网易暴雪复婚

今天，网易和暴雪共同官宣，暴雪旗下游戏，自今年夏季开始陆续重返中国大陆市场。

去年1月24日，网易与暴雪长达14年合作的结束，暴雪国服正式终止运营，涉及《魔兽世界》《炉石传说》《守望先锋》《暗黑破坏神III》《星际争霸II》《魔兽争霸III：重制版》《风暴英雄》等游戏。

🤔️小作业：

1. What triggered the fallout between NetEase and Blizzard Entertainment in 2023 according to the passage?

A) A disagreement over the pricing of games

B) Intellectual property control issues

C) NetEase’s failure to meet sales targets

D) Management disputes within NetEase

B) It caused a delay in re-establishing the partnership

C) It facilitated the easing of tensions and renewal of the partnership

D) It had no impact on the partnership

无注释原文：

Microsoft and NetEase to re-launch Warcraft game in China, ending feud

From: Reuters

Chinese video games giant NetEase said it is working with Microsoft to bring popular games including “World of Warcraft” back to the country after a public fallout that ended a decade-long partnership in 2023.

The two companies said in press release on Wednesday that they are working to bring games developed by Blizzard Entertainment, a subsidiary of U.S. gaming giant Activision Blizzard which Microsoft acquired last year, back to the world’s second-largest economy, starting this summer. NetEase was the publisher of Blizzard’s games in China from 2008 to 2023.

“We at Blizzard are thrilled to reestablish our partnership with NetEase and to work together, with deep appreciation for the collaboration between our teams, to deliver legendary gaming experiences to players in China,” said Johanna Faries, president of Blizzard Entertainment.

Additionally, Microsoft and NetEase said they have also entered into an agreement to explore bringing new NetEase titles to Microsoft’s Xbox gaming consoles and its other gaming platforms.

A number of popular online games developed by Blizzard were taken offline in China last year after the company terminated its lucrative, 14-year-long partnership with NetEase, citing disagreement over intellectual property control.

The incident escalated into an open feud that saw the two companies sue each other. Tension eased after Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard in October, which was followed by changes to the latter’s management.

Local Chinese media reported late last year that NetEase and Microsoft were seeking ways to bury the hatchet and re-launch the games in China.

The exit of Blizzard games was closely watched because Blizzard’s games were highly popular in China. Chinese media said “World of Warcraft” alone had five million Chinese gamers in 2009 after NetEase became the publisher.

The press release on Wednesday showed the renewed publishing agreement covers Blizzard’s flagship games “World of Warcraft” and “Hearthstone” as well as other titles in the “Warcraft,” “Overwatch,” “Diablo” and “StarCraft” franchises.

The earlier breakup sparked outcry with millions of Chinese netizens complaining online that they would lose access to their favorite games.

In February 2023, before the games were taken offline, over a million of Chinese gamers requested refunds for unspent services in Blizzard’s games, NetEase customer service said at the time.

NetEase is China’s second-largest video games company by revenue after Tencent.

- ◆ -

注：完整题目见本文开头；中文文本为机器翻译并非一一对应，仅供参考

含注释全文：

Microsoft and NetEase to re-launch Warcraft game in China, ending feud

From: Reuters

Chinese video games giant NetEase said it is working with Microsoft to bring popular games including “World of Warcraft” back to the country after a public fallout that ended a decade-long partnership in 2023.

中国电子游戏巨头网易公司（NetEase）宣布，继2023年终止长达十年的合作关系后，网易公司正在与微软合作，将包括《魔兽世界》（World of Warcraft）在内的热门游戏重新引入中国市场。

giant /ˈdʒaɪ.ənt/表示“巨头，大公司”，英文解释为“Giant is often used to refer to any large, successful business organization or country.”如：Japanese electronics giant, Sony 日本的电子业巨头——索尼公司。

📍这个词来自希腊神话中的“巨人”（Gigantes），表示在某个领域或行业内非常强大或巨大的实体。

类似的还有：

📍mogul /ˈməʊɡəl/表示“（尤指新闻、影视界的）大人物；大亨”，英文解释为“A mogul is an important, rich, and powerful businessman, especially one in the news, film, or television industry.”如：an international media mogul一位国际传媒大亨。

📍magnate /ˈmæɡneɪt, -nɪt/ 表示“大亨，巨头”，英文解释为“a rich and powerful person in industry or business”。

📍tycoon /taɪˈkuːn/ 表示“巨头，大亨（工商界）”，英文解释为“someone who is successful in business or industry and has a lot of money and power”如：property tycoon 房地产大亨。

📍conglomerate /kənˈglɒmərɪt/ 表示“联合大公司；企业集团”，英文解释为“A conglomerate is a large business firm consisting of several different companies.”如：the world's second-largest media conglomerate 世界第二大传媒集团。

