Blizzard Entertainment has extended its publishing agreement with NetEase until January 2023.

The agreement covers all active Blizzard franchises including World of Warcraft, StarCraft, Hearthstone, and Overwatch.

NetEase began publishing Blizzard games in mainland China for Blizzard in 2008 with a licensing agreement for StarCraft II .

Blizzard Entertainment has extended its partnership with Chinese publisher NetEase until January 2023. The agreement gives NetEase the rights to publish World of Warcraft , StarCraft , Diablo, Hearthstone , Heroes of the Storm , and Overwatch in mainland China.

NetEase and Blizzard began their partnership in 2008 with a licensing deal for StarCraft II, and their collaboration has continued to expand over the years.

“NetEase has been instrumental in helping us bring Blizzard’s epic games to even more players around the world, and we’re grateful to have such a strong partner in China,” said J. Allen Brack, president of Blizzard Entertainment. “We look forward to continuing our relationship and cooperation in China and beyond.”

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In addition to bringing the games themselves to China, NetEase also oversees Chinese esports programs for multiple titles. Many of these initiatives operate independently from Blizzard’s own esports offerings for these games. For example, while Blizzard has shut down its professional leagues for Heroes of the Storm throughout the world, NetEase had already announced the game’s continued inclusion in the NetEase Gold Series – a tournament series divided into two seasons spread across 2019.

NetEase will also provide a combined ¥5M RMB ($720K USD) across multiple tournaments for Warcraft III. While Blizzard has announced a remastered version of the game, the developer has not yet revealed its own plans to support the classic title as an esport in the new year.