Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase said today that they will be able to launch Wrath of the Lich King, the add-on expansion for World of Warcraft, in China on Aug. 31. That’s about 22 months after the expansion launched in the U.S. Still, the game is so popular in China that Blizzard will be able to pull in some healthy profits.
The delay is due to the regulatory and censorship process in China, where government agencies have to approve content before foreign companies can launch online games. On top of that restriction, Irvine, Calif.-based Blizzard, a division of Activision Blizzard, is not allowed to operate the game itself in China. It partners with Chinese online game firm NetEase in the operation of World of Warcraft in China.
Blizzard may be happy that it can finally launch Lich King, which was one of the most popular games ever introduced in the PC (even as an add-on pack, which requires the original World of Warcraft game to be played). But it’s pretty sad that the game has taken this long to get approval. Blizzard has had to play nice and wait patiently, because China also happens to be World of Warcraft’s biggest overseas market. Last year, Blizzard was unable to offer paid subscription service for a number of months as two Chinese agencies fought over jurisdiction.
“We appreciate the continued passion and support that Chinese players have shown for World of Warcraft, and we’re working hard to ensure that they have a topnotch gaming experience when Wrath of the Lich King is released,” said Mike Morhaime, chief executive and co-founder of Blizzard Entertainment.
William Ding, CEO of NetEase, said his company was prepared to launch the game expansion and provide the necessary added support. World of Warcraft is the world’s most popular and profitable massively multiplayer online game, with more than 11.5 million subscribers. It was originally launched in 2004. Blizzard is getting ready to launch its third expansion pack for the game in the U.S.: World of Warcraft: Cataclysm.