World of Warcraft first released in North America in 2004, but was initially given permission to launch in the notoriously restrictive Chinese gaming market back in 2005 thanks to their partnership with NetEase, according to SKY News.
The popular video game World of Warcraft will go offline in China following a dispute between the game’s American developer and Chinese partner, according to reports.
American developer Blizzard and its local Chinese partner NetEase have been in negotiations since November over renewing their operating contract but have had failed to lead to an agreement, according to The Guardian.
Because of this, World of Warcraft’s Chinese servers will go offline at midnight local time on Tuesday, leaving millions in China unable to play the game, according to SKY News.
World of Warcraft is an online multiplayer role-playing game set in a fantasy medieval world. The popular video game is known for players pulling in hundreds of hours of game time thanks to its addictive nature, according to The Guardian.
Blizzard games have been available in China since 2008 through collaboration with NetEase, because under local law, foreign developers are required to partner with Chinese firms to enter the market, The Guardian reported.
Aside from not being able to come to a financial agreement, a main point in the dispute between the companies included ownership of intellectual property and control of the data of millions of players across China, Bloomberg reported.
NetEase said it never sought to control IP rights in its negotations with Blizzard, whose gaming assets it only used upon mutual agreement, Bloomberg reported.
World of Warcraft first released in North America in 2004, but was initially given permission to launch in the notoriously restrictive Chinese gaming market back in 2005 thanks to their partnership with NetEase, according to SKY News.
Following the negotiations breaking down, NetEase took to China’s social media platform WeChat to release a statement and slam Blizzard.
“It’s as if they were riding a donkey while looking for a horse, proposing a divorce while still engaging with the same partner,” NetEase said in a statement.
Blizzard said it has “several potential partners who share our values” to continue offering its titles in China, according to The Guardian.
The deactivation of its Chinese servers was not “the end” but just a “temporary unhappy suspension," Blizzard said in a statement from The Guardian.
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