Users in China will once again have access to Activision Blizzard games: the company was finally able to reach an agreement with local publisher NetEase to renew the license. Access will be progressively restored starting in the summer. Blizzard Entertainment announced it on its website.
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In January 2023, after long but unsuccessful negotiations to extend the licensing agreement, Blizzard closed access to its products in China.
Chinese technology company NetEase distributed games such as Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch and HearthStone in the country. For 14 years, these products have been available to users in China.
In January 2023, it was reported that Blizzard would be looking for new partners, but the search was unsuccessful. After this, the developer had to return to negotiations with NetEase.
In addition to the renewal of game licenses, Blizzard Entertainment also announced NetEase’s licensing agreement with Microsoft Gaming. The Chinese company will now begin to distribute its games on Xbox and “other platforms.”
In October 2023, after long disputes with regulators, Microsoft closed the deal to acquire Activision Blizzard for $69 billion.
Author:
Natalia Gormaleva
Source: RB
I am a professional journalist and content creator with extensive experience writing for news websites. I currently work as an author at Gadget Onus, where I specialize in covering hot news topics. My written pieces have been published on some of the biggest media outlets around the world, including The Guardian and BBC News.
