Overwatch has been getting China-exclusive events and cosmetics ever since Blizzard and NetEase re-entered their publishing agreement in 2024 after breaking up in 2022. Being excluded from these offerings, which have included notable crossover skins like the Naraka: Bladepoint bundle, has not gone over well with fans in the rest of the world. This feeling of favoritism and jealousy has only gotten worse as the game’s 10-year anniversary event, currently underway, has given Chinese players much better rewards than what folks in other territories got. Fans have often suspected that NetEase was responsible for those exclusive events, and head of development for Blizzard’s live games and mobile division Walter Kong has now confirmed as much.
In an interview with IGN, Kong said that the China-exclusive events are “related to [Blizzard’s] partnership structure with NetEase.”
“I think NetEase has the responsibility of publishing our game in China, and part of their approach is to do things that are specific to that market,” he said. “And the approach that we want to take is to make sure that our game makes players feel cared for, no matter the market. And I think we fell short of the mark with this current event, but it does mean that as we look forward to future events and activations, we have a very specific view that ‘Is this just the right way to run the event?’ and from the perspective of holistically, ‘How do things balance out?”
Even when Chinese players aren’t getting exclusive skins, there’s a sentiment among Overwatch players elsewhere that those in China are being treated better than the rest, which was only made worse by the anniversary event. While most players are getting recolored skins of the original launch heroes through lootboxes, China is getting 10 free customizable Mythic Skins, which are typically unlocked through completing a battle pass and earning specific currency. Though Blizzard isn’t giving everyone those free skins, it has made some adjustments to the anniversary event in other territories after backlash from fans.
Hey all. We’ve been reading and watching reactions to the anniversary event this week, and they’re fair. Ten years of Overwatch is a huge milestone, and we want this entire year to feel like a celebration of Overwatch. 🧵 1/8
— Aaron Keller (@aaronkellerOW) May 15, 2026
“There are some limits to how we can pivot, but as we saw the feedback coming in and we sat around the table, we did believe that there was a need to recalibrate, but we’re looking at the 10th anniversary as more than just this current event,” Kong said. “We want this year to really be an opportunity to celebrate Overwatch‘s 10th anniversary. And I think even going back to Season 1, the ambition to release 10 Heroes in the year was very much in the context of the 10th anniversary, and we’ll certainly be doing more during the year to remind players that we’re very grateful for just the continued engagement with our game.”