NetEase, Blizzard sever ties as Chinese exec calls out Activision ‘jerk’

Activision Blizzard, NetEase and a 14 year partnership have been ended. World of Warcraft And Overwatch 2 Soon, China will no longer allow you to play in the game. A NetEase Games executive blamed “a jerk” in a personal post on LinkedIn on Wednesday.

Activision and NetEase’s dissolved partnership had already been mentioned in financial results that Activision reported last week. NetEase confirmed the end of its partnership on Wednesday with a statement. NetEase Games’ president for global investment and partnership hit LinkedIn shortly after to say he was “heartbroken as I will not longer have the access to my [World of Warcraft]Next year, account and memories

“One day, when what has happened behind the scene could be told,” Simon Zhu wrote, “developers and gamers will have a whole new level understanding of how much damage a jerk can make. Feel terrible for players who lived in those worlds.”

Mike Ybarra, president of Blizzard Entertainment said Wednesday night that services are available for games like World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, StarCraftPlease see the following: Diablo 3 The program would close Jan. 23, 2023. “We’re immensely grateful for the passion our Chinese community has shown throughout the nearly 20 years we’ve been bringing our games to China through NetEase and other partners,” Ybarra said. “Their enthusiasm and creativity inspire us, and we are looking for alternatives to bring our games back to players in the future.

NetEase chief executive William Ding said in a statement that, “there were material differences on key terms and we could not reach an agreement. […] We will continue our promise to serve our players well until the last minute,” Ding said. “We will make sure our players’ data and assets are well protected in all of our games.”

Both firms noted that the publication of their work is subject to an exclusive long-term agreement. Diablo Immortal China continues to be a major market.

CNBC reported that NetEase’s share price dipped almost 10% in trading on Hong Kong’s exchange on Thursday. The news does not seem to have affected Activision’s share price on Thursday. That company is still in the process of being acquired, subject to government regulators’ scrutiny and approval, in a $68.7 billion deal announced back in January.

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