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Activision Blizzard today announced that it will be suspending its services in China from January 23, 2023.
This means that players will not be able to enjoy games like Overwatch 2 and World of Warcraft once services in the region go offline.
The date marks the end of the licensing agreement between NetEase and Blizzard. The agreement, which has been in place since 2008, covered the publication of Blizzard’s games in China.
Since the two parties have not yet reached a deal to renew the agreement between them, Blizzard will be looking to suspend its services in the region. Fortunately, the company will look into alternatives to try and bring its games back to mainland China.
"Players will be receiving details of how this will work soon": Blizzard Entertainment president on suspension of services in China
Starting January 23, 2023, Blizzard will be suspending their services on the following games:
- World of Warcraft
- Hearthstone
- Warcraft® III: Reforged
- Overwatch 2
- StarCraft series
- Diablo III
- Heroes of the Storm
- Diablo Immortal
However, it’s uncertain how the two organizations will deal with the fact that co-development and publishing are covered under a separate agreement.
When talking about the latest announcement, Mike Ybarra, president of Blizzard Entertainment, said:
“We will suspend new sales in the coming days and Chinese players will be receiving details of how this will work soon. Upcoming releases for World of Warcraft: Dragonflight, Hearthstone: March of the Lich King, and season 2 of Overwatch 2 will proceed later this year.”
He continued:
“We’re immensely grateful for the passion our Chinese community has shown throughout the nearly 20 years we’ve been bringing our games to China through NetEase and other partners. Their enthusiasm and creativity inspire us, and we are looking for alternatives to bring our games back to players in the future.”
As mentioned earlier, Blizzard will be looking for ways to bring games like Overwatch 2, Diablo Immortal, and World of Warcraft back to the region. These games enjoy a tremendous amount of popularity in mainland China.
Considering the publishing policies in the country, the games will not be coming back online again if Blizzard does not find a new publisher that is greenlit by the government.
