Blizzard Entertainment’s
Diablo III has been cleared for an official release in mainland China under the aegis of NetEase, the internet company which has been operating
World of Warcraft and other Blizzard properties in the East for years.
"We're very excited that with our effort, all five of Blizzard Entertainment's game series will be delivered to Chinese players," stated NetEase Inc. founder William Ding in a press release announcing the deal.
Blizzard launched
Diablo III on PC back in 2012, but the game was prohibited from being legally sold in mainland China until it was approved by the Chinese Ministry of Culture. However, copies of the game localized into Chinese for sale in Taiwan have long been available for purchase in mainland China from less-than-rigorous resellers.
NetEase is already responsible for operating Chinese versions of
Starcraft II,
World of Warcraft,
Hearthstone and Blizzard’s upcoming MOBA
Heroes of the Storm. The arrangement seems to be paying off for NetEase, which reported a modest growth in profits in its most recent
financial report on the back of Blizzard products.
