NetEase’s claim for compensation from Blizzard will be de-eroticizeheard on September 21, as stated in the latest announcement by Shanghai Pudong New Area People’s Court on July 21. In April, the Chinese gaming giant reportedly filed a lawsuit against Blizzard seeking RMB 300 million ($43.5 million) in refunds, following the termination of their licensing partnership in January. The refunds include prepayments for unsold game merchandise inventory and advance deposits for undeveloped games. Since January 23, popular titles such as World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, and Diablo 3 have been offline in China, following the end of the 14 year agreement between the two companies. The New York Times reported in March that, according to sources familiar with the negotiations, Blizzard had requested NetEase to pay a one-time fee of $500 million for contract renewal. [IThome, in Chinese]
