Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Breaking: Chinese government rejects World of Warcraft, again]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/02/breaking-chinese-government-rejects-world-of-warcraft-again/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/02/breaking-chinese-government-rejects-world-of-warcraft-again/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/02/breaking-chinese-government-rejects-world-of-warcraft-again/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


In a crackdown against online gaming, China has put World of Warcraft under review again today, asking Chinese operator NetEase to stop collecting fees and suspend new account registration as the game is in violation of regulation agreements.

A regulator from the General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) said today in an online statement that the game was in "gross violation" of Chinese regulations and they have returned the company's application to operate "The Burning Crusade" (Yep, that's right, they said The Burning Crusade and not Wrath of the Lich King) in China. NetEase has responded that they have not received official word from the governing body of their intent. As of this posting, Battle.net China is still accepting registrations for World of Warcraft.

Continue reading Breaking: Chinese government rejects World of Warcraft, again

MassivelyBreaking: Chinese government rejects World of Warcraft, again originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As we've reported on earlier, Wrath of the Lich King isn't heading towards a speedy approval for Chinese audiences, leading to problems for The9 if they can't get Wrath approved by the government. However, unlike The9, Blizzard is downplaying the issues Wrath may be facing.

Blizzard has told GamesIndustry.biz that "World of Warcraft continues to operate as normal in mainland China, and we're continuing to work with our local partner, The9, toward the launch of Wrath of the Lich King there. An official announcement will be made once it's ready to go."

It seems that everything is on track for Wrath's launch in China according to the company, but only time will ultimately tell when Wrath will be able to get away from the new stringent regulations holding it back.

MassivelyBlizzard downplays Wrath's issues in China originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 22 Mar 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blizzardchinadisapprovalgamesindustry.bizregulationsskeletonsthe9world-of-warcraftwotlkwowwrath-of-the-lich-kingzombiesSun, 22 Mar 2009 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Statistics point to China's growing significance in MMO industry]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/20/statistics-point-to-chinas-growing-significance-in-mmo-industry/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/20/statistics-point-to-chinas-growing-significance-in-mmo-industry/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/20/statistics-point-to-chinas-growing-significance-in-mmo-industry/#commentsFiled under: , ,


We've been mentioning a bit about some of the regulatory issues in China affecting massively multiplayer online games, particularly as they concern some Western game companies. However, a number of gamers in the West have wondered something along the lines of, "What does this have to do with me?" Well, in terms of Western markets directly, not much. But China is significant for the MMO industry seen as a whole.

China will be the world's largest MMO market moving forward and as broadband speeds and penetration increase, the numbers of online gamers will keep rising. The current regulatory changes put forth by China's General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) stands to have a major impact on how online games are operated in this market, ranging from implementation of a "fatigue system" (where play time is limited each day) to censorship of game content. The country has over 55.5 million online gamers, with a total market for virtual transactions between USD 1.4 billion and 1.9 billion (RMB 10-13 billion), according to 2008 statistics released by the China Internet Network Information Center (as reported in English by JLM Pacific Epoch).

MassivelyStatistics point to China's growing significance in MMO industry originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Mar 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>asiacensorshipchinaciniccnnicculturefatiguefatigue-systemgappjlm-pacific-epochlegalmmo-industryregulationsregulatoryvirtual-goodsvirtual-transactionsFri, 20 Mar 2009 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[China to impose more restrictions on foreign online games]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/16/china-to-impose-more-restrictions-on-foreign-online-games/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/16/china-to-impose-more-restrictions-on-foreign-online-games/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/16/china-to-impose-more-restrictions-on-foreign-online-games/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

We've mentioned some of the issues that China's licensed World of Warcraft operator The9 faces with bringing Wrath of the Lich King to market, and what this latest round of regulation could mean for the the operator. The government's newfound concern with controlling exactly what content exists in online games played in China may have an impact that goes far beyond World of Warcraft. Other foreign MMOs are presently operating in China, while others have their eyes on this growing market.

JLM Pacific Epoch cites (the Chinese-language news portal) Sohu, which reports that the General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) will "tighten approval criteria for online game imports in an effort to protect the development of online game enterprises and avoid the excessive penetration of foreign culture among Chinese youth."

Continue reading China to impose more restrictions on foreign online games

MassivelyChina to impose more restrictions on foreign online games originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 16 Mar 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>asiabusiness-modelscensorshipchinaculturegappjlm-pacific-epochlegalmmo-industryoperatoroperatorsprotectionismregulationssohuthe9wow-chinaMon, 16 Mar 2009 17:00:00 EST