Chinese World of Warcraft operator NetEase renews Blizzard contract

World of Warcraft developer Blizzard Entertainment today said that it will continue its partnership with Chinese MMO operator NetEase, with NetEase operating WoW servers in China for at least the next three years. NetEase has been providing gamers in China with servers for the popular Blizzard MMO since 2009, with the license also covering other Blizzard games such as Warcraft III and StarCraft II. This extended agreement will allow NetEase to lay the groundwork in China for the upcoming WoW expansion Mists of Pandaria, due to be released later this year. The company already previously launched two WoW expansions -- Wrath of the Lich King and Cataclysm -- for mainland China. NetEase said last month that its localized version of WoW had helped the company to a notable jump in revenues and profits for the last fiscal year. Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime said that he was "grateful for the tremendous enthusiasm Chinese gamers have shown for World of Warcraft over the years."