NetEase said it has struck a deal to distribute Blizzard Entertainment games, restoring Chinese gamers' access to popular video games such as World of Warcraft.
More than a year ago, NetEase and Blizzard ended their decades-long partnership when both sides accused the other of negotiating in bad faith. This caused an uproar among Chinese gamers upset over the loss of access to many of Blizzard's popular games.
On Wednesday, NetEase said it had reached a new agreement with Microsoft, which acquired Activision Blizzard in October in a deal valued at $69 billion. The companies have agreed to distribute NetEase games on the Xbox console.
NetEase CEO William Ding said:
“We are excited to begin the next chapter built on trust and mutual respect to serve our users in this unique community we have created together.”
NetEase and Blizzard first signed a distribution agreement in 2008. The former gained access to popular games around the world, and Blizzard gained a foothold in the world's largest video game market. At one point, World of Warcraft became the most popular online game in China.
Negotiations between Activision and NetEase were complicated by government crackdowns, according to a New York Times investigation. regarding the gaming industry.
Chinese gamers will have to wait several months before they can play Warcraft, Overwatch, Diablo, Hearthstone and StarCraft, according to representatives from NetEase and Blizzard. Companies need time to make “technical preparations” such as data recovery and building new server capacity. The first game, which has not yet been named, should appear in the summer.