In the West, Diablo Immortal has been out since June 2nd. But in the important market of China of all places, the release is now being postponed indefinitely. Blizzard’s partner there, NetEase, helped develop the game, but is now announcing an indefinite postponement. You want to improve the game. In addition, there seems to be trouble with the Communist Party.
This is the situation:
Hearthstone throws grandmasters out, cuts his prize money
Release of Diablo Immortal in China is postponed at short notice
That’s the announcement now. As NetEase itself announces, the release of Diablo Immortal in China was originally scheduled for Thursday, June 23, but has now been postponed indefinitely.
On Sunday, NetEase said they plan to make some changes, including “gameplay experience improvements” and “various optimization adjustments.”
They apparently want to unlock the game for more devices and thus make the online experience “smoother and better”.
They are also preparing a “thank you pack” with legendary equipment to reward Chinese games for their patience (via di.blizzard).
We show you the 6 classes of Diablo Immortal – in our tier list for Diablo Immortal you can see who is currently ahead:
Diablo Immortal: All 6 classes at a glance with gameplay
Social media account blocked 3 days before release
What could have caused the shift? That’s not entirely clear at the moment. As the news agency Reuters writes, NetEase actually received the necessary license to distribute Diablo Immortal in February 2021.
But in recent months, new regulations and rules have resulted in no new games being allowed in China for nine months. One speaks of a “freeze”.
It was already noticeable that Diablo Immortal received a license just like that: the game is about killing demons and witches: topics that are difficult for Chinese games because violence and religious content are considered sensitive.
Already Diablo 3 had to be changed for China.
Is a cartoon bear to blame or the Pay2Win problem?
This could also be problematic: The game’s social media account on Weibo was banned 3 days before the release and can no longer make public posts.
However, it is not entirely clear what happened there. It is rumored that the Weibo account might have posted an allusion to “Winnie the Puh” (via resetera): The cartoon bear is frowned upon in China. He is seen as a negative allusion to the communist leader Xi Jinping.
This is apparently due to a comic in which the stout and somewhat clumsy Winnie the Pooh was compared to an appearance by Xi Jinping alongside Barack Obama.
However, other people suspect that the Chinese Diablo community has reported Diablo Immortal to the Chinese government so many times for “unfair gambling elements” that it has caused trouble.
Even though Diablo Immortal isn’t out in China yet, the game is already earning excellent:
Diablo Immortal is torn apart – but it is a financial success for Blizzard, especially in Germany