In light of recent events, it is with great regret that we announce the removal of Hearthstone from the Esports program at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
 
In November 2022, negotiations between Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase regarding the extension of operating rights and their partnership agreement ended without reaching a conclusion. As a result, all servers hosting Hearthstone on the Chinese Mainland have been shut down and the team managing the game has been disbanded. This has left the game in a state where it is unable to be included as one of the competition events at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
 
Efforts were made to resolve the issue with the Asian Electronic Sports Federation (AESF). However, there was no significant progress in finding a solution.
 
After extensive discussions with the Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee (HAGOC), it was proposed that Hearthstone be removed from the competition program. 
 
On the 16th of March, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) confirmed the decision proposed by HAGOC and the AESF for the removal of Heartstone during the fifth Coordination Committee meeting. 
 
The AESF extends a warm invitation to all National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and Esport Associations to register and participate in the remaining seven Esports titles at the Hangzhou Asian Games. We remain fully dedicated to providing a world-class platform for Esports athletes to showcase their skills and abilities to the world. We sincerely hope you will join us in making history at the Hangzhou Asian Games and demonstrate the boundless potential of Esports as a major sporting phenomenon.