📍behemoth /ˈbiːhɪmɒθ/ 表示“巨头（指规模庞大、实力雄厚的公司或机构）”，英文解释为“a very big and powerful company or organization”。

📍titan /ˈtaɪ.tən/表示“巨人；巨头”，英文解释为“If you describe someone as a titan of a particular field, you mean that they are very important and powerful or successful in that field.”

fallout /ˈfɔːl.aʊt/ 表示“不良影响，恶果”，英文解释为“the unpleasant results or effects of an action or event”举个🌰：The fallout of the revelations has been immense. 这些被曝光事件产生的负面影响是巨大的。

The two companies said in press release on Wednesday that they are working to bring games developed by Blizzard Entertainment, a subsidiary of U.S. gaming giant Activision Blizzard which Microsoft acquired last year, back to the world’s second-largest economy, starting this summer. NetEase was the publisher of Blizzard’s games in China from 2008 to 2023.

两家公司于周三在新闻稿中表示，他们正致力于在今年夏季将由美国游戏巨头动视暴雪旗下子公司暴雪娱乐开发的游戏重新引入中国市场这个世界第二大经济体中。从2008年到2023年，网易一直是暴雪游戏在中国的发行商。

press release /ˈpres rɪˌliːs/ 表示“（向媒体发布的）新闻稿”，英文解释为“a public statement given to the press to publish if they wish”

blizzard /ˈblɪz.əd/ 表示“暴风雪；雪暴”，英文解释为“a severe snow storm with strong winds”举个🌰：We once got stuck in a blizzard for six hours. 我们曾被暴风雪困了6个小时之久。

subsidiary /səbˈsɪd.i.ə.ri/ 表示“子公司；附属公司”，英文解释为“A subsidiary or a subsidiary company is a company which is part of a larger and more important company.”

acquire /əˈkwaɪər/ 作动词，表示“取得，获得；购得；学到；收购”，英文解释为“to get something”举个🌰：He acquired the firm in 2023. 他于2023年收购了这家公司。

“We at Blizzard are thrilled to reestablish our partnership with NetEase and to work together, with deep appreciation for the collaboration between our teams, to deliver legendary gaming experiences to players in China,” said Johanna Faries, president of Blizzard Entertainment.

暴雪娱乐总裁乔安娜·法瑞斯（Johanna Faries）表示：“暴雪的同事们都非常高兴能够再次与网易结成合作伙伴，并深切感谢双方团队的通力合作，以携手为中国玩家带来优异的游戏体验。”

thrilled /θrɪld/ 表示“狂喜的；非常兴奋；极为激动”，英文解释为“If someone is thrilled, they are extremely happy and excited about something.”举个🌰：He was thrilled at the prospect of seeing her again. 他一想到将要再次见到她便欣喜若狂。

legendary /ˈledʒ.ən.dri/ 1）表示“名声显赫的；津津乐道的”，英文解释为“very famous and admired or spoken about”举个🌰：The English are legendary (= well known) for their incompetence with languages. 英国人语言能力欠佳是出了名的。

2）表示“传说的，传奇的”，英文解释为“from a legend”如：a legendary Greek hero 希腊传奇英雄。

Additionally, Microsoft and NetEase said they have also entered into an agreement to explore bringing new NetEase titles to Microsoft’s Xbox gaming consoles and its other gaming platforms.

此外，微软和网易表示，双方还达成了一项协议，尝试将新的网易游戏带到Xbox及其他平台。

title /ˈtaɪ.təl/ 作名词，熟词僻义，表示“（竞赛、体育比赛的）冠军”，英文解释为“[C] the position of being the winner of a competition, especially a sports competition”如：the world heavyweight title 重量级世界拳击冠军。

title还可以表示「书」举个🌰：Last year we published over a hundred new titles. 去年我们出版了100多种新书。

在这个上下文中，titles指的是游戏的所有权或产权。

console /ˈkɒn.səʊl/ 表示“控制台，操纵台”，英文解释为“A console is a panel with a number of switches or knobs that is used to operate a machine.”举个🌰：Several nurses sat before a console of flickering lights and bleeping monitors. 几名护士坐在灯光闪烁、监听器嘟嘟作响的控制台前。

🎮这里指的是「手柄；掌机；游戏机」。

console /kənˈsəʊl/ 作动词，表示“安慰，安抚，抚慰，慰藉”，英文解释为“to make someone who is sad or disappointed feel better by giving them comfort or sympathy”举个🌰：He tried to console her, but she kept saying it was all her own fault. 他尽力安慰她，可是她不停地说那都是她自己的错。

A number of popular online games developed by Blizzard were taken offline in China last year after the company terminated its lucrative, 14-year-long partnership with NetEase, citing disagreement over intellectual property control.

