Blizzard takes Starcraft II to China with NetEase.com

Blizzard has entered into a joint venture with NetEase.com affiliate affiliate Shanghai EaseNet Network Technology Limited to release “Starcraft II” in China, “Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos”, “Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne” and the Battle.net system have also been licensed.

“NetEase has been a leader in the Chinese game market, and we look forward to working with them to deliver high-quality entertainment to Chinese gamers,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “This partnership is a sign of our continued commitment to our players in China and to the local industry.”

The two companies have also established a joint venture, allowing them to provide support for the licensed titles as well as the operation of the Battle.net platform in China.

William Ding, CEO of NetEase, stated, “We’re excited to be partnering with Blizzard Entertainment to bring StarCraft II and Battle.net to China. We hope to combine Blizzard Entertainment’s expertise in developing world-class games with NetEase’s strength in online-game operation in China to bring the best gaming experiences to our players.”

NetEase has significant experience with the online gaming market in China, “NetEase operates Fantasy Westward Journey in China, an internally developed MMORPG, which recorded 25 million registered users in April 2005.”

The license agreement is penned as being a three year deal which will see Shanghai EaseNet paying revenue-based royalties, while NetEase… “will pay a milestone-based license fee and fund and guarantee certain additional payments and operating expenses in connection with the joint venture.”

“Starcraft II” is inching towards a global release, something the original title never had and is believed to have hampered initial sales. As of yet the title is without a release date.