Blizzard and NetEase had a World of Warcraft mobile game in the works, but the companies have apparently canceled development on the project.
This is according to a Bloomberg report which states the mobile version of the MMO was in development for three years before being canceled.
The report states the cancellation resulted in the disbandment of a 100-strong team at NetEase, with only some offered positions elsewhere in the company.
Apparently, there was a disagreement between Blizzard and NetEase over financial terms leading to the project’s cancellation. People familiar with the matter said the MMORPG, codenamed Neptune, was set in the same universe as WoW, only it focused on a different time period.
NetEase is the publisher of World of Warcraft and other Blizzard titles in China and is the co-creator of the mobile title Diablo Immortal.
This isn’t the only Warcraft-based title to be canceled. According to Bloomberg, the title was an AR game similar to Pokemon Go. Codenamed Orbis, it had been in development for more than four years before its cancellation.
Back in 2022, Activision Blizzard announced its plans to bring the Warcraft franchise to mobile with CEO Bobby Kotick stating Blizzard had “multiple mobile free-to-play Warcraft experiences” in the works, and the titles were “in advanced development.” Kotick said the games would “create opportunities for existing players and new fans to experience the Warcraft universe in entirely new ways.”
One of these titles is Warcraft Arclight Rumble, where you assemble armies with characters from the Warcraft universe and battle it out in various missions as you command forces of digital tabletop miniatures in multi-lane combat.
It will feature a single-player experience with over 70 missions, as well as weekly and monthly challenges in the form of multipart dungeons, raids, and more. You can also play with others in competitive or cooperative modes and join guilds.