According to sources for the South China Morning Post, NetEase have parted ways with a majority of the staff that handles Blizzard titles within China. Most of the staff with the exception of 10 members in logistics and customer service have been let go with those remaining for an estimated six months.
These layoffs come as NetEase and Blizzard are ending their 14-year agreement which allowed Blizzard titles to be published and operated within mainland China. The current deal is set to expire on January 23 with no renewal being agreed upon. This in term will make all Blizzard titles within the country offline including Overwatch 2, World of Warcraft, Starcraft II, and Diablo.
The only Blizzard title that will not be effected is Diablo Immortal which was part of a separate agreement and co-developed by both parties.