暴雪去年终止了与网易长达14年的合作关系，称双方在知识产权控制方面存在分歧，随后暴雪开发的多款热门网络游戏在中国下线。

terminate /ˈtɜː.mɪ.neɪt/ 1）表示“（使）停止，结束，终止”，英文解释为“to end; to make sth end”举个🌰：Your contract of employment terminates in December. 你的聘约十二月份到期。

2）也可以指“终止妊娠，人工流产”（to end a pregnancy intentionally, usually by a medical operation）举个🌰：After a lot of agonizing she decided to terminate the pregnancy. 在多次痛苦的考虑后，她决定终止妊娠。

lucrative /ˈluːkrətɪv/ 表示“（尤指生意、职位或活动）赚钱的，盈利的”，英文解释为“(especially of a business, job, or activity) producing a lot of money”举个🌰：The merger proved to be very lucrative for both companies. 事实证明，这次兼并使两家公司都获利丰厚。

intellectual property /ɪn.təlˌek.tju.əl ˈprɒp.ə.ti/ 表示“知识产权”，英文解释为“someone's idea, invention, creation, etc., that can be protected by law from being copied by someone else”

IP即为intellectual property的缩写，原意表示知识产权。据百度百科，互联网界的“IP”可以理解为所有成名文创（文学、影视、动漫、游戏等）作品的统称。也就是说此时的IP更多的只是代表智力创造的比如发明、文学和艺术作品这些著作的版权。

📍进一步引申来说，能够仅凭自身的吸引力，挣脱单一平台的束缚，在多个平台上获得流量，进行分发的内容，就是一个IP，它是能带来效应的“梗“或者“现象”，这个“梗”可以在各种平台发挥效应，因此IP也可以说是一款产品，能带来效应的产品。

The incident escalated into an open feud that saw the two companies sue each other. Tension eased after Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard in October, which was followed by changes to the latter’s management.

这一事件升级为公开纠纷，两家公司相互起诉。微软于10月份收购动视暴雪后，动视暴雪管理层发生了变化，双方紧张关系有所缓和。

escalate /ˈeskəleɪt/ 表示“使…加剧；加剧”，英文解释为“If a bad situation escalates or if someone or something escalates it, it becomes greater in size, seriousness, or intensity.”举个🌰：They fear the dispute could escalate. 他们都害怕争端会加剧。

🎬电影《死亡实验》（The Experiment）中的台词提到：Do I need to escalate matters right now? 逼我把事情闹大吗？

📍de-escalate /ˌdiːˈes.kə.leɪt/ 表示“（使）缓和，（使）缓解”，英文解释为“to (cause to) become less dangerous or difficult”举个🌰：There are signs that the confrontation is beginning to de-escalate. 有迹象表明对立已经开始缓和。

feud /fjuːd/ 表示“夙怨；世仇；长期争斗”，英文解释为“an argument that has existed for a long time between two people or groups, causing a lot of anger or violence”如：a family feud 家族世仇。

📺英剧《神探夏洛克》（Sherlock）中的台词提到：This petty feud between us is simply childish. 相比之下我们的小恩小怨不过儿戏。

sue /suː/ 表示“控告，对…提起诉讼（尤指要求赔偿）”，英文解释为“to take legal action against a person or organization, especially by making a legal claim for money because of some harm that they have caused you”举个🌰：He was so furious about the accusations in the letter that he threatened to sue. 他对信里的指控愤怒至极，扬言要控告对方。

Local Chinese media reported late last year that NetEase and Microsoft were seeking ways to bury the hatchet and re-launch the games in China.

中国当地媒体去年年底报道称，网易和微软正在寻求和解，并计划在中国重新推出这些游戏。

表示“言归于好”，英文解释为“to stop an argument and become friends again”举个🌰：Can't you two just bury the hatchet? 你们俩难道就不能言归于好吗？

The exit of Blizzard games was closely watched because Blizzard’s games were highly popular in China. Chinese media said “World of Warcraft” alone had five million Chinese gamers in 2009 after NetEase became the publisher.

暴雪游戏的退出受到了密切关注，因为暴雪的游戏在中国非常受欢迎。中国媒体报道称，自从网易成为发行商后，《魔兽世界》在2009年就拥有了500万中国玩家。

The press release on Wednesday showed the renewed publishing agreement covers Blizzard’s flagship games “World of Warcraft” and “Hearthstone” as well as other titles in the “Warcraft,” “Overwatch,” “Diablo” and “StarCraft” franchises.

