Blizzard is Closing its Servers in China Today. China Market Future Uncertain

btarunr · Jan 24, 2023

Blizzard is about to shut down its services in China today, as it was unable to reach a favorable partnership renewal with NetEase, the Chinese company handling Blizzard's business in the Chinese market, including local regulatory compliance, geographic localization of servers, and accepting payments. NetEase CEO William Ding said the partnership renewal negotiations fell apart due to "material differences on key terms." This means gamers in China no longer have a means to play the genre-defining MMORPG "World of Warcraft," "Starcraft," and other popular titles. A lot has changed in China's domestic gaming industry over the past two decades, and there are dozens of popular game studios with their titles in the MMORPG genre.

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JaymondoGB · Jan 24, 2023

On the way out delete everything, else they will just take all the "IP" and resell it.

TheinsanegamerN · Jan 24, 2023

I guess all that sucking up to xinnie the pooh did a whole lot for blizzard in the end, eh? Was banning hong kong protesters from your games and censoring the west to please the paper tiger worth it? :laugh:

Seeing blizzard fall apart just got that much more enjoyable.

claes · Jan 24, 2023

Forum thread offers better background and asks users to avoid politics, a practice editors might want to consider to save the mods some headaches

Blizzard Servers In China Shut Down Today

Blizzard servers have been shut down and there is no return of the servers in sight right now. Apparently this is due to Blizzard and Chinese Publisher NetEase being unable to reach an agreement to continue. All video games in China are required to have a Chinese Publisher but Blizzard was fine...

www.techpowerup.com

ffolekram · Jan 24, 2023

Blizzard current ceo is just dragging the company down and not creating any value for Blizzard at the moment, Chinese market would be one of the biggest markets for Microsoft and Kotick just dumped the whole market with no backup plan, I wonder why Microsoft haven't yelled at Kotick yet.

Argyr · Jan 24, 2023

claes said:
Forum thread offers better background and asks users to avoid politics, a practice editors might want to consider to save the mods some headaches

Blizzard Servers In China Shut Down Today

Blizzard servers have been shut down and there is no return of the servers in sight right now. Apparently this is due to Blizzard and Chinese Publisher NetEase being unable to reach an agreement to continue. All video games in China are required to have a Chinese Publisher but Blizzard was fine...

www.techpowerup.com

Too late, the China-foaming has already begun.

TheinsanegamerN said:
I guess all that sucking up to xinnie the pooh did a whole lot for blizzard in the end, eh? Was banning hong kong protesters from your games and censoring the west to please the paper tiger worth it?

Seeing blizzard fall apart just got that much more enjoyable.

Yes yes, we know. China bad... China evil etc.

InVasMani · Jan 24, 2023

That's going to cost them both. This might even be more ugly than the Nvidia and EVGA split.

JaymondoGB · Jan 24, 2023

Argyr said:
Too late, the China-foaming has already begun.

Yes yes, we know. China bad... China evil etc.

Sadly too much of the world is scared to mention anything negative about them, however, they are happy to take there once cheeper goods, and ingore everything else they are up to.

Argyr · Jan 24, 2023

JaymondoGB said:
Sadly too much of the world is scared to mention anything negative about them, however, they are happy to take there once cheeper goods, and ingore everything else they are up to.

Are you talking about the United States?

ExcuseMeWtf · Jan 24, 2023

Beginning of an end of Blizzard? This is quite a huge market they will be missing.

Selaya · Jan 24, 2023

had been known for like, half a year or so already.
but evidently an impending trainwreck doesnt makes as much of a headline than when it actually does happen so ...

HairyLobsters · Jan 24, 2023

TheinsanegamerN said:
I guess all that sucking up to xinnie the pooh did a whole lot for blizzard in the end, eh? Was banning hong kong protesters from your games and censoring the west to please the paper tiger worth it?

Seeing blizzard fall apart just got that much more enjoyable.

What sucking up did blizzard do? Some Chinese affiliates said some stuff I remember, but I don't recall Blizzard proper doing anything that other game companies don't already do.

