Why did China ban Diablo Immortal?

The post, which came from the official Diablo Immortal Weibo account, reportedly alluded to Winnie the Pooh, who has been banned from the internet in China because he is used to make fun of the president. Bloomberg says the account has since been suspended for “violating relevant laws and regulations.”

Is Diablo Immortal removed in China?

Blizzard has already pulled these titles from sale in China. Mobile game Diablo Immortal is unaffected, as this is part of a separate agreement and co-developed by NetEase and Blizzard. The NetEase team behind it is based at the company's Hangzhou headquarters and unaffected by job cuts.

Why was Diablo Immortal banned?

These were eventually delivered by an Activision Blizzard community manager, who confirmed to tech site Tweakers that Diablo Immortal was no longer releasing in these countries due to 'operating conditions' – likely referencing legislation around gambling and loot boxes in video games.

Why did China ban Blizzard games?

Blizzard Entertainment titles including Overwatch, Starcraft, Hearthstone and World of Warcraft have officially gone offline in China following a tumultuous end to the developer's distribution partnership with NetEase, which saw the two gaming giants fail to negotiate an extension to their 14 year-old licensing ...

Is Diablo Immortal popular in China?

NetEase-published Diablo Immortal earned $144 million in China - PingWest. Diablo Immortal, an action-RPG game developed by Blizzard Entertainment and China's NetEase, has grossed over $300 million in revenue worldwide.

Diablo Immortal is Now Banned in China

Who spent most on Diablo Immortal?

Diablo Immortal spender can't play

Content creator jtisallbusiness is complaining after spending $100,000 on Diablo Immortal. As the game's biggest spender, the YouTuber has spent more than anyone else cares to admit. As it turns out, that's not a good thing.

How much money has Diablo Immortal made so far?

Diablo Immortal IAP revenue worldwide 2022

The latest installment in the Diablo franchise is available on PC and mobile, and generated almost 100 million U.S. dollars through IAP revenues since its release, making it a financial success for Blizzard.

Why can't China play WoW anymore?

Last November, however, Blizzard and NetEase announced they would not renew licensing agreements that were set to expire this month. Those deals had covered the publication of several popular Blizzard titles in mainland China, including “World of Warcraft,” “Hearthstone,” and “Diablo III,” since 2008.

Why is China limiting gaming?

The National Press and Publication Administration claims the video game ban intends to protect children's mental and physical health. The Chinese government have been concerned about eye problems among young gamers for a while now.

Why did Chinese lose access to WoW?

Millions of Chinese gamers have lost access to World of Warcraft after a furious dispute between U.S. title owner Activision Blizzard and NetEase, its longtime local partner in the world's biggest gaming market.

Why do gamers hate Diablo Immortal?

Diablo: Immortal takes a sneakier approach. The early game and mid game are quite enjoyable and easy to play without spending a dime. But the late game is where they try to hook folks. Reports suggest that fully upgrading a character to the absolute max could cost around $100,000.

Is Diablo Immortal still successful?

With 75% organic downloads, growing revenue per download, and additional significant revenue from the PC release of the game, Diablo Immortal is clearly a monster hit for Blizzard and NetEase.

Why is Diablo Immortal controversial?

Since its release in June, Diablo Immortal has been the subject of criticism over its prevalent microtransactions, which players say can cost thousands of dollars without ever seeing the legendary gems they want from loot boxes. However, Blizzard CEO Mike Ybarra is still in favor of the game's monetization.

Is Diablo Immortal still pay to win?

Make no mistake: “Diablo Immortal” is a pay-to-win game, in that players can spend money to increase their power relative to other players, something that the previous three games had not done.

Does Diablo Immortal still make money?

Diablo Immortal, Blizzard's mobile-focused entry in its action-RPG franchise, has now earned over $300 million in revenue, according to reports. For reference, the hugely popular Raid: Shadow Legends made record earnings in 2021, reaching $370 million.

Is Diablo 3 banned in China?

Blizzard will suspend games in China because it can't reach an agreement with its licensing and publishing partner NetEase, it said in a press release. World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, Overwatch 2, Starcraft, Heroes of the Storm, Diablo III, and Warcraft III: Reforged won't be available in China after January 23, 2023.

Why does China only allow 3 hours of gaming?

In China, Kids Are Limited To Playing Video Games For Only 3 Hours Per Week. In an effort to curb video game addiction among children, Chinese authorities are tightening the reins on just how much that online gaming companies are allowed to offer young users.

What is the 3 hour limit in China?

The regulations restricted playing online video games to 8-9pm Friday, Saturday, Sunday and legal holidays, for a total of 3 hours per week only in that time slot, for all youth under age 18. Niko Partners recognized the immense importance of this “3-hour rule” and built data and analysis around the impact of it.

Is there a 1 hour gaming limit in China?

In 2019, authorities restricted minors to playing 90 minutes a day on weekdays and banned them from playing between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. In 2021, they issued even harsher restrictions: Minors are allowed to play online games for only an hour a day and only on Fridays, weekends and public holidays.

Why Fortnite is not available in China?

One of the financial victims of the crackdown has been Tencent, which owns 40 percent of Fortnite. In addition, China has not given Tencent Holdings a license to officially launch the game in the country, leaving the game to operate in beta mode, where Fortnite is banned from charging players.

Will China ever get WoW back?

Chinese WoW Servers Shut Down After 14 Years Following Expiration Of NetEase Agreement. Blizzard games, including World of Warcraft, will be unplayable in China for the foreseeable future.

How many users does Diablo Immortal have?

After falling to 22 million monthly active users for the quarter ending in March 2022, Diablo Immortal has helped Blizzard back to 27 million for the quarter ending at the beginning of July.

How many players are playing Diablo Immortal?

How many people play Diablo Immortal? Blizzard Entertainment Diablo Immortal has a huge player base. As of writing, Diablo Immortal has over 10 million installs. This figure was announced via the official Twitter account, which stated that Diablo Immortal has been “the biggest launch in franchise history.”

How well did Diablo Immortal do?

Using data from mobile analysis firm Appmagic, MobileGamer.biz estimates that the iOS and Android versions of the game brought in $49 million in earnings from just over 10 million mobile downloads in the versions' first 30 days of availability.