[regawdless]

Today's the day most Blizzard games go offline in China. After failing to reach a deal with publishing partner NetEase, Blizzard has shuttered most of its games in the country, including World of Warcraft, Overwatch 2, and Diablo. (Diablo Immortal remains unaffected, distributed through a separate publishing deal with NetEase.)

The closure comes after reports that Blizzard tried to extend the current deal by six months to keep games in players' hands while it shopped for a new publishing partner. According to a post on Blizzard's Weibo account, the company said NetEase rejected the extension deal. A translation of the post on World of Warcraft site Wowhead read: "We approached NetEase again last week for assistance in exploring a six-month extension of our existing agreement, which is based on terms NetEase has agreed to in 2019, to allow everyone to continue playing without disruption and for Blizzard to continue exploring a reasonable and long-term path forward in the China region. Unfortunately, NetEase did not accept our proposal to extend the existing game service agreement following last week's extension negotiations."

Apparently, this ticked NetEase off something fierce as the company responded with its own post saying — also according to a translation from Wowhead — "For unknowable reasons, last week Blizzard re-sought NetEase with an offer of a so-called six-month extension of the game service and other conditions, and made it clear that it would not stop continuing negotiations with other potential partners during the contract extension. And as far as we know, Blizzard's negotiations with other companies during the same period were all based on a three-year contract period. Considering the non-reciprocity, unfairness and other conditions attached to the cooperation, therefore, the parties could not reach an agreement in the end."

NetEase included in its statement a pretty funny quip accusing Blizzard of trying to take advantage of NetEase and basically engaging in behavior similar to "divorce but still try to live together behavior."
The divorce description is apt as the whole thing reads as a pretty acrimonious breakup. Over the weekend, a video surfaced of employees at NetEase dismantling its massive Gorehowl statue while handing out drinks with a name that is allegedly a misogynistic slur referring to a person who seems pure but conceals manipulative tendencies.

Blizzard and NetEase had been in their partnership, releasing games in China for 14 years. The announcement that their longstanding partnership is over has come as a shock to players. The Chengdu Hunters — one of the teams competing in Blizzard's Overwatch League — posted a sad goodbye to the game that ostensibly the team and casual players no longer have access to (at least legally, anyway).

In a statement to The Verge, Blizzard spokesperson Joe Christinat said, "Activision Blizzard is grateful to our Chinese player community for the passion and creativity over the past two decades. Our commitment to players on mainland China remain strong as we continue to work with Tencent to distribute Call of Duty Mobile as well as [continue] active talks with potential partners to resume gameplay for Activision Blizzard's iconic franchises."

Blizzard games go offline in China

The divorce is now final.

www.theverge.com

 

[CAB_Life]

All those poor gold farmers suddenly needing new work.

 

[Night Sky]

Some say the license was left to lapse on purpose to make it easier for Microsoft to get the purchase agreed.

 

[Allnamestakenlol]

Funny stuff. Wonder what other publishers Blizz could get in China. I've only ever heard of a few big names.

 

[Hardensoul]

Funny stuff. Wonder what other publishers Blizz could get in China. I've only ever heard of a few big names.

It's going to tough to get back in China. Tencent was an option but that won't happen since they are releasing a WoW clone.

 

[Nobody]

Good for China.

 

[QuantumZebra]

Some say the license was left to lapse on purpose to make it easier for Microsoft to get the purchase agreed.

This makes too much sense for it not to be true. I thought the same.

And for the better; fuck China!

 

[QuantumZebra]

It's going to tough to get back in China. Tencent was an option but that won't happen since they are releasing a WoW clone.

I'd rather slam my dick in a door than play an asian MMO not named Final Fantasy XIV. They're soulless gacha/grind fests with shit UIs and awful dialogue and nonsense stories.

 

[Nobody]

Some say the license was left to lapse on purpose to make it easier for Microsoft to get the purchase agreed.

How does that makes any sense?

 

[Night Sky]

How does that makes any sense?

Smaller market share, smaller impact on the world as a business, less reach for ABK.

Follow the money. A company wanting to sell will pump its numbers. MS want to buy ABK but can't because of their size, so they shrink. Once MS buy them, they can expand again

 

[Nobody]

Smaller market share, smaller impact on the world as a business, less reach for ABK.

Follow the money. A company wanting to sell will pump its numbers. MS want to buy ABK but can't because of their size, so they shrink. Once MS buy them, they can expand again

Delirious, not everything is about that acquisition, get real.

 

[regawdless]

Obligatory

 

[Night Sky]

Delirious, not everything is about that acquisition, get real.

I'm open to other options. Why would akb allow their biggest market to walk away over a contract negotiation? China is a yuge market, so I'm told.

 

[Nobody]

I'm open to other options. Why would akb allow their biggest market to walk away over a contract negotiation? China is a yuge market, so I'm told.

Because they are constantly getting themselves in trouble? Why do they do all the other shit they do? Was Overwatch 2 also a plan to devalue the company?

 

[Night Sky]

Because they are constantly getting themselves in trouble? Why do they do all the other shit they do? Was Overwatch 2 also a plan to devalue the company?

No of course not. Why does it have to be all or nothing?

OW2 was a combination of getting rid of the previous guy, pissing on the community, pissing off the community with decision, poor marketing over if it will be an expansion, dlc or new game, poor implementation of a rewards system, locking out characters, 2fa. The whole thing was a fuck up from start to finish.

 

[Haxan7]

Imagine being addicted to a game then having your state take it offline.

 

[Arkam]

My thoughts are that it is either cuz bad blood between NetEase & ABK or it's related to the MS acquisition. Who is MS current partner in China?