Advertisement
NetEase
TechBig Tech

NetEase’s new game Diablo Immortal banned from new posts on Weibo just a week before hotly-anticipated release

  • The official Weibo account of Diablo Immortal, which has around 45,900 followers, was ‘forbidden from posting’ as of Wednesday
  • Diablo Immortal ’s Chinese version is due to be launched on PC, iOS and Android devices on June 23

Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
1
NetEase/Blizzard game Diablo Immortal has been banned from new posts on Weibo. Photo: Shutterstock
Yaling Jiang

The Weibo account of Diablo Immortal, one of Chinese gaming giant NetEase’s most anticipated titles this year, has been banned from putting up new posts for “violation of related laws and regulations”, casting a shadow over its scheduled launch in China next Thursday.

The official Weibo account of Diablo Immortal, which currently has around 45,900 followers, was “forbidden from posting” as of Wednesday, according to a tag on the platform.

Weibo has not specified the precise reason for the ban. A prohibition on new posts is a relatively light punishment on Weibo though compared to more serious punishments, such as account cancellation. All existing posts, including the most recent one on June 6, can still be viewed.

It is unclear when, or if, new posts will be resumed. NetEase did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday. A post about the upcoming launch on NetEase’s news portal 163.com has been taken down.

Diablo Immortal’s Chinese version was due to be launched on PC, iOS and Android devices on June 23, NetEase announced earlier. In its first quarter results released on May 24, NetEase – which jointly developed the game with US-based Blizzard Entertainment – highlighted the game’s popularity, saying it had already gained over 15 million subscriptions in China by that time.

Advertisement