China, NetEase expressed its frustration by tearing down Blizzard's offices in the country, and an Orc statue placed in front of the building was destroyed.

Since then, Activision Blizzard has seen many changes, including its buyout by Microsoft. With Microsoft's help, and after weeks of rumored negotiations with NetEase, Blizzard revealed that it is returning to China under a new agreement brokered by the three companies. According to Blizzard, the new deal with NetEase will allow Blizzard games to return sequentially to China starting in the summer of 2024. While no dates were set, World of Warcraft players in China will soon return to Azeroth under the new agreement. Still, other details such as patch releases, account restorations, and expansions remain unclear. The new deal with NetEase would also bring other Blizzard titles to China, with detailed plans to come at a later date.

Microsoft Gaming and NetEase also agreed to a partnership that would bring NetEase titles to Xbox consoles in the future. Blizzard President Johanna Faries said, «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.» NetEase CEO and Director William Ding echoed Faries' statement and said that NetEase was committed to serving its users and restarting its partnership with Blizzard. NetEase also confirmed that it will create a new statue of Gorehowl to commemorate Blizzard's return.

While the destruction of Blizzard's offices and Orc statue in China will not be forgotten, the new agreement between NetEase, Blizzard, and Microsoft is off to a more positive start than before. Only time will tell how the renewed agreement will shape up.

World of Warcraft is an incredibly successful MMORPG that has been going strong for almost two decades. It's one of