Life after ‘World Of Warcraft’ starts with NetEase searching for its own hits

Losing the pact to distribute Blizzard games in China, once one of the most lucrative in gaming, is a further incentive to pursue new growth. The partnership ended in a sudden and ugly breakup earlier this year, after the two sides couldn’t agree to terms, and popular franchises from Warcraft to Overwatch and Diablo have gone dark in the world’s biggest Internet market. — Photo by Oberon Copeland @veryinformed.com on Unsplash

In January, NetEase Inc smashed into pieces its giant statue of World Of Warcraft’s legendary Gorehowl axe, a fitting symbol for the termination of its 14-year partnership with US studio Blizzard Entertainment.

Last week, leaders from the company were at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, exchanging business cards with other overseas firms and living life like Blizzard was never in it. China’s biggest gaming firm after Tencent Holdings Ltd is now focused on serving up original hits to fans both at home and abroad.