15 months after a licensing spat, Blizzard and NetEase make up to bring games like Diablo, Overwatch, and World of Warcraft back to China

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Microsoft is also exploring bringing NetEase games to Xbox systems

Diablo 4
(Image credit: Blizzard)

Blizzard games are set to return to China in a new licensing agreement, well over a year after games like Diablo 4 and World of Warcraft exited the country after Blizzard and NetEase failed to reach an agreement.

Back in November 2022, it was reported that Blizzard games would leave China in January 2023 due to Blizzard and NetEase being unable to renew the licensing agreement between the two companies. Diablo, World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, Overwatch, Starcraft, and Heroes of the Storm all departed mainland China as of January 2023, well over a year ago at this point.

The brand new licensing agreement will give Chinese players access to all the same Blizzard games available under the old licensing agreement between Blizzard and NetEase. This includes World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, Overwatch, Diablo, and games set within the Starcraft and Warcraft universes, as outlined by the Blizzard announcement just above.

"We at Blizzard are thrilled to re-establish 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 says. "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."

"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," adds William Ding, NetEase CEO. 

"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," Xbox head Phil Spencer says. 

Additionally, "Microsoft Gaming and NetEase have also entered into an agreement to explore bringing new NetEase titles to Xbox consoles and other platforms," the press release for the licensing agreement reads. It's not yet clear which games these could potentially be - NetEase publishes a vast amount of games including Marvel Duel and Super War, Lord of the Rings: Rise to War, and unreleased games like Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi's new project.

Check out our new games 2024 guide for a look over all the other upcoming titles we've got to look forward to.

Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer
Freelance Writer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.