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The Blizzard Entertainment booth at the Chinajoy Expo in Shanghai, China, August 2, 2019. Photo: CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images

Microsoft’s Blizzard resumes NetEase partnership after bitter break-up

Blizzard Entertainment is resuming its partnership with NetEase under its new owner Microsoft, marking a revival of a long running US-China video game pact that had an acrimonious break-up over a year ago.

Blizzard and NetEase to make up this week, bring hit games back to China

Gamers excited as Tencent readies launch of shooter Valorant in China

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NetEase slaps former partner Blizzard Entertainment with lawsuit in Shanghai

The lawsuit demands US$45 million as compensation for refunds that NetEase paid to affected local gamers after Blizzard Entertainment suspended services on the mainland from January 23.

Blizzard Entertainment asserts that it is not in breach of any licensing deal and that former partner NetEase appears to be complaining about a standard industry practice. Photo: Shutterstock

China’s gamers bid farewell as Blizzard ends World of Warcraft service

Blizzard games have been popular among Chinese players for years. But as its partnership with Netease ends, some gamers say they are ready to move on.

Blizzard to suspend games in China after NetEase rejects partnership extension

Operations of popular Blizzard games on the mainland, including World of Warcraft and Overwatch, will be suspended from January 23.

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Exclusive | NetEase team handling Blizzard games to disband as 14-year pact nears end

The Shanghai team’s dissolution quashes speculation on Chinese social media that Blizzard and NetEase might strike a last-minute deal.

NetEase is dissolving the Shanghai-based team responsible for operating titles licensed from US game publisher Blizzard Entertainment, according to sources. Photo: Shutterstock

Blizzard asks angry World of Warcraft players in China to save game data

Chinese gamers have reacted with disappointment as Blizzard Entertainment is set to end its 14-year partnership with Chinese gaming giant NetEase.

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Overwatch 2 is finally here, free to play – and already under attack

Activision Blizzard’s launch of its highly anticipated Overwatch 2 was plagued by connectivity issues reportedly caused by DDoS attacks, resulting in long queue times for players.

Korean gamer describes racism in US: ‘Being Asian here is terrifying’

People in Texas ‘cough on us’, shout racist slurs and keep trying to pick fights, says the Overwatch player, who competes for Dallas Fuel.

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Lee Eui-seok, who plays Overwatch for Dallas Fuel under the name Fearless, talks about racism he faces in the US during a Q&A on Twitch. Photo: Jade Kim via Twitter

Letters | Turn to online games to help special needs kids grow and thrive

Online games can help to improve cognitive skills such as attention and focus, spatial reasoning and visual processing, as well hand-eye coordination. Photo: AFP

Gaming leads the entertainment industry as millions stay home

Gaming has seen a huge boost in business during the pandemic. Millions are playing Call of Duty, Overwatch and Candy Crush, sales of the Switch console doubled since last year, and mobile gaming could grow by 12 per cent in 2020.

Chinese fans say Blizzard found true calling with Diablo anime and Overwatch cartoon

Gamers disappointed in Blizzard’s games look forward to its anime

Coronavirus fears lead PUBG and Overwatch leagues to reschedule China games

Two China-based Overwatch League teams are looking to relocate to South Korea

Major esports matches like those of the Overwatch League usually draw large crowds, which China is trying to avoid. (Picture: Blizzard)

Is China's culture of cloning popular games finally ending?

Tencent recently won US$6.4 million from the makers of a CrossFire clone, a breakthrough in a country known for clones of popular games like PUBG and Overwatch

Overwatch wins China lawsuit over game clones

Shanghai court fines makers of Heroes of Warfare and another Chinese game for copying Blizzard’s blockbuster shooter

Chinese gamers think Blizzard supports them after vague apology

Blizzard president J. Allen Brack apologized at BlizzCon in the wake of the Blitzchung Hearthstone controversy, but it was vague enough for alternate interpretations

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Will BlizzCon become the latest battleground for the Hong Kong protests?

Fans angry at Hearthstone and Overwatch developer Blizzard say they plan to dress up as Hong Kong protesters and political leaders, but it’s not clear how many will actually show up

Some people online have turned the Chinese Overwatch character Mei into a protest figure, and rally organizer Gamers for Freedom used this picture as suggested cosplay for BlizzCon. (Picture: Gamers for Freedom)

Ace Force is basically Overwatch for mobile

The new hero shooter from Tencent also draws from Apex Legends and Borderlands

How AndBox is raising the bar for New York e-sport gamers

Following the success of NYXL, Sterling.VC invested millions in a Call of Duty franchise. Andbox will operate both teams

Game companions: I hired three women to play online games with me

Here's an alternate profession for female gamers... but one that also highlights terrible gender stereotypes. Josh paid US$4.50 an hour to play games with three different women, and learned their stories along the way. The whole experience sounds quite unsettling, to be honest. He was showered with praise and flattery, while his (expert) paid partners defended and healed him in the games. Even the way he selected a companion was extremely sexist: A parade of women offered their services in a chatroom, while Josh's avatar sat in a spot called "the Boss Couch."

When I played with Luohai, Baptiste had only been out for a week. But Luohai knew all the ins and outs of the character. (Picture: Blizzard)

Overwatch, Fortnite and Ninja win big at the Esports Awards 2018

The esports industry honored Overwatch League's massive success and the Fortnite craze in London

Guangzhou Charge and Chengdu Hunters are the new Chinese Overwatch League teams

The third OWL expansion team, based in Hangzhou, will likely be named Spark

Paris becomes the first Overwatch League expansion team to reveal roster

French team snags SoOn and ShaDowBurn along with Contenders talent

Shanghai Dragons turn to South Korean talent for a fresh start

After their historic losing streak in Overwatch League's inaugural season, the Chinese team is looking for help

New teams, new faces, and new rosters for Overwatch League

With eight new expansion teams joining the OWL 2019 season, players and organizations have a lot of reshuffling to do, and free agents are up for grabs.

Lovable losers Shanghai Dragons purge most of team after epic Overwatch League losing streak

Shanghai Dragons let go of 8 out of 11 team members, but Geguri, Diya and Fearless will remain with the team

Team Hong Kong reveal struggles ahead of Overwatch World Cup

Representing your city at the World Cup is an amazing opportunity, but preparing for an international esports tournament in Hong Kong is tougher than you think

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Overwatch
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Overwatch. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
last updated:
9 September, 2024
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