And while the game has pulled in reasonable reviews, Diablo Immortal has faced backlash since the day it was announced back in 2018. This isn’t the first time Diablo Immortal has found itself in hot water despite making $24 million in microtransactions since its main launch, players are very unhappy with Blizzard’s approach to monetisation. The Financial Times reports that NetEase shares also fell following backlash over the Winnie the Pooh post, but currently it’s impossible to know if the social media ban itself is the reasoning for Diablo Immortal’s delay in China. Recent examples include video game Devotion, which was pulled from Steam following the discovery of a Winnie the Pooh meme within the game. The fictional bear is often used as a method of being critical of China’s leader, Xi Ping, and just as often met with intervention. Following the post, the Weibo account has reportedly been banned for “violation of related laws and regulations”, according to the SCMP. Recently the official Blizzard Weibo account (China’s most prominent social network) for Diablo Immortal allegedly posted a reference to Winnie the Pooh. While further development work is the official reason for the delay from NetEase and Blizzard, it hasn’t stopped some from speculating that a recent social media ban is the actual reason behind the changed launch plans. NetEase, the Chinese gaming giant and co-developer of Diablo Immortal, suffered a 10% drop in stock value the morning following the delay announcement, as reported by the South China Morning Post.
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