China’s second-largest gaming firm NetEase recently sent surveys to its players on Blizzard, as the latter will cut off licensing for most of the titles it operates in China. The survey, which has now closed, asked players for their attitudes and opinions on these Blizzard titles and their plans for when they are no longer accessible in China. Earlier this month, Blizzard announced it had failed to reach an agreement with NetEase for renewing licenses in its third quarter financial report. As the 14-year deal expires next January, NetEase is now arranging refunds. Chinese media reported that NetEase’s major Chinese rivals, including Tencent, ByteDance, Perfect World, and Blizzard’s former partner The9, have been talking to Blizzard about publishing its titles in China. [Mydrivers, in Chinese]
Update: NetEase has reached out to TechNode and denied sending the survey.