“Delay of ‘Diablo Immortal’ in China Prior to Scheduled Release Date”
Diablo Immortal was scheduled to launch in China on June 23rd, but NetEase, the co-developer with Blizzard, has announced an indefinite delay. The company cited the need for “optimization adjustments” in a blog post.
Apart from development issues, NetEase also faced backlash from Chinese censors due to a social media post on Weibo that referenced Winnie the Pooh, a character often used to mock Chinese President Xi Jinping, as reported by the Financial Times.
Following the post gaining attention, the official Diablo Immortal Weibo account was banned from posting, and related discussions were removed from the service.
With no set release date in China, NetEase aims to still launch Diablo Immortal in the country and has offered players a special “thank-you package” for the delay. The game has already debuted in other regions and generated significant revenue, but the absence of a China release could impact expected earnings.
