Diablo Immortal: Chinese release delayed due to bad joke

China will have to wait a little longer than expected to see Diablo Immortal.

While the local government recently resumed checking for new game releases in the territory, NetEase delayed the rollout of Diablo Immortal (iOS, Android and PC), co-produced with publisher Blizzard Entertainment, in the Chinese market a few days prior. launching it to make changes, including improving gameplay and making “multiple optimization adjustments”.

NetEase delays Diablo Immortal’s China launch, shares tumble https://t.co/o1DEZ2HqK5 pic.twitter.com/uKCzQCb3K3

June 20, 2022

However, this decision came immediately after the Diablo Immortal Weibo account was indefinitely deleted due to a joke that was considered bad manners to President Xi Jinping. It’s one of the most anticipated games this year (over 15 million saves last month) and its launch in China is being watched closely to gauge Beijing’s attitude to the market. organs.

Complete success for Diablo Immortal despite criticism

Diablo Immortal has already launched outside of China, and according to app tracking platform App Magic, it has grossed over $24 million in its first two weeks of launch as criticism rages on social media, especially over microtransactions and poor balancing. Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase expect the game’s launch in China to give the game an extra boost, as the Asian country is the game’s largest market.