Blizzard and NetEase Sign Three-Year World of Warcraft Agreement for Chinese Market

Chinese video game operator NetEase has announced that it has entered into an agreement with developer Blizzard and publisher Activision to run the MMO World of Warcraft on the Chinese market for another three years.

The deal is valuable for both sides, as it has made World of Warcraft the biggest earner for NetEase while Blizzard has continued to get the subscription money from the significant player base it has in China.

It is not clear whether the agreement also includes the upcoming Mists of Pandaria expansion, which is expected to launch in the West before the end of the year.

Expansions have launched in China at later dates and the operators of World of Warcraft have encountered significant pushback from the authorities because of content issues.

Mists of Pandaria will introduce Pandaren as a playable race and will also deliver a new class and a new continent to explore, alongside remade areas and an increased level cap.