
‘World of Warcraft’ and other hit games return to China as Blizzard and NetEase end dispute
CNN
China’s gaming giant NetEase will bring back the iconic “World of Warcraft” and other popular video games by Blizzard Entertainment to the country, the two companies said in a statement Wednesday.
China’s gaming giant NetEase will bring back the iconic “World of Warcraft” and other popular video games by Microsoft’s Blizzard Entertainment to the country, the companies said in a joint statement Wednesday. California-based Blizzard and Hangzhou-based NetEase had ceased their 15-year relationship in 2023 after an acrimonious fallout, leaving millions of fans in China heartbroken. “After a year of negotiations, Blizzard and NetEase are pleased to align on a path forward to once again serve players in mainland China,” the companies said in a post on NetEase Games’ official Weibo account. The new deal will see the return of “World of Warcraft” and “Hearthstone” games to China, as well as other titles in the Warcraft, Overwatch, Diablo and StarCraft universes, according to the statement. “World of Warcraft,” also known as “WoW,” is a hugely popular online multiplayer game that allows users to fight monsters and journey through expeditions in the medieval world of Azeroth. The games will “sequentially return to the Chinese market beginning this summer,” the companies said, adding they will share further details at a later date.

It was almost an extraordinary scene in front of the White House. As Tesla shares have been tanking since the year began, President Donald Trump held remarks outside of the White House with the company’s CEO and Department of Government Efficiency Head Elon Musk – all in front of a line of shiny Tesla vehicles.