Blizzard games in China? Not for the foreseeable future
If you want to publish games in China, you need a Chinese partner. NetEase had taken on this task for Blizzard for 14 years. At the end of last year it was a question of renewing this agreement. In December it became apparent that the US group and the Chinese publisher would probably not be able to reach an agreement. Blizzard had sought an extension to have time to find a new partner, NetEase had rejected the proposed terms. And so with the official end of the partnership on 01.23. also to completely shut down game services for all Blizzard titles in China.
If you take a closer look at what led to the failure of the agreement, a rather curious picture emerges of an apparently heated negotiation. At the end of last year, NetEase CEO William Ding already spoke of “significant differences in the most important conditions”. how PC gamers writes, Simon Zhu, NetEase president of global investments and partnerships, made a lot more clear in a message on LinkedIn what he thinks of his negotiating partners at Blizzard: When “the whole story comes out,” developers and gamers would understand “how much damage an idiot can do,” says Zhu.
The dispute continues
Last week also showed that the conflict between the companies continued to smolder. Blizzard announced on Tuesday that it had approached NetEase again to reach an agreement on a “six-month extension of the current agreement”. “Unfortunately, after renewed discussions last week, NetEase did not accept our proposal for an extension,” Blizzard said loudly CNN. NetEase’s unusual, sharp reaction: one feels overwhelmed by the US company’s “sudden statement”. Blizzard’s proposals are “outrageous, inappropriate and incompatible with business logic”.
Blizzard needs to find a new partner to distribute its titles as soon as possible. China has rapidly developed into an important sales market for the company. In recent years, sales in the country have exceeded the billion mark. It will be interesting to see if and when World of Warcraft and Co. will open their doors again in China.
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