The Big Three, Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft are names that almost every gamer recognises. However, in China, there are three companies that are just as big as those, and you probably have never heard of them before.
The company licensed to operate World of Warcraft in China – home to four million of the MMO’s global installation base – still can’t find smooth sailing after being cleared to operate the game’s first expansion pack two weeks ago.
Having been suspended from operating in the country since November, it appears that World of Warcraft’s future in China has been decided, and will be announced sometime this month.
As we’ve told you, Blizzard recently decided to change the company handling WoW for them in China. It was The9, and now it’s NetEase. Or, it would be NetEase, if NetEase could actually get the game running again.
Blizzard is switching up operators in China for World of Warcraft, losing long-time operator The9 in favour of NetEase, already the operator of nearly every other Blizzard game in the country.
It’s been one hell of a week for Chinese company NetDragon, who announced (along with EA) the development of a Dungeon Keeper MMO. In addition, they’ve announced the development of Disney Fantasy Online.
The game is to be launched in China in Spring ’09; full release after the jump.
