US games firm Blizzard has signed a new deal with China's NetEase.
In a post on the former's website, the company said that its games would be coming back to China this summer. Local gamers will have access to the same titles that they were playing before the previous deal between Blizzard and NetEase ran out, such as World of Warcraft and Hearthstone.
“We at Blizzard are thrilled to reestablish our partnership with NetEase and to work together, with deep appreciation for the collaboration between our teams, to deliver legendary gaming experiences to players in China,” Blizzard president Johanna Faries said.
“We are immensely grateful for the passion the Chinese community has shown for Blizzard games throughout the years, and we are focused on bringing our universes back to players with excellence and dedication.”
NetEase CEO William Ding added: “Celebrating our collaborations, we are thrilled to embark on the next chapter, built on trust and mutual respect, to serve our users in this unique community that we’ve built together. Our commitment to providing more exhilarating and creative entertainment experience remains unwavering, and we are excited to see positive synergies fostered to encourage and empower collaborations to bring the joy of gaming to a broad community.”
Furthermore, Blizzard's new parent company Microsoft is entering into an agreement to bring more of NetEase's games to Xbox.
“Blizzard and NetEase have done incredible work to renew our commitment to players – Blizzard’s universes have been part of players’ lives in the region for many years," Xbox boss Phil Spencer said.
"Returning Blizzard’s legendary games to players in China while exploring ways to bring more new titles to Xbox demonstrates our commitment to bringing more games to more players around the world."
