blizzard will stop operating and selling most of its publications in mainland China. January 23, 2023. Namely, the games. World of Warcraft, home, Warcraft 3: Reforged, Overwatch 2series Star Craft, Diablo 3 as well as heroes of the storm. The reason is the expiration of the publishing license, on the extension of which the American company could not agree with the Chinese. NetEase.
According to Blizzard, no agreement has been reached that would “consistent with Blizzard’s operating policies and commitments to players and employees.”.
NetEase expressed deep disappointment and regret that the relationship between the companies could not be maintained, otherwise the press release is relatively vague. He was much more open NetEase President Simon Zhu: “Someday, when you can tell what happened behind the scenes, developers and players will have a chance to understand how much damage one jerk can cause. I feel terribly sorry for the players who lived in those worlds.” (in RPS transcription) But it is not clear who exactly he calls “idiots”.
According to research group Niko Partners, the termination of the agreement will not affect any of the companies in the short term. But it can damage the reputation of companies. First of all, Blizzard may now be worried about losing a relatively loyal fan base, or about the impact of the situation on the esports scene. Of course, the company can apply to other Chinese companies starting from tencent.
Source :Indian TV
