Originally Posted by NetEase
Dear Blizzard Gamers:
Since Activision Blizzard's license agreement with NetEase will expire on January 23, 2023, based on contract restrictions, starting from 0:00 on January 24, Blizzard will suspend the license agreement in mainland China from Shanghai Netease Network Technology Development Co., Ltd. The game services operated (including "World of Warcraft", "Hearthstone", "Overwatch", "Diablo III", "StarCraft II", "Warcraft III: Remastered Edition", "Heroes of the Storm"), and "Diablo : Immortal service will not be affected.
In 2008, Netease and Blizzard cooperated for the first time. In the past 14 years, starting with "World of Warcraft", we have introduced Blizzard's high-quality games to China step by step, and even achieved global version synchronization. Every time a game is introduced, we are extremely excited, and it also carries our blood and youth.
Inside NetEase, there are also thousands of diehard fans of Blizzard games. Therefore, we have more empathy for the player's mood at the moment. Before today, we have been negotiating with Blizzard with our best efforts and sincerity to seek continued cooperation in mainland China.
But after a long period of negotiations, we are still unable to reach an agreement with Blizzard on some key cooperation terms involving sustainable operations, the Chinese market and the core interests of players. Today, Activision Blizzard announced that it will suspend cooperation with NetEase, and we have to accept this decision. After January 23, 2023, the company will lose its agency rights and will no longer be able to continue to manage and operate these games that carry the memories of players for 14 years.
Next, NetEase will fully perform its duties and serve players until the last moment. We promise that we will do our best to negotiate with Activision Blizzard on issues related to refunds, game data, virtual property, and game rights that everyone cares about, so as to protect the interests of Chinese players to the greatest extent.
At the same time, we will work with Activision Blizzard to achieve "commercial for business, game for games", pay attention to players' voices, cherish everything players have paid for the game, and properly protect everyone's game assets and memories. We strive for both parties to formulate plans as soon as possible, start related work such as refunds as soon as possible, and will continue to inform players about the progress of related work through official channels such as the "Blizzard Game Service Center" official account.
Thanks again to all players for their understanding and support. We apologize for any inconvenience caused. If possible, we hope that Blizzard's departure is only temporary. After stopping the service, we will continue to stick to it in our own way and will not give up easily. I believe that people who meet each other can always meet again.