Blizzard games have been published in China by NetEase for 14 years, and the partnership has been very successful for both companies. The Chinese publisher's rapid growth over the past decade has been accelerated by the money generated by the success of its games, and while NetEase's success cannot be attributed solely to that, the company is now one of the largest Internet and video game companies in the world.

But things have gone downhill in ways that can only be described as comically devious, given the size of each company.

Late last year, it was announced that Blizzard and NetEase's contract would not be renewed. This sparked a minor tiff between the two companies, and last week Blizzard blamed NetEase for the issue (opens in new tab), as NetEase refused to agree to a six-month extension of the current terms. And now NetEase has literally come to blows.

The importance of the Blizzard deal to NetEase had a symbol: outside the studio that handles Blizzard's licenses was a giant statue of World of Warcraft's legendary two-handed axe Gorehowl, which NetEase employees surrounded it and began smashing it to pieces.

Here is a short clip from a Chinese Tiktok (opens in new tab).

In the end, Gorehowl is left with nothing but rubble: interestingly, lore has this weapon involved in some spectacular betrayals. After the statue was destroyed, as if to rub salt in the wound, NetEase employees were seen drinking "Blizzard" green tea. Take it with a grain of salt because I don't speak Chinese, but some believe this refers to a misogynistic internet slang term that translates as "green tea bitch" (绿茶婊). What it means, basically, is someone who poses as innocent but is cunning and greedy.

But NetEase wasn't done yet; NetEase also issued a strongly worded statement about what was going on on its official Weibo page (opens in new tab). First, NetEase claimed that the extension offered by Blizzard was "unequal" and "unfair" and that the subsequent official statement was "outrageous, inappropriate, and does not follow business logic."

And then it really began. "Blizzard's arrogance in demanding all this does not take into account the position that players and NetEase are in. It is like riding a mule to find a horse; it is the behavior of people who are divorced but still trying to live together.

NetEase denies that it ever asked Blizzard for IP rights and criticizes the save transfer feature that Blizzard China released for the game (which users also say is problematic), which Blizzard "unilaterally" developed, NetEase has not tested it, warns of security risks, and states that Blizzard takes full responsibility for any problems.

And NetEase signs off in a rather poetic way, along with a strange coda:

"While this farewell is destined to be the final chapter in our story, NetEase will do its best to stay close to our players and serve them until the last moment. We will do our best to be there for you and serve you until the very last moment. From now on, wherever you are and wherever you go, may the winds guide your path and the stars light your direction.

"Of course, the most important thing is to wish everyone a Happy New Year."

Well, we've reached out to Blizzard for comment and will update if we hear back.

There is often bad blood in the corporate world, but rarely does a company of this size have such a public airing of grievances; NetEase clearly feels disrespected or treated unfairly by Blizzard, while Blizzard, One might wonder what Blizzard has done to so sorely sour such a successful partnership.

The publishing agreement between Blizzard and NetEase will end on January 23, at which point the former's games will cease operations in China. Their return depends on Blizzard finding another publishing partner in the region, but NetEase may be sending a stern message from the CCP to Western companies making these kinds of huge, time-consuming games: we don't need people like you anymore.