Blizzard asks World of Warcraft players in China to download game data before its partnership with NetEase ends
- The US studio says it is developing a function that will allow mainland users to save their World of Warcraft data on personal devices ahead of the game’s closure
- Chinese gamers have reacted with disappointment as Blizzard Entertainment is set to end its 14-year partnership with Chinese gaming giant NetEase
World of Warcraft, the globally popular game developed by US studio and publisher Blizzard Entertainment, has asked mainland China-based players to download gaming data onto their own devices, as it struggles to find a new distributor in the country after announcing the end of a 14-year partnership with NetEase.
“The World of Warcraft team is working hard to develop a function that will allow you to save your game characters, props, and progress in the world of Azeroth on your personal devices before the game suspends operation on January 23,” John Hight, general manager of the Warcraft franchise, said in an open letter to Chinese players published on Blizzard’s official Weibo account on Tuesday.
“We are currently negotiating with some new potential distribution partners in China, and this process will continue until we find a suitable solution,” the letter read.
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In China’s heavily regulated video gaming market, overseas studios like Blizzard have to find a local partner to apply for a licence from the National Press and Publication Administration before operating a foreign game in the country.
After Blizzard breaks up with NetEase, any new local partner of the American company will have to apply for a new licence for each game – a process that could last for years.
In a statement in November, Hangzhou-based NetEase said all account data originating from mainland China in the Blizzard games would be “sealed” and it promised to “properly handle game data in accordance with the requirements of laws and regulations”.
For now, Chinese players of World of Warcraft and six other Blizzard games – including Overwatch, Hearthstone and Diablo III – will have to prepare for the closure of their mainland game accounts.
Fans responded to the news with anger and frustration.
“Blizzard is simply saying, ‘We can’t find the next partner for the time being, and it costs money to save the data on our servers. So in order for us to save money, just save the data yourself’,” one Weibo user commented under Blizzard’s post.
“Why should I save the data myself? Do you want to put the burden on players?” asked another user.
“It feels like we are preparing a digital urn for ourselves,” said a third user.
