Shanghai (AFP) – As popular video games including “World of Warcraft” re-arrive in China this summer, U.S. developer Blizzard and local partner NetEase pull out of the market on Wednesday due to a contract dispute, leaving millions of fans behind. It has been announced that more than a year has passed since then.
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“Blizzard Entertainment's popular video game titles that have attracted millions of players in China will gradually return to the market starting this summer under a new publishing agreement,” the companies said in a statement.
It added that titles such as the World of Warcraft (WoW) spin-off card game Hearthstone and other games from the WoW and Overwatch franchises will also return to the country.
WoW's China servers went offline in January 2023, sparking a wave of mourning and anger from fans who had poured years of their lives into accumulating in-game points.
Chinese social media users on Wednesday welcomed the return of Blizzard's titles to the market, with “Blizzard announces return” and “NetEase and Blizzard remarried” ranking high in trending searches on the Weibo platform.
“Today our long-lost old friend returns. Our most beloved game returns,” gaming blogger “Scarlet Bunny” wrote in a Weibo post.
“Come back to life, my love!” another fan wrote.
Hugely popular around the world, especially in the 2000s, WoW is an online multiplayer role-playing game set in a fantasy medieval world where good fights evil.
It is known for its immersive and addictive gameplay, allowing players to accumulate hundreds of hours of game time.
Blizzard's games were launched in China in 2008 through a partnership with internet giant NetEase. Local laws require foreign developers to partner with Chinese companies to enter the market.
However, after 14 years and millions of players in China, the two companies announced in November 2022 that negotiations to renew their operating agreement had not reached an agreement.
“After ongoing discussions over the past year, both Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase are excited to once again align on supporting players in mainland China, and are committed to both companies' commitment to providing a superior gaming experience. We are proud to reaffirm this,” the companies said in a statement. .
Some longtime WOW players are bitter about the title's long absence from China.
“The Chinese market is not Blizzard's living room where you can come and go as you please. Players are not toys in Blizzard's hands that you can pick up and abandon at will,” one gamer wrote on Weibo, calling for boycott. called out.
© 2024 AFP
