Photo of NetEase and Blizzard CEOs sparks speculation of China reunion

Activision Blizzard‘s games could return to the Chinese market soon, it’s been claimed.

According to Chinese market analyst CN Wire, it’s expected that a formal announcement will be made on Wednesday, reintroducing PC titles, such as World of Warcraft and Overwatch 2, to the Chinese market.

An image has also emerged on social media of Netease CEO Ding Lei meeting with Activision Blizzard CEO Johanna Faries, adding to the speculation.

Local media reporting in China on the potential announcement has seen a spike in the market, with shares of Netease rising as much as 5%.

Activision Blizzard and Netease began a partnership in 2008 which saw Netease publish Blizzard’s games in China. At the time, this was largely focused on bringing World of Warcraft to the Chinese market, but in the following years, it published Overwatch, Hearthstone, Starcraft, and Diablo.

The deal ended in late 2022 and saw the region lose access to Blizzard’s games in 2023. Blizzard’s largest 2023 title, Diablo 4, has yet to be published in the region.

NetEase and Marvel Games recently announced Marvel Rivals, a team-based PVP shooter set in the Marvel Universe.

The game is being developed by a new internal team at NetEase games, which NetEase says is “composed of global talent who previously worked on hit franchises such as Call of Duty and Battlefield”.

Marvel Rivals is a free-to-play 6v6 team-based game which is played from a third-person viewpoint.