Blizzard Entertainment has announced that it is “suspending” most of its games in China in the coming months due to the company’s deal with NetEase reaching an end.
The gaming giant said in a news release that its deal with NetEase ends on January 23, 2023, and at that time, titles like World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, Overwatch, Diablo III, Heroes of the Storm, Warcraft III: Reforged, and Diablo III will be taken offline. Diablo Immortal will stay up, as it’s covered under a separate deal between Blizzard and NetEase.
Blizzard and NetEase started their licensing deal for games in 2008, but the two companies failed to reach a deal to renew the agreement, Blizzard said in a statement. Blizzard said it couldn’t come to terms with NetEase for a deal that would be “consistent with Blizzard’s operating principles and commitments to players and employees.”