California-based Blizzard Entertainment, the business behind hit video games such as World of Warcraft, officially left China in January last year after ending its agreement with Chinese technology company NetEase. In November 2022, Blizzard announced it had been unable to reach a deal that was “consistent with Blizzard’s operating principles and commitments to players and employees", while NetEase said the firms couldn't agree on key terms. 

NetEase is the second-largest gaming company in China, but shares plummeted by around 11% in the wake of the announcement. Attempts by Blizzard to extend the contract by six months reportedly fell flat, and when the deal finally expired on 23 January 2023, popular games that had been available in the country since 2008 were removed from servers. Simon Zhu, president of global investments and partnerships at NetEase, described the server shutdown as "such a sad moment to witness".