周三的新闻稿显示，更新后的游戏出版协议将涵盖暴雪的旗舰游戏《魔兽世界》和《炉石传说》以及《魔兽争霸》、《守望先锋》、《暗黑破坏神》和《星际争霸》各自游戏宇宙的系列游戏。

flagship /ˈflæɡ.ʃɪp/ 表示“（某机构的）旗舰产品，最重要理念，主建筑物”，英文解释为“the best or most important product, idea, building, etc. that an organization owns or produces”举个🌰：This machine is the flagship in our new range of computers. 这台机器是我们新计算机系列的主打产品。

franchise /ˈfræntʃaɪz/ 最常见的意思与“特许经营权”有关，既可以作可数名词，又可以做及物动词。作可数名词时具体表示“（公司授予某人的）特许经营权”，英文解释为“A franchise is an authority that is given by an organization to someone, allowing them to sell its goods or services or to take part in an activity which the organization controls.”比如“建造、运营隧道的特许权”就可以用“the franchise to build and operate the tunnel.”表示。

📍可以理解为「一部电影的所有系列，系列电影」A film series is also called a film “franchise” which consists of a number of films based on the same characters. 或者“franchise”可以指一个商业品牌或者产品系列，它由相同主题或品牌下的多个作品组成，这些作品可以是电影、电视剧、漫画、视频游戏等。

📍作及物动词时具体表示“出售…的特许经营权”，英文解释为“If a company franchises its business, it sells franchises to other companies, allowing them to sell its goods or services.”举个🌰：She has recently franchised her business. 她最近已出售了其公司的特许经营权。

📍它还有另外一个意思，表示“选举权”，用作不可数名词，英文解释为“Franchise is the right to vote in an election.”

📍而在体育运动领域，指的是“球队，职业运动队”（a professional sports team），如在“湖人总冠军！”文中出现过：Second, Pelinka lived up to Bryant's prediction that Pelinka would help turn the franchise around within two to three years after the Lakers hired him in 2017. 第二，佩林卡不负布莱恩特的预言，在2017年湖人队聘请他之后，佩林卡将在两到三年内帮助球队扭转局面。

The earlier breakup sparked outcry with millions of Chinese netizens complaining online that they would lose access to their favorite games.

此前双方的“分手”引发了公众的强烈反响，数以百万计的中国网友在线上抱怨他们将无法访问自己最喜欢的游戏。

spark /spɑːk/ 表示“引发”，英文解释为“If one thing sparks another, the first thing causes the second thing to start happening.”举个🌰：My teacher organized a unit on computer science that really sparked my interest. 我的老师编排了一个关于计算机科学的单元，它真正激发了我的兴趣。

此前，《后浪》和「青年」文中标题中就用到：Bilibili's May 4th Youth Day video sparks discussion on social media 引发热议。

📍“spark”表示一瞬间的光亮或能量的释放，引申为激发某种感情或兴趣。同根词：sparkle（闪耀），常用短语：spark a debate（引发辩论）

类似的还有：

📍stir表示“激发，激起（强烈的感情）；引起（强烈的反应）”，英文解释为“to make someone have a strong feeling or reaction”举个🌰：The poem succeeds in stirring the imagination. 这首诗能够激发起想象力。

📍provoke也表示“激起，引起”，英文解释为“to cause a reaction or feeling, especially a sudden one”，如：provoke debate/discussion 激起辩论/讨论。

📍spur 鼓动；激励；鞭策；刺激；鼓舞”，英文解释为“If one thing spurs you to do another, it encourages you to do it.”举个🌰：It's the money that spurs these fishermen to risk a long ocean journey in their flimsy boats. 是金钱驱使这些渔民驾驶单薄的小船冒险出海远航。

🎬电影《龙之心3：巫师的诅咒》（Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer's Curse）中的台词提到：To spur the clans to war. 激励部族发起战争。

📍trigger表示“发动；引起；触发”，英文解释为“to make sth happen suddenly”举个🌰：Nuts can trigger off a violent allergic reaction. 坚果可以引起严重的过敏反应。

outcry /ˈaʊt.kraɪ/表示“呐喊；大声疾呼；强烈抗议”，英文解释为“An outcry is a reaction of strong disapproval and anger shown by the public or media about a recent event.”举个🌰：The killing caused an international outcry. 该起谋杀引起了国际上强烈的不满。

In February 2023, before the games were taken offline, over a million of Chinese gamers requested refunds for unspent services in Blizzard’s games, NetEase customer service said at the time.

网易客服当时表示，2023年2月，在游戏下线之前，超过100万中国玩家要求退还暴雪游戏中未使用的服务费用。

refund /ˈriː.fʌnd/ 作名词，表示“（尤指因为对购买的产品或服务不满意而追回的）退款，返还款，偿还金额”，英文解释为“an amount of money that is given back to you, especially because you are not happy with a product or service that you have bought”

作动词，表示“退还；退（款）;偿付”，英文解释为“to give someone a refund”举个🌰：When I went on business to Hangzhou, the office refunded my expenses. 我到杭州出差，费用由事务所报销。

NetEase is China’s second-largest video games company by revenue after Tencent.

网易是中国第二大视频游戏公司，其营收仅次于腾讯。

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