Due to the failure of a contract renewal with NetEase, Overwatch 2 and other Blizzard games have been formally pulled offline in China, placing the Overwatch League teams headquartered there in a precarious situation.

After the Chengdu Hunters sent out a tweet today that simply said, “Goodbye and see you again,” the majority of supporters became aware of the circumstance. The suspension will affect five teams, including the Shanghai Dragons, Los Angeles Valiant, Guangzhou Charge, Hangzhou Spark, and the Hunters, who still have bases in China.

What Happened?

Most Americans are not surprised by the closure because Blizzard had announced it will occur in November. The games have been put on hold because Blizzard and NetEase were unable to reach a new licensing agreement before January 23.

Due to the agreement's expiration, World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, Warcraft III: Reforged, Overwatch 2, the StarCraft series, Diablo III, and Heroes of the Storm were all pulled offline in China.

Due to their inability to enter the game, Overwatch League teams are currently in a precarious situation. Fans are becoming concerned about the league's future because the league has yet to reveal when the competition will resume this season. This is especially true considering how frequently the free agency period has been postponed while the corporation works to get the game back online in China.

What’s Next?

Currently, it doesn't look like the league will return for at least a few months. The deadline for all teams to sign the required number of players has been postponed from January 16 to March 13. Fans speculate that this suggests the Overwatch League will begin play in April or later.

Fans are asking if teams would shift operations elsewhere to continue competing or if they will be waiting for the game to come back online in China now that it has been shut down and there is no indication of when it will be back up.

The company is still working out how to get the games back online, so users in China won't have access to any Blizzard titles for the time being. One thing is sure – this will not reflect well on the Chinese video games market and will leave a massive wound that, if not taken care of soon, can create a considerable rupture within the Asian esports community.