Photo/Weibo of Blizzard China

According to a Blizzard China Weibo post on April 10, “Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase are pleased to announce that the two parties have reached an updated game distribution agreement based on more than 15 years of cooperation, to bring Blizzard games back to Chinese players.”

NBD learned that Blizzard Entertainment, Microsoft Games, and NetEase jointly announced that Blizzard Entertainment’s games will gradually return to the mainland China market starting this summer.

Previously, the long-delayed Microsoft acquisition of Activision Blizzard was settled in 2023. Microsoft Games and NetEase also reached an agreement to try to bring new NetEase games to Xbox and other platforms.

Regarding the “return” of Blizzard and NetEase, a senior game investor who has been in the game industry for many years said in an interview with NBD yesterday: “It’s not surprising, it’s just a matter of timing.”