64K · Jan 24, 2023

ExcuseMeWtf said:
Beginning of an end of Blizzard? This is quite a huge market they will be missing.

imo Blizzard will find a Chinese Publisher eventually. There's too much financial loss otherwise. They may have to negotiate more favorable terms for another Chinese Publisher than they did with NetEase or even renegotiate terms with NetEase but Blizzard's not going to give up that regional market.

HairyLobsters · Jan 24, 2023

ffolekram said:
Blizzard current ceo is just dragging the company down and not creating any value for Blizzard at the moment, Chinese market would be one of the biggest markets for Microsoft and Kotick just dumped the whole market with no backup plan, I wonder why Microsoft haven't yelled at Kotick yet.

Because Microsoft doesn't Own Activision/Blizzard, the deal hasn't been approved.

Vayra86 · Jan 24, 2023

KARMA MOTHERFUCKERS.

'Don't you have ~~phones~~ sense?'

Reorientation onto the original business plan in 3...2...1...
Better start unfreezing Starcraft Ghost and a real WoW successor now that there's still money in the bank, or you will be eaten, Actizard. Because that CoD fanbase is dwindling, and you basically pissed all over Diablo already, unless you have some magic sauce in IV I don't know of.

They really need to haul ass. Producing a real game takes 3 years at least in any Blizzard timeframe for a decent title. Good luck Kotick

64K said:
imo Blizzard will find a Chinese Publisher eventually. There's too much financial loss otherwise. They may have to negotiate more favorable terms for another Chinese Publisher than they did with NetEase or even renegotiate terms with NetEase but Blizzard's not going to give up that regional market.

Their entire fanbase and history is in Western markets. They'll be a nothing in China.

NoneRain · Jan 24, 2023

But not for Diablo immoral Immortal, right? They will keep the greediest mobile game in the biggest mobile market. Well..

claes · Jan 24, 2023

So this thread suggests they were using NetEase’s as a licensor while the other one says they were just using their servers without any licensing. Which is it?

Also odd is NetEase seems to have a very cozy relationship with Microsoft. Why wouldn’t they come to an agreement?

Totally · Jan 24, 2023

JaymondoGB said:
On the way out delete everything, else they will just take all the "IP" and resell it.

Oh silly, you're still under the impression the haven't done so already.

ReallyBigMistake · Jan 24, 2023

I guess Blitzchung had the last laugh

mouacyk · Jan 24, 2023

Do you all not have socialism, or something?

DrCR · Jan 25, 2023

JaymondoGB said:
Sadly too much of the world is scared to mention anything negative about them, however, they are happy to take there once cheeper goods, and ingore everything else they are up to.

This. China has been astonishingly effective at demanding self-censorship from the rest of the world.

Argyr said:
Are you talking about the United States?

Most any American is more than willing to grumble and point out flaws about their government— in stark contrast to anything CCP.

If we can’t talk about governments though, than maybe it’s permissible to speculate Microsoft is up to shenanigans in trying to arrange a better buyout deal … if we’re allowed to say anything bad about corporations ;p

AsRock · Jan 25, 2023

claes said:
So this thread suggests they were using NetEase’s as a licensor while the other one says they were just using their servers without any licensing. Which is it?

Also odd is NetEase seems to have a very cozy relationship with Microsoft. Why wouldn’t they come to an agreement?

Don't know how true it is, but i heard they tried to get a 6 month contract with Netease, as i heard that in about that time they were going to some one else so Netease told them polity to go fck them selves. As it would only help a competitor against Netease

Tartaros · Jan 25, 2023

Vayra86 said:
Better start unfreezing Starcraft Ghost

20 years. Let it go, you are hurting yourself. At least play the Nova campaign in SC2 and call it a day.

Vayra86 · Jan 25, 2023

Tartaros said:
20 years. Let it go, you are hurting yourself. At least play the Nova campaign in SC2 and call it a day.

I'm not hurting

Just suggesting a possible way for them to redeem themselves.

InhaleOblivion · Jan 25, 2023

Tencent is ready to help all those players through this crisis.

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Blizzard is Closing its Servers in China Today. China Market Future Uncertain

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Blizzard Servers In China Shut Down Today

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Blizzard Servers In China Shut Down Today

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