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World of Warcraft developer Blizzard to return to China soon after resuming partnership with NetEase, report says

  • Hangzhou-based game publisher NetEase will announce the official return of Blizzard to China by the end of March or in early April
  • The revival of Blizzard’s partnership with NetEase will let the US developer back into the world’s largest video gaming market by revenue

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Blizzard said to be returning to China soon with resumption of NetEase partnership. Photo: Shutterstock
Iris Dengin Shenzhen

Blizzard Entertainment is returning to China in the coming weeks after the US video gaming giant resumed a partnership with NetEase following a high-profile bust up last year, according to a local media report.

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Hangzhou-based game publisher NetEase will announce the official return of Blizzard to China by the end of March or in early April, and NetEase’s Guangzhou unit and its studio ThunderFire will respectively handle the operations and marketing of Blizzard’s games in the country, according to a report by media outlet CoreEsports.

NetEase and Blizzard did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.

The revival of Blizzard’s partnership with NetEase would let the US developer back into the world’s largest video gaming market by revenue, after an absence of over a year.

The World of Warcraft developer suspended its services in the Chinese market last January after its 14-year partnership with NetEase expired due to a failure to agree terms on extending the deal.
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