Buzz
No one anticipated that Diablo Immortal would lead to such a situation.
Before its release, everyone expected Diablo Immortal to be a blockbuster in the global gaming market. Playable on both mobile and PC, carrying the Diablo brand and backed by Blizzard, but ultimately, Diablo Immortal left a significant disappointment for gamers worldwide.
Not only did gamers feel let down, but Diablo Immortal also shattered the relationship between Blizzard and NetEase. Recently, NetEase destroyed the Warcraft statue after officially 'parting ways' with Blizzard. The contracts of both parties conclude at the end of 2022, with no agreement on continuation.
This means that all Blizzard games in China will cease operations, including the commercial rights to Warcraft and Diablo. Consequently, NetEase has decided to completely break ties with Blizzard, including the famous Warcraft statue.
This rupture in the relationship is largely due to the failure of Diablo Immortal. To the extent that NetEase has completely scrapped the Warcraft Mobile project they were developing. Everything will be rebuilt from scratch by Blizzard. A colossal brand like Diablo becoming disastrous in the form of Diablo Immortal is something this giant cannot accept.
This leads Blizzard to no longer wish to collaborate further with NetEase in developing any more games, especially the pivotal project World of Warcraft Mobile.
