In December we reported on how Chinese players were being prepared for the end of World of Warcraft, with Blizzard's 14-year publishing agreement with NetEase drawing to a close. All new sales of
Audio player loading…
In December we reported on how Chinese players were being prepared for the end of World of Warcraft (opens in new tab), with Blizzard’s 14-year publishing agreement with NetEase drawing to a close. All new sales of Blizzard games in the region have been suspended since late last year and, while Blizzard promised to find a solution for save transfers, the continued operation of its games requires finding a new Chinese publishing partner.
It now seems inevitable that Blizzard’s games in China will cease to function on January 23 when its current deal runs out, after NetEase turned down a proposed six month extension under the existing terms. Blizzard China said on the Chinese microblogging site Weibo (via Reuters (opens in new tab)) that it had contacted NetEase last week about the extension, but been turned down:
« 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, » said the statement.
