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Last week, NetEase, Blizzard’s Chinese localization partner, officially delayed the release of Diablo Immortal. Originally scheduled to launch on June 23, NetEase attributed the delay to a variety of technical issues affecting the game’s performance. However, there may have been another reason for Diablo Immortal’s delay related to an alleged Weibo post that was mocking Chinese President Xi Jinping.
On May 22, the Diablo Immortal Weibo account was accused of publishing a post that translates to “Why didn’t the bear retire?” In terms of context, “bear” in Chinese is a term often used to describe incompetence and cowardice, especially when it comes to politics. It is also a word often used to demean President Jinping, who is referred to as Winnie the Pooh.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the alleged post from the Diablo Immortal account caused massive backlash in China. Social media is heavily regulated in the country, and criticism of public figures and politicians can have dramatic consequences. Nationalism also encourages many social media users to react aggressively to political criticism, as evidenced by reviews of international games that are even implicitly linked to criticism of China or President Jinping, such as in the case of the horror horror Devotion.
Adding to the tension is the fact that President Jinping is expected to begin his third term at the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China later this year. Critics have called for President Jinping to “step down”, as in the alleged Diablo Immortal tweet, and for new leadership in the country. This political movement often generates hostility on Weibo and other social media.
As for the situation with Diablo Immortal itself, it’s still unclear what will happen next. Video games in China face incredible scrutiny to get approved. Any controversy surrounding a project will usually result in it not being approved for release. However, there is no official confirmation of the Diablo Immortal ban in China at the moment. However, this does not necessarily mean that it will eventually be released.
There are some doubts about the veracity of the alleged Diablo Immortal Weibo publication. There are rumors online that this was rigged to prevent Diablo Immortal from launching in China due to anger over the game’s monetization.