Blizzard returns to the Chinese market – Kommersant
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Games from Activision Blizzard will once again be available to Chinese players. Blizzard Entertainment announcedthat it has agreed with the Chinese NetEase to renew the licensing agreement. Access will be restored gradually, starting this summer.
Blizzard was forced leave China in January 2023 after months of negotiations over the terms of a license agreement extension with NetEase failed. NetEase distributed Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch, HearthStone and other Blizzard games in China for 14 years.
After unsuccessful negotiations with NetEase, the American studio tried to find new partners to distribute its games in China. However, this was not possible then. As a result, Blizzard returned to negotiations with NetEase.
In addition to extending its agreement with longtime partner, Blizzard announced that Microsoft Gaming and NetEase have also entered into a licensing agreement under which the Chinese company will distribute its own games on Xbox and “other platforms.”
Recall that Activision Blizzard was bought by Microsoft for $69 billion. The deal was closed in October last year after the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) was the last of the regulators approved purchase.
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