Diablo Immortal China delay due to Winnie the Pooh social media post, report suggests Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Diablo Immortal China delay due to Winnie the Pooh social media post, report suggests Tigger warning. News by Tom Phillips Deputy Editor Published on 22 Jul 2022 25 comments A social media post believed to mock Chinese president Xi Jinping was behind the last-minute delay to Diablo Immortal in China, a report has suggested. This contrasts with the official reasoning given by Chinese developer and publisher NetEase in June, which said it was holding back the game's launch for "content enhancement". NetEase declined to comment when contacted by Eurogamer. Watch on YouTube Diablo Immortal launched outside of China last month. In a report last night, Bloomberg sources stated that the delay was in reality due to "a deleted social media post interpreted as criticism of Chinese President Xi Jinping", which resulted in the game's Weibo account being blocked for "violating relevant laws and regulations". In a follow-up report, Massively linked this to a screenshot of a Winnie the Pooh reference allegedly posted by the game's Weibo account before it was deleted. Chinese censors regularly remove references to Winnie the Pooh, whose likeness is used in memes and jokes to reference the country's president. Internet speculation had previously connected the game's delay to the Diablo social media account being removed - though this is the first time a reputable report claims to have connected the dots. "The development team is making a number of optimisation adjustments to the game," NetEase claimed last month. This included "support for a wider range of models and devices, the highest quality rendering on more models, a lot of experience, network and performance optimisations, and more. "We believe that the game experience in the official online version will become smoother and bring better game content to everyone." Despite launching on time elsewhere, the Chinese delay sent NetEase stock plunging. The game is now expected to launch in the country next week on 25th July. So far, the Western release of Diablo Immortal appears to have been a financial success, though the game has been plagued by complaints surrounding its monetisation practices. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Atari will hold RollerCoaster Tycoon rights for another decade Ups and downs. 7 Lady Dimitrescu will be a tad smaller in Resident Evil Village's Mercenaries DLC Level the playing field. 1 Overwatch 2 suffers another DDoS attack and character roster bugs Mei Mei. 8 Nintendo Switch firmware update lets you take screenshots in the Switch Online app The app on your console, not your phone. 7 Latest Articles Genshin Impact Path of Gleaming Jade dates, login event rewards Including other anniversary rewards and how to claim them. Atari will hold RollerCoaster Tycoon rights for another decade Ups and downs. 7 Jelly Deals Logitech's G Pro X gaming headset is its lowest-ever price during Amazon's Early Access sale Prime Members can get it for just £52. Jelly Deals Save over £500 off the retail price on this beefy ASUS TUF Dash gaming laptop from Amazon Under £1080 for an RTX 3070 laptop. Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store