Diablo Immortal reportedly banned in China, according to Reddit

Diablo Immortal, the latest iteration of the long-running series, has run into multiple points of criticism, ranging from its progression system to its focus on microtransactions. The free-to-play massively multiplayer online action role-playing game's issues have further compounded as its release into the Chinese market has been delayed, with rumors stating that the game may have been banned altogether.

Sportskeeda's review of Diablo Immortal mentioned that the game was a well-made experience that was a worthy entry in the Diablo franchise, trapped within an excruciating microtransaction system that affects progression. The game holds an abysmal 0.3 User Score on its Metacritic page.

News of the delayed entry into the Chinese market is an added headache for the developers. Here's everything known about the delay so far.

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A politically sensitive tweet may have landed Diablo Immortal in hot soup regarding its release in China

According to a Reuters report, gaming giant NetEase was set to release the title last week but decided to delay it, citing the need for improvements and conduction of "multiple optimization adjustments." This was followed by the game's official Weibo account being banned from making posts.

Although NetEase did not explain a reason for either, speculation states that the account was banned after it was found criticizing Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China. Shared on the game's subreddit by u/ShiftYourCarcass, the post describes in detail the potential reason for the aforementioned delay.

The user stated that on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, the official social media account of the game posted "熊怎么还不下台" which roughly translates to "Why doesn't the bear step down?"

For some time now, netizens have likened the current leader of the Chinese government to the popular cartoon character Winne the Pooh. A quick search on the web will reveal a number of memes on the same.

In this context, the post "quickly exploded on the Chinese internet" and was perceived "as an open provocation." The Redditor said that this led to a complete shutdown of the marketing of Diablo Immortal in China, with speculation of NetEase not receiving any license for game publishing for the next three years. Given that the company is the local distributor for Blizzard, the post contended (sic):

"If that's true [the rumor about NetEase not receiving a license for three years], it will also affect Diablo4, Overwatch 2 and WoW Dragonflight, and might even force Blizzard to change their cooperator in China mainland."

The Reddit post concludes by saying that it is being assumed that Diablo Immortal may possibly be banned in China for the time being, with the title at least staring down the barrel of a lengthy delay. Chinese Diablo fans will hope that the issue is resolved quickly, and the game will be officially released soon for them to enjoy.