(Yicai Global) Jan. 11 -- Chinese gaming giant NetEase and Blizzard Entertainment, a US video game developer and publisher famous for World of Warcraft and other popular titles, have agreed to extend their 11-year publishing partnership until January 2023.

"NetEase has been instrumental in helping us bring Blizzard's epic games to even more players around the world, and we're grateful to have such a strong partner in China," President J. Allen Brack said on Blizzard's Weibo account yesterday. "We look forward to continuing our relationship and cooperation in China and beyond."

Blizzard has given birth to Warcraft, StarCraft, Diablo, Overwatch, Hearthstone, WoW and many other classic games. Since the start of their collaboration in 2008, Beijing-based NetEase has helped it to introduce StarCraft II and the gaming platform Battle.net into China, sharing the marvels of the American developer's games with China's gamers.

Under the renewed agreement, NetEase will keep the publishing rights to Irvine, California-based Blizzard's World of Warcraft, StarCraft franchise, Diablo, Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, and Overwatch in China.

"Our cooperation will rise to a new level in terms of scope and depth," said NetEase founder and Chief Executive William Ding, adding that he believes the pair "will bring a better gaming experience for global gamers." 

Editor: Ben Armour