BEIJING, Nov. 3, 2009 (Xinhua News Agency) -- The General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) recently terminated the approval of World of Warcraft's (WoW) expansion pack The Burning Crusade, GAPP said on Tuesday in a circular.
According to the circular, NetEase.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTES) (NTES.NASDAQ), the game's operator, had launched the game prior to the completion of administrative approval. As a result, GAPP terminated the approval and refused its application.
Meanwhile, GAPP ordered the operator to suspend charging and offerings of new accounts for registration. Additionally, NetEase would face an administrative penalty, including being blocked from accessing the Internet.
However, because the Ministry of Culture acts as the supervisor of online games and GAPP merely retains authority in the publication process, the suspension order is beyond GAPP's authority, Xinmin.cn quoted Liu Qiang, head of the Online Culture Office under the Ministry of Culture, as saying.
Liu argued that the game's operation complied with the related laws.
NetEase is optimistic towards the matter being resolved, which, however, is unreasonable, tech.qq.com quoted the 21st Century Business Herald as saying.
Industry analysts reckoned that the circular would badly hit NetEase and warned China's online game sector.WoW is a popular online game in China. NetEase acquired the license to operate it on April 16, but endured a long-term suspension due to administrative approval procedures.
