{"id":12897,"date":"2023-01-23T22:37:37","date_gmt":"2023-01-23T22:37:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gamergog.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/23\/blizzard-games-go-dark-in-china-with-no-return-in-sight-this-is-so-tragic-says-former-hearthstone-director\/"},"modified":"2023-01-23T22:56:19","modified_gmt":"2023-01-23T22:56:19","slug":"blizzard-games-go-dark-in-china-with-no-return-in-sight-this-is-so-tragic-says-former-hearthstone-director","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gamergog.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/23\/blizzard-games-go-dark-in-china-with-no-return-in-sight-this-is-so-tragic-says-former-hearthstone-director\/","title":{"rendered":"Blizzard video games go darkish in China, with no return in sight: ‘That is so tragic,’ says former Hearthstone director"},"content":{"rendered":"

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January 23 has now come and gone in China, and which means Blizzard video games together with World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, Diablo 3, and Overwatch have been shut down within the nation, with no return at present in sight.<\/p>\n

The shutdown isn’t surprising: It was first introduced in November 2022 (opens in new tab)<\/span>, when Blizzard and Chinese language writer NetEase have been unable to succeed in a renewal settlement on their partnership, after which reaffirmed only a week in the past. However it’s actually the tip of an period: NetEase has been publishing Blizzard’s video games in China for 14 years, a partnership that NetEase CEO William Ding stated fell aside over “materials variations on key phrases (opens in new tab)<\/span>.”<\/p>\n