Blizzard games to return to China as Microsoft Gaming and NetEase build strategic partnership

Blizzard China announced today a renewed game publishing deal with NetEase to re-introduce Blizzard games to Chinese players. Blizzard China posted a new group photo on the microblogging platform Weibo, in which NetEase CEO Ding Lei, Blizzard President Johanna Faries, and Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer were featured. Blizzard’s games will return to the Chinese market in the summer of 2024, while Microsoft Gaming aims to introduce NetEase’s new games to Xbox consoles and other platforms by forming a strategic partnership with the Chinese gaming firm. The renewed publishing agreement covers Blizzard’s flagship games World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, Overwatch, Diablo and StarCraft. Last January, Blizzard and NetEase ended their 15-year relationship after a bitter dispute about intellectual property control. [Blizzard China, in Chinese]