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Professional Overwatch China teams have found themselves in a bit of a bit of a quagmire as Blizzard Entertainment games are being pulled from sale in the country, and online services are being suspended. In a press release, Blizzard’s Chinese partner NetEase announced that the parties have failed to reach a license renewal agreement due to which Overwatch, World of Warcraft, StarCraft, Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, and Diablo will no longer be playable online in the country and have been pulled from sale.
Overwatch China players were reportedly locked out due to phone requirements
Some Chinese players reported that they were already blocked from accessing Overwatch 2 because of Blizzard’s SMS Protect system but this latest development completely pulled the plug. In a note on LinkedIn, NetEase executive Simon Zhu expressed his disappointment over the matter and appeared to refer to Bobby Kotick as a “jerk.”
“As a gamer who spent ten thousand hours in the world of Azeroth, StarCraft and Overwatch, I feel so heartbroken as I will not longer have the access to my account and memories next year,” Zhu wrote. “One day, when what has happened behind the scene could be told, developers and gamers will have a whole new level understanding of how much damage a jerk can make.”
NetEase’s official statement can be read on its website.