Blizzard is talking to companies that can publish World of Warcraft in China

American game developer and publisher Activision Blizzard is in discussions with several companies that are interested in publishing World of Warcraft in China. It is not known which companies these are.

According to Reuters Activision Blizzard writes on the Chinese social media platform Weibo that it is negotiating with various parties. It is not clear exactly how long these negotiations will last. However, there is a rush behind it, because Blizzard Entertainment’s current agreement with publisher NetEase expires on January 23, 2023. Games such as World of Warcraft, StarCraft, Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, Overwatch and Diablo III will no longer be playable or officially for sale in China from that date.

Diablo Immortal will still be offered in China, because according to NetEase this game falls under a different agreement. World of Warcraft expansion Dragonflight, Hearthstone expansion March of the Lich King and the second season of Overwatch 2 are also being released in China. It is unknown whether Blizzard is also looking for alternative publishers for its other games besides Warcraft.

World of Warcraft