After delays to its release in China, Diablo Immortal is finally due to launch on July 25 2022, one month later than initially expected.
The Activision Blizzard game – being published via NetEase in China – originally launched elsewhere around the globe in early June to huge success, earning $49 million in its first month.
Chinese controversy
A Chinese company, NetEase was a co-developer on Diablo Immortal and is among the country’s largest games publishers. The title’s launch in China was delayed, according to those familiar with the matter who spoke with Bloomberg, because of controversy surrounding a social media post taken as a criticism of Xi Jinping, China’s president.
Bloomberg was also informed that the new release date, days away now, is still subject to change.
NetEase claimed that the original postponing of Diablo Immortal’s release was a result of its need to enhance content, however the official Diablo Immortal account on China’s Weibo site violated “relevant laws and regulations” and has been blocked because of it.
Activision Blizzard also delayed the game’s launch in Indonesia, Hong Kong, and other Asia-Pacific markets, although not as dramatically, from June 23 to July 8. The initial delay in China caused stock in NetEase to plummet to $136 on June 20, which was down from a six-month peak of $172.50 10 days earlier.
