Blizzard Entertainment shut down Overwatch 2 servers in China

After several months of unsuccessful negotiations with publisher NetEase, Blizzard Entertainment has officially shut down all Overwatch 2 servers in China. From now on, the future of discipline in the region remains a big question, while the players themselves are waiting for the clubs to leave the scene.

Millions of Overwatch 2 users across China have lost access to the game as Blizzard Entertainment permanently shut down all Chinese servers. After a failed negotiation with local publisher NetEase, all of Blizzard Entertainment's multiplayer online games have been shut down in China as their license agreements have expired. In addition to Overwatch 2, games such as World of Warcraft, Diablo, Hearthstone, and Starcraft have been restricted.

There are currently four Chinese teams in the Overwatch League, and many players have raised concerns about how teams like Chengdu Hunters or Guangzhou Charge, which have a majority of Chinese players, will survive. Also on stage is the Shanghai Dragons, a team run by NetEase, which, however, is partly composed of South Korean esportsmen.

January 24 midnight - the contract deadline - has come and gone in China, which means that Hearthstone, World of Warcraft, and all other Blizzard Entertainment games, with the exception of Diablo Immortal, which has a special agreement with it allowing it to continue to be supported, are now unavailable. Blizzard Entertainment has been unable to find a new partner with another Chinese tech company, which means players have no timeline on when and if they will be able to access their accounts again.

At the same time, the developers have not released an announcement about what will happen to player accounts and their purchased items. Probably, the situation will clear up in the near future.