|
The
pair said they are working to bring online games from Blizzard
Entertainment, a subsidiary of Activision Blizzard which
Microsoft bought last year, back to the world's second-largest
economy, starting this summer. NetEase was the publisher of
Blizzard games in China from 2008 to 2023.
"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," said Blizzard Entertainment
President Johanna Faries in a joint statement.
NetEase and Microsoft also said they have agreed to explore
bringing NetEase titles to Microsoft's Xbox and other gaming
platforms.
This "might be more consequential in the long run for NetEase as
it is aspiring to increase its overseas exposure," said Nomura
head of China internet equity research Jialong Shi.
NetEase's share price rose about 2% in Wednesday morning trade,
adding to an around 3% gain on Tuesday fuelled by news of the
impending announcement from China's second-largest video games
company by revenue after Tencent.
A number of Blizzard's games were taken offline in China in
January 2023 after the developer terminated the partnership with
NetEase citing disagreement over intellectual property control.
The pair subsequently sued each other.
Tension eased after Microsoft's October acquisition of
Activision Blizzard, which was followed by management changes.
Chinese media then reported that Microsoft and NetEase were
seeking ways to re-launch Blizzard games in China.
The renewed publishing agreement covers Blizzard's flagship
games "World of Warcraft" and "Hearthstone" as well as other
titles in the "Warcraft", "Overwatch", "Diablo" and "StarCraft"
franchises, Wednesday's statement showed.
"We have always expected NetEase will regain distribution rights
of Blizzard's games, and the reengagement translates to about 2%
incremental earnings for NetEase," said Morningstar analyst Ivan
Su.
Blizzard games were popular in China, with local media
estimating Chinese players of "World of Warcraft" alone at
around five million in 2009 after NetEase became the publisher.
The breakup sparked outcry with Chinese netizens bemoaning lost
access to favourite games. Over a million users requested
refunds for unspent in-game credit, NetEase customer service
said shortly after the games were taken offline.
(Reporting by Josh Ye; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
[© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
