NetEase has indefinitely delayed Diablo Immortal’s release in China, Reuters reported Sunday.
The official delay announcement post, which is readable via Google Translate, states that developers are “making a number of optimization adjustments” so Diablo Immortal runs better on a wide variety of devices. No new release window information was given, so who knows when the game could turn up.
This delay comes mere days after Weibo, a massive Chinese social media website, banned the Diablo Immortal account for “violating relevant laws and regulations” on June 15, 2022. An actual reason wasn’t given, but several Reddit users noted one now-deleted post from the Diablo Immortal account that apparently reads “Why has the pooh not stepped down yet” on Weibo. This comment was allegedly from a rogue employee posting antigovernmental sentiments. As the Financial Times reports, Winnie the Pooh, in this context, refers to President Xi Jinping. China has been banning all media related to the character for years.
It’s worth noting that there’s no telling if Diablo Immortal‘s delay has anything to do with its Weibo account ban, but the timing is interesting, at least. NetEase co-developed the game with Blizzard, and its western release is overflowing with controversy.
If you’re playing Diablo Immortal, GLHF has guides on starter classes, hidden lairs, endgame, and how to avoid spending real money.
Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.
