‘Warcraft’ Returns to China as Blizzard and NetEase End Spat
- Blizzard owner Microsoft may add NetEase games to Xbox
- Major online games have been out of China for more than a year
Gamers play the 'World of Warcraft' computer game.
Photographer: Krisztian Bocsi/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
NetEase Inc. reached a new agreement to distribute games in China for Microsoft Corp.’s Blizzard Entertainment, salvaging a 15-year relationship and reviving titles like World of Warcraft for the world’s biggest gaming market.
With the deal, famed franchises like StarCraft, Diablo, Hearthstone and Overwatch will once again be live for players in China. The Hangzhou-based publishing giant and Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard subsidiary halted a longtime partnership in January of last year after failing to agree on an extension.