NetEase is planning to debut the Diablo Immortal mobile game in China on July 25—a month after the highly anticipated title was originally scheduled to launch in the world’s biggest gaming market, reports Bloomberg.
China’s largest game company after Tencent Holdings has won the go-ahead to release the game it co-developed with Activision Blizzard, following a controversial social media post that halted the rollout, people familiar with the matter said. The date is still subject to last-minute changes, they added, asking to not be identified discussing private information.
Diablo Immortal, the latest installment of Blizzard’s iconic franchise, is one of China’s few blockbuster releases this year, following a months-long drought imposed by regulators. China’s $44 billion gaming arena is expected to be Immortal’s biggest market, and the game’s debut will lift a cloud of uncertainty hanging over long-time partners NetEase and Blizzard. Shares in NetEase jumped more than 5% in pre-market trading in New York.