GAPP Approves WoW Lich King Expansion Pack
People.com.cn, 7/27/10
An industry source has revealed that China's General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) approved the second World of Warcraft (WoW) expansion pack, Wrath of the Lich King, last week, and Chinese game operator Netease (Nasdaq: NTES) may now release the game at a time of its own choosing.
GAPP's official website contains no mention of the expansion pack being approved, but a source inside GAPP confirmed the report.
Netease spokesman Dong Wei'an declined to comment on the rumors, but a member of Netease's World of Warcraft operations team confirmed to reporters that the new reports were correct.
Netease began advance promotion of the new expansion pack online last month, including on Tencent (0700.HK) and Xunlei properties, and has invited gamers to experience a free seven-day trial of the new game. Discs containing the software client are now being stamped out in bulk.
Despite receiving GAPP approval for the game, however, Netease's launch of Wrath of the Lich King will also depend on approval from China's Ministry of Culture.
Editor's Note: The official website of the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Press and Publication has confirmed that GAPP approved Wrath of the Lich King on July 23.
Regarding Ministry of Culture approval, the "Provisional Regulations Regarding the Administration of Online Games" dictate that "culture administration departments under the State Council shall conduct content reviews of all imported online games. Imported online games may only be operated subject to content approval from cultural administration departments under the State Council." The term "cultural administration departments" refers to China's Ministry of Culture.
Keywords: WoW Wrath of the Lich King Internet Ministry of Culture Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Press and Publication GAPP expansion pack NTES online gaming regulation Netease
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