'World of Warcraft', 'Hearthstone' and 'Overwatch' may also be available again in the country. Blizzard games were launched in China in 2008, through collaboration with Internet giant NetEase.
According to local law, foreign developers are required to partner with local companies to enter the market. WoW's Chinese servers went offline in January 2023, sparking a wave of protest from fans who had dedicated years of their lives to accumulating game points. The two companies entered into the agreement to explore the possibility of bringing new NetEas titles to Microsoft's Xbox consoles and other platforms. The agreement ended a contractual dispute that lasted more than a year and i. The most famous video games will return to China from next summer thanks to the agreement reached by Blizzard, a subsidiary of Microsoft, and local partner Net Ease which ended a contract dispute in November 2022. The companies are excited to align to once again support players in mainland China and are proud to reaffirm their commitment to providing exceptional gaming experiences.