Diablo Immortal Launch Delayed In China Causing NetEase’s Shares To Drop By 10%
Diablo Immortal’s Chinese launch has been delayed indefinitely just two days before its scheduled release in the Asia Pacific region. The Hong Kong launch has also presumably been delayed by extension.
Blizzard Entertainment and Chinese gaming giant NetEase cited content optimizations, adjustments, and visual improvements as the reason for the delay, although there’s speculation that it might have something to do with a post that resulted in the suspension of the game’s official on Chinese social media platform Weibo. According to PCGamer, the post in question alluded to “the bear” which might have been misinterpreted as a reference to Winnie the Pooh which has been used to mock Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Another possible reason could be Diablo Immortal’s controversial monetization scheme as the Chinese government has been known to be heavy-handed against any form of lootboxes in games released in the country. It might also have something to do with the Chinese gaming authorities’ restrictions on playtime for minors and a youth-mode for streaming and online services.
The surprise announcement had so much of an impact on investor confidence that NetEase’s stock prices dipped by as much as 10% just hours after it was made, as reported by Bloomberg. A release date has yet to be announced but Chinese players will be compensated for the delay with a “Thank You Package” that will contain legendary gear along with various items and materials.
The full Google-translated announcement can be found on the June 22nd as scheduled.
