NetEase is reportedly rekindling it’s partnership with Blizzard Entertainment, following the termination of their license agreement in last year.
According to the Chinese news site 36Kr, they reported that both Blizzard and NetEase were looking to make another licensing agreement, after Blizzard made talks with multiple other Chinese game publishers.
Additionally, the Chinese tabloid Southern Metropolis Daily reported that NetEase’s gaming community app NetEase Dashen, has slowly re-introduced new World of Warcraft-related content since December 20th. The report also noted that news topics on the app regarding the previous termination of World of Warcraft service are gone.
Both companies had previously ended their 15-year partnership in November 2022, when NetEase rejected Blizzard’s license contract, calling it unfair and unequal. Additionally, NetEase had accused the company of talking to other publishers in the midst of contract negotiations.
This led to Blizzard pulling out its operations within China, shutting out a massive chunk of the global player base for popular games like World of Warcraft and Diablo 4.
While this rings great news for Chinese gamers, nothing has been confirmed. Access to various Blizzard titles will not be available till the new license agreement is officialized, and that process will likely take months.
2023 has seen many changes within the two companies, with the recent controversial gaming regulations from China on companies like NetEase and Blizzard’s merger with Microsoft and the recent departure of its CEO Bobby Kotick.
Both NetEase and Blizzard have remained quiet on the matter. Regardless, more information about the agreement could likely heard in 2024 at the earliest.