As the fate of Blizzard-developed games in China hangs in the balance, NetEase has declined a six-month extension of its publishing agreement with Blizzard, citing unequal and unfair treatment.

　　It was announced late last year that Blizzard had elected not to renew its deal with NetEase, which for over 14 years has published and localized Blizzard titles for the Chinese market. Should the two companies fail to come to terms and a new publishing partner not be found before January 23, all Blizzard titles in the region, including games like World of Warcraft, Overwatch 2, Hearthstone, and Starcraft II, will see their services shut down on the same date.

　　You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos.

　　Click To Unmute

　　State Of Gaming Handhelds In 2023

　　How Lies of P Cracked the Souls GenreLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Ichiban Kasuga Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Chitose Fujinomiya Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Kazuma Kiryu Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Saeko Mukoda Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Eric Tomizawa Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Joongi Han Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Tianyou Zhao Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Seonhee Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Koichi Adachi Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Yu Nanba Character Spotlight Trailer

　　Share

　　LinkEmbed

　　Size:640 × 360480 × 270

　　Start at: End at: Autoplay Loop

　　Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?

　　Sign up or Sign in now!

　　Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos.

　　This video has an invalid file format.

　　00:00:00

　　HTML5

　　Auto HD High Low

　　Report a problem

　　Sorry, but you can't access this content!

Please enter your date of birth to view this video

　　By clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot's

　　Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

　　enter

　　Now Playing: Launch Gameplay Trailer | Dragonflight | World of Warcraft

　　That fate is looking more and more likely following the news that Blizzard offered NetEase a six-month deal to further extend their publishing agreement and avoid disruption to Blizzard's services, only for the deal to be declined. The failure between the two parties to come to a deal has prompted a new round of finger-pointing between the two companies.

　　"It is a pity that NetEase is not willing to extend services of our game for another six months on the basis of existing terms as we look for a new partner," Blizzard China said on a post on Chinese blogging site Weibo (via Reuters).

　　NetEase has since fired back with a statement of their own, claiming that Blizzard was seeking three-year deals with other companies even as it offered NetEase a six-month deal.

　　"Considering the unequal, unfair, and other conditions attached to the cooperation, the two parties failed to reach an agreement in the end," a NetEase statement (transcribed via Google Translate) reads. "We believe that Blizzard's proposal--including today's sudden statement--is outrageous, inappropriate, and not in line with business logic."

　　Shortly after Blizzard and NetEase first announced they would be going their separate ways last year, NetEase president of global investment and partnerships Simon Zhu said there was more to the falling out between the two companies than meets the eye.

　　"One day, when what has happened behind the scene[s] could be told, developers and gamers will have a whole new level understanding of how much damage a jerk can make," Zhu said.

　　In order to prevent Chinese WoW players from losing decades worth of progress in the MMORPG, Blizzard announced it will roll out a new feature that will allow players to download their characters for safekeeping ahead of the game's upcoming shut down in the region. Warcraft general manager John Hight said "everyone will be able to keep their game history and memory in their own hands," until a new partner in China is found.

　　Though the falling out between NetEase and Blizzard has been incredibly public, the two companies technically still work together in some capacity. NetEase co-developed Diablo Immortal alongside Blizzard, which according to Activision Blizzard's Q3 2022 financial results, has sat among the top-10 grossing mobile games in China since its July 2022 launch. Development on the free-to-play mobile game will continue thanks to a separate agreement between the two companies. NetEase was reportedly also working on a mobile Warcraft MMO for multiple years, only to have the project canceled when Blizzard and NetEase could not come to financial terms.

　　A History of World of Warcraft So Far

　　See More