The9, a former Chinese partner of Blizzard, is reportedly in talks with Microsoft about Blizzard’s game licensing issue, according to Chinese outlet The Moment. The9 obtained a license from Blizzard to publish World of Warcraft in 2004, then parted ways with the firm in 2009. Blizzard and NetEase, the current 14-year partner in publishing some of its titles in China, failed to reach an agreement to renew the licenses, which expire next year. Blizzard said it will find other agent firms to operate its titles in China. According to Blizzard’s announcement, the agreement with NetEase only accounts for 3% of Activision Blizzard’s consolidated net revenues in 2021. NetEase also stated that ending this part of Blizzard’s business (not including Diablo Immortal) would have little impact on the firm. In addition to The9, Tencent, Bytedance, Perfect World, and Bilibili are all talking with Blizzard, according to Chinese media outlet Caijing. Microsoft announced the acquisition of Activision Blizzard in January of this year, and the deal could close in 2023, according to Microsoft. [The Moment, in Chinese